How to Say “I can’t believe it” in Korean: 믿을 수 없어요

믿을 수 없어요

mideul su eopseoyo

Situation: Feelings & cheeringLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

I can’t believe it.

Use it when surprise or emotion leaves you speechless. -(으)ㄹ 수 없어요 means “cannot ~.”

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 6 · Words: 3

In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
믿을
믿	ㅁ+ㅣ+ㄷ	[미] mi
을	ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ	[들] deul
수	ㅅ+ㅜ	su
없어요
없	ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅄ	[업] eop
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[써] seo
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 믿을 → [미들]

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
믿다	verb	to believe	TOPIK level 3
없다	adjective	to not exist, to not have	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “믿을 수 없어요” mean?

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Answer: I can’t believe it

Question 2 How do you say “I can’t believe it” in Korean?

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Answer: 믿을 수 없어요 mideul su eopseoyo

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