How to Say “You okay” in Korean: 괜찮아? (gwaenchana?)

괜찮아?

gwaenchana?

Situation: Friends & social mediaLevel: Starter (just learning Hangul)

Meaning

You okay?

This is the casual form of 괜찮아요? for friends. Just drop 요. Do not use it with elders or people you have just met.

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

Syllables: 3 · Words: 1

Said aloud, it sounds like [괜차나].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
괜	ㄱ+ㅙ+ㄴ	gwaen
찮	ㅊ+ㅏ+ㄶ	[차] cha
아	ㅇ+ㅏ	[나] na

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

Silent ㅎ: a final ㅎ (including the ㅎ inside ㄶ and ㅀ) is not pronounced before a vowel. 찮아 → [차나]

Style: Casual (반말)Sentence type: Question

No -요 at the end. Used with close friends, younger people and family; avoid it with strangers and elders.

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “괜찮아?” mean?

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Answer: You okay

Question 2 How do you say “You okay” in Korean?

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Answer: 괜찮아? gwaenchana?

Question 3 How is “괜찮아?” pronounced?

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Answer: [괜차나]

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