KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Friends & social media › 눈치 없이 굴었다면 미안해, 악의는 없었어
How to Say “Sorry if I was being tactless” in Korean
눈치 없이 굴었다면 미안해, 악의는 없었어
nunchi eopsi gureotdamyeon mianhae, aguineun eopseosseo
Meaning
Sorry if I was being tactless. I didn’t mean any harm.
Usage note
[Casual] 눈치 is the knack for reading the room and others’ feelings; 눈치 없다 means being oblivious. -았/었다면 expresses “if it turned out that…”, softening an apology.
Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.
How to pronounce it
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 눈치 | ||
| 눈 | ㄴ+ㅜ+ㄴ | nun |
| 치 | ㅊ+ㅣ | chi |
| 없이 | ||
| 없 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅄ | [업] eop |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [씨] si |
| 굴었다면 | ||
| 굴 | ㄱ+ㅜ+ㄹ | [구] gu |
| 었 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅆ | [럳] reot |
| 다 | ㄷ+ㅏ | [따] da |
| 면 | ㅁ+ㅕ+ㄴ | myeon |
| 미안해 | ||
| 미 | ㅁ+ㅣ | mi |
| 안 | ㅇ+ㅏ+ㄴ | an |
| 해 | ㅎ+ㅐ | hae |
| 악의는 | ||
| 악 | ㅇ+ㅏ+ㄱ | ak |
| 의 | ㅇ+ㅢ | ui |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 없었어 | ||
| 없 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅄ | [업] eop |
| 었 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅆ | [써] seo |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [써] sseo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- 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. 없이 → [업씨]
- Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 었다 → [얻따]
Speech style
No -요 at the end. Used with close friends, younger people and family; avoid it with strangers and elders.
Words in this phrase
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 없다 | adjective | to not exist, to not have | TOPIK level 1 |
Phrases that use the same word
Phrases with “없이”
- 눈코 뜰 새 없이 바쁘다Too busy to even catch a breath
Phrases with “미안해”
- 답장이 늦어서 미안해Sorry for the late reply
- 미안해I’m sorry
Quick self-check
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 What does “눈치 없이 굴었다면 미안해, 악의는 없었어” mean?
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Answer: Sorry if I was being tactless. I didn’t mean any harm
Question 2 How do you say “Sorry if I was being tactless. I didn’t mean any harm” in Korean?
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Answer: 눈치 없이 굴었다면 미안해, 악의는 없었어 nunchi eopsi gureotdamyeon mianhae, aguineun eopseosseo
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Practice in the gameMore phrases for this situation
- 단톡방 분위기가 싸해져서 말을 꺼내기 어려웠어The group chat got awkward, so it was hard to bring it up
- 말만 하다가 어느새 일 년이 지나 버렸네We’ve been all talk, and before we knew it a whole year has slipped by
- 읽고도 답이 없으면 솔직히 좀 서운하지Honestly, it stings a bit when you read it and don’t reply
- 그 사진을 보니까 옛날 생각이 나서 울컥하더라Seeing that photo made me think of the old days and I got choked up
- 내가 한 말 때문에 오해가 생겼다면 풀고 싶은데 시간 괜찮아?If my words caused a misunderstanding, I want to clear it up. Got time
- 서로 바빠도 가끔은 안부를 전하자Even when we’re both busy, let’s check in with each other now and then
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