How to Say “It’s okay” in Korean: 괜찮아요 (gwaenchanayo)

괜찮아요

gwaenchanayo

Situation: Greetings & basicsLevel: Starter (just learning Hangul)

Meaning

It’s okay.

Handy for replying to an apology, or for saying “I’m fine” or “no, thank you.”

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

Syllables: 4 · Words: 1

Said aloud, it sounds like [괜차나요].

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

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: 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.

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “괜찮아요” mean?

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Answer: It’s okay

Question 2 How do you say “It’s okay” in Korean?

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Answer: 괜찮아요 gwaenchanayo

Question 3 How is “괜찮아요” pronounced?

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Answer: [괜차나요]

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