KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Introductions & meeting people › 낯을 가려서 처음엔 어색할 수 있어요

“I’m shy with new people, so I…” in Korean

낯을 가려서 처음엔 어색할 수 있어요

nacheul garyeoseo cheoeumen eosaekal su isseoyo

Situation: Introductions & meeting peopleLevel: Advanced (TOPIK 5–6)

Meaning

I’m shy with new people, so I may seem awkward at first.

낯을 가리다 is an idiom for being shy around strangers. -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요 here means “might,” a polite way to warn the other person in advance.

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

Syllables: 15 · Words: 6

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
낯을
낯	ㄴ+ㅏ+ㅊ	[나] na
을	ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ	[츨] cheul
가려서
가	ㄱ+ㅏ	ga
려	ㄹ+ㅕ	ryeo
서	ㅅ+ㅓ	seo
처음엔
처	ㅊ+ㅓ	cheo
음	ㅇ+ㅡ+ㅁ	[으] eu
엔	ㅇ+ㅔ+ㄴ	[멘] men
어색할
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	eo
색	ㅅ+ㅐ+ㄱ	[새] sae
할	ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄹ	[칼] kal
수	ㅅ+ㅜ	su
있어요
있	ㅇ+ㅣ+ㅆ	[이] i
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[써] sseo
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. 낯을 → [나츨]
Aspiration: ㅎ next to ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ blends with it into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. 색할 → [새칼]

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
어색하다	adjective	awkward	TOPIK level 3
있다	verb	to exist, to have	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “낯을 가려서 처음엔 어색할 수 있어요” mean?

Show the answer

Answer: I’m shy with new people, so I may seem awkward at first

Question 2 How do you say “I’m shy with new people, so I may seem awkward at first” in Korean?

Show the answer

Answer: 낯을 가려서 처음엔 어색할 수 있어요 nacheul garyeoseo cheoeumen eosaekal su isseoyo

Learn this phrase by playing: typing drills and quizzes help it stick.