KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Work, school & formal › 개인 사정으로 참석하지 못하게 되어 양해를 구하고자 합니다

“I’m unable to attend due to…” in Korean

개인 사정으로 참석하지 못하게 되어 양해를 구하고자 합니다

gaein sajeongeuro chamseokaji motage doeeo yanghaereul guhagoja hamnida

Situation: Work, school & formalLevel: Advanced (TOPIK 5–6)

Meaning

I’m unable to attend due to personal circumstances and ask for your understanding.

-고자 합니다 is a formal way to state intention (“I intend to…”). 양해를 구하다 means “to ask for understanding”, used when apologizing for absence or lateness.

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

Syllables: 25 · Words: 8

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
개인
개	ㄱ+ㅐ	gae
인	ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄴ	in
사정으로
사	ㅅ+ㅏ	sa
정	ㅈ+ㅓ+ㅇ	jeong
으	ㅇ+ㅡ	eu
로	ㄹ+ㅗ	ro
참석하지
참	ㅊ+ㅏ+ㅁ	cham
석	ㅅ+ㅓ+ㄱ	[서] seo
하	ㅎ+ㅏ	[카] ka
지	ㅈ+ㅣ	ji
못하게
못	ㅁ+ㅗ+ㅅ	[모] mo
하	ㅎ+ㅏ	[타] ta
게	ㄱ+ㅔ	ge
되어
되	ㄷ+ㅚ	doe
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	eo
양해를
양	ㅇ+ㅑ+ㅇ	yang
해	ㅎ+ㅐ	hae
를	ㄹ+ㅡ+ㄹ	reul
구하고자
구	ㄱ+ㅜ	gu
하	ㅎ+ㅏ	ha
고	ㄱ+ㅗ	go
자	ㅈ+ㅏ	ja
합니다
합	ㅎ+ㅏ+ㅂ	[함] ham
니	ㄴ+ㅣ	ni
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	da

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

Aspiration: ㅎ next to ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ or ㅈ blends with it into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ. 석하 → [서카]
Nasalization: a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ becomes ㅇ, ㄴ or ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ (and a ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ becomes ㄴ). 합니 → [함니]

Style: Formal polite (합쇼체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -ㅂ니다 or -습니다. The most formal polite style, used for announcements, presentations, business and first meetings.

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

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
참석하다	verb	to attend	TOPIK level 3
하다	verb	to do	TOPIK level 1

불가피한 사정으로 회의가 연기되었음을 알려 드립니다We would like to inform you that the meeting has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “개인 사정으로 참석하지 못하게 되어 양해를 구하고자 합니다” mean?

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Answer: I’m unable to attend due to personal circumstances and ask for your understanding

Question 2 How do you say “I’m unable to attend due to personal circumstances and ask for your understanding” in Korean?

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Answer: 개인 사정으로 참석하지 못하게 되어 양해를 구하고자 합니다 gaein sajeongeuro chamseokaji motage doeeo yanghaereul guhagoja hamnida

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