How to Say ‘OK’ in Korean

As you know, the word ‘OK’ has several different meanings in English.

It can mean ‘yes’.

It can also mean that something is sufficient or ‘not bad’.

Likewise, when looking at how to say ‘OK’ in Korean, there are several different words that we can use depending on the type of ‘OK’ that we want to say.

Are you ‘OK’ to jump right into it? Here we go!

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‘OK’ as in ‘yes’

If you want to say OK as in ‘yes’, then you can simply use the Korean word for yes. You can also use the word ‘to know’.

To show how these are used, you can read the conversation below. In the conversation, ‘A’ is giving a direction and ‘B’ is saying ‘OK’ two different ways.

 

Formal ‘OK’ in Korean

Korean  English
A: 거기에 가십시오 (keo-gi-eh ka-ship-shi-oh) Go there
B: 예 (yeh) OK (yes)
B: 알겠습니다 (al-kess-suhm-ni-da) OK (I know)

 

Standard ‘OK’ in Korean

Korean English
A: 거기에 가세요 (keo-gi-eh ka-seh-yo) Go there
B: 네 (neh) OK (yes)
B: 알았어요 (al-ass-eo-yo) OK (I know)

 

Informal ‘OK’ in Korean

Korean  English
A: 거기에 가 (keo-gi-eh ka) Go there
B: 응 (eung) OK (yes)
B: 알았어 (al-ass-eo) OK (I know)

 

‘OK’ as in ‘quite good / not bad’

For this more common use of the word OK, we can use the Korean adjective 괜찮다 (gwen-chan-ta). This is used in a variety of situations such as asking if somebody is okay, or giving him or her some support.

If you go to a sports match in Korea, often the supporters of the losing team will chant ‘괜찮아, 괜찮아’ in order to try and make the players feel better.

 

Formal ‘OK’ in Korean

1. 괜찮습니다 (gwen-chan-sum-nida)

This is the formal way of saying OK. It could be used in meetings, announcements, or interviews. To say ‘OK’ as a question (such as ‘are you OK?’) in formal Korean, ask ‘괜찮습니까?’ (gwen-chan-sum-nikka) instead.

 

Standard ‘OK’ in Korean

1. 괜찮아요 (gwen-chan-a-yo)

This is the most common was of saying ‘OK’. You can use this expression in regular conversation. To ask ‘Are you OK?’ just change your intonation so that it sounds like a question.

 

Informal ‘OK’ in Korean

1. 괜찮아 (gwen-chan-a)

You can use this version of the word ‘OK’ with close friends of a similar age or younger. Again, you just need to change the intonation to turn it into a question.

괜찮다 can be used to say that something is ‘good’, ‘alright’, or ‘fine’. It can also be used to ask about somebody’s feelings. To answer such a question, rather than saying yes, you should respond with ‘괜찮아요’ or ‘안괜찮아요.

If you want to say ‘It’s OK but…’ then you can say ‘괜찮은데…’ which implies that actually something is not alright.

OK is one of the most commonly used words in the English language. Now that you know how to say OK in Korean, be careful how you use it as it is not used exactly the same in Korean as it is in English.

Also be careful when using 괜찮다. If somebody offers you a drink (for example) and you want to say ‘OK’, use the word for ‘yes’ or say ‘좋아요’ rather than ‘괜찮아요.’ If you want to say ‘no thanks, I’m OK’ then say ‘아니요, 괜찮아요’. If you just say ’괜찮아요’, then you might need to prepare yourself for an unexpected drink!

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