In honor of Thanksgiving Day, today’s post will focus on how to say ‘thank you’ in Korean.  In addition to that we’ll go over some related phrases that may serve useful on this special day.

The first word everyone should know is kam-sa-hap-ni-da (감사합니다).  Kam-sa-hap-ni-da (감사합니다) means ‘thank you’ in Korean.  It’s also a formal way to say ‘thank you’.  If you’re dining with people you know very well you would probably use the word ko-map-sup-ni-da (고맙습니다) instead.  Ko-map-sup-ni-da (고맙습니다) is a less formal way to say thank you in Korean.

The word for ‘thank you’ is a general phrase that can be used in any situation.  However if you want to convey your appreciation in a specific way, especially in regards to a delicious meal; I would use the phrase: ma-shi-ke  mo-gos-sum-ni-da (맛있게 먹었습니다).  Ma-shi-ke  mo-gos-sum-ni-da (맛있게 먹었습니다) means ‘I ate well.’ 

If someone urges you to try for seconds and you’re full, you can politely decline with the phrase, aniyo be-bul-up-ni-da (아니요, 배가 부릅니다).  This phrase literally means ‘no, my stomach is full.”  You can also respond with ‘aniyo kwen-chan-sup-ni-da’ (아니요, 괜찮습니다).  This means ‘no, it’s alright’ as in when you want to say ‘no, I’m fine I don’t want another helping.’

If you want to excuse yourself from the table you can use the phrase, shil-le-hap-ni-da (실례합니다).  Shil-le-hap-ni-da (실례합니다) means ‘excuse me’ or ‘pardon me.’  Of course you could just apologize and say I’m sorry with je-song-hap-ni-da (죄송합니다).  Je-song-hap-ni-da (죄송합니다) is a formal way to say I’m sorry.  You can also say I’m sorry with mi-an-hap-ni-da (미안합니다).  Mi-an-hap-ni-da (미안합니다) is still polite but less formal.  However, if you use any of the apologies you would have to give a reason as to why you’re apologizing.  It’s a little awkward if you just started to apologize and left the table immediately after that.  If your Korean is not that great, just use the phrase for ‘excuse me.  It’s understood that you need to leave the table without having to explain why.

Ok everyone, that’s it for today.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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