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미안 (mian) in Korean — what it means and how idols actually say it

· 1 min read

미안 (mian) means sorry. It is the casual sorry — friends, bandmates, younger people. In the 102 idol clips we have scripted, it appears 104 times — here is how it sounds in real speech, not a textbook.

What mian means

미안 = sorry. The forms you will hear most: 미안 미안, 미안해, 아 미안.

미안 in real lines

미안한데 다리 되게 불편해 보여. mianhande dari doege bulpyeonhae boyeo. I'm sorry but your legs look really uncomfortable. — SEVENTEEN, GOING SEVENTEEN — mafia game cuts (EP.2) · hear this line
너무 내가 과장하긴 했어 미안한데 neomu naega gwajanghagin haesseo mianhande That was an exaggeration, I'm sorry — fromis_9, fromis_9 ‘from’ RECORDING BEHIND · hear this line
근데 미안한데 이거 바닥에 흘렸어. geunde mianhande igeo badage heullyeosseo. Sorry, but I dropped this on the floor. — SEVENTEEN, GOING SEVENTEEN — eating cuts (EP.3) · hear this line
그랬군요 너무 미안했겠어요 그렇죠? geuraetgunyo neomu mianhaetgesseoyo geureochyo? That must have been so painful, you must have felt very sorry. — IVE, ARCH·IVE EP.1 · hear this line

How to say it

Two syllables, mi-an, with the n at the end held. 미안미안 said fast is a light "my bad". Check any line with the pronunciation tool.

Casual or polite?

Casual. 미안해요 is polite, 죄송합니다 is the formal apology.

What it pairs with in our clips

  • 미안해 미안해 — 18 times · example
  • 미안 미안 — 16 times · example
  • 진짜 미안한데 — 5 times · example
  • 아 미안 — 4 times · example