Nuance Dictionary / Regret & Lack
아쉽다 a-swip-da
Feeling a lingering sense of lack, missing a good opportunity, or wishing things were slightly better
What does 아쉽다 mean?
아쉽다 (a-swip-da) means: Feeling a lingering sense of lack, missing a good opportunity, or wishing things were slightly better.
This is the universal feeling of 'so close, yet so far'. You feel '아쉽다' when you get 99 on a test, when a great party ends early, or when a piece of cake is just a bit too small. It's the emotional equivalent of a sigh.
◆ Wistful reluctance — Triggered when something good ends too quickly or slips away before you could fully savor it. It carries a lingering reluctance to let go, a soft protest against the abruptness of a severed moment.
◆ Wistful reluctance — Triggered when something good ends too quickly or slips away before you could fully savor it. It carries a lingering reluctance to let go, a soft protest against the abruptness of a severed moment.
🔊 From part 2’s story
그리다 — Geu-ri-da
애틋하다 — Ae-teut-ha-da
공허하다 — Gong-heo-ha-da
허전하다 — Heo-jeon-ha-da
아쉽다 — A-swip-da
후회하다 — hu-hoe-ha-da, "to regret with a sense of fault"
네가 너무 그리워서 잠을 못 자겠어 — listen & repeat
그때 우리가 참 애틋했지 — listen & repeat
Read the full story → · More on this word (part 2) →
🎙️ 아쉽다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [아쉽따]로 소리나요 (경음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 결승전에서 1점 차이로 져서 정말 아쉬웠어요.
gyeolseungjeon-eseo iljeom chairo jyeoseo jeongmal aswiwosseoyo.
It was really disappointing to lose the final by just one point.
💡 Used when something is 'so close, yet so far'. - 모임 시간이 조금만 더 길었더라면 좋았을 텐데, 벌써 헤어져야 하니 너무 아쉽다.
Moim sigan-i jogeumman deo gireotdeoramyeon joasseul tende, beolsseo heeojyeoya hani neomu aswipda.
It would've been great if the gathering could've lasted a bit longer, it's such a pity we have to part ways already.
💡 Expresses mild regret or a lingering sense of missed potential. - 오늘 날씨가 정말 좋았는데 실내에서 일하느라 놀러 못 간 게 너무 아쉽다.
oneul nalssiga jeongmal joatneunde sillaeseo ilhaneura nolleo mot gan ge neomu aswipda.
The weather was so great today, I'm bummed I couldn't go out to play because I was working indoors.
💡 Expresses regret or a lingering sense that something could have been better.