What does 후회 mean?
후회 (hu-hoe) means: Regret, remorse, or wishing you could change the past.
'후회할 거야' (You'll regret it) is a classic warning. It's the bitter realization that you made the wrong choice, commonly featured in songs about realizing you shouldn't have let someone go.
Other sides of 후회
◆ culinary_regret — While textbooks define *hu-hoe* simply as 'regret,' true fluency lives in the kitchen and the delivery app history. Natives don't just use this for life's deep existential failures; it is the mandatory spiritual state accompanying post-midnight binge eating. It’s that heavy, greasy self-awareness when your stomach screams in betrayal while your brain insists you’d do it all over again.
◆ late_night_sentimental — While basic textbooks treat 후회 as a flat equivalent to 'regret,' this facet belongs strictly to the realm of midnight introspection and ceiling-gazing. It isn't just about wishing you chose a different major; it’s the visceral ache of wondering why you let someone walk away, accompanied by a sudden urge to text them something foolish. Natives use this when the emotional armor wears off and the quiet forces them to confront their own stubbornness.
◆ impulse_purchase — While textbooks define 후회 as general 'regret,' natives use it with surgical precision for the fleeting dopamine crash of modern consumerism. It’s not deep existential sorrow; it’s the instant realization that your midnight TikTok-induced purchase of a portable mini-blender is utterly useless. Learners often miss that this word carries a self-deprecating humor—you aren't mourning, you're rolling your eyes at your own lack of impulse control.
◆ late_night_sentimental — While basic textbooks treat 후회 as a flat equivalent to 'regret,' this facet belongs strictly to the realm of midnight introspection and ceiling-gazing. It isn't just about wishing you chose a different major; it’s the visceral ache of wondering why you let someone walk away, accompanied by a sudden urge to text them something foolish. Natives use this when the emotional armor wears off and the quiet forces them to confront their own stubbornness.
◆ impulse_purchase — While textbooks define 후회 as general 'regret,' natives use it with surgical precision for the fleeting dopamine crash of modern consumerism. It’s not deep existential sorrow; it’s the instant realization that your midnight TikTok-induced purchase of a portable mini-blender is utterly useless. Learners often miss that this word carries a self-deprecating humor—you aren't mourning, you're rolling your eyes at your own lack of impulse control.
How it's actually used
- 지금 안 가면 나중에 분명 후회할 거야.
jigeum an gamyeon najunge bunmyeong huhoehal geoya.
If you don't go now, you'll definitely regret it later.
💡 Often used as a strong warning to friends. - 그때 왜 그랬는지 진짜 후회돼.
geuttae wae geuraetneunji jinjja huhoedwae.
I seriously regret acting that way back then.
💡 Used when looking back at a past mistake with remorse. - 지나고 나면 다 후회하게 되어 있어요.
jinago namyeon da huhoehage doeeo isseoyo.
You end up regretting everything once it's all in the past.
💡 Use '후회하다' when looking back on past choices with sorrow.