Yes and no: Basic answers and asking again

The most frequent words in conversation are "yes" and "no." Let's learn simple answers and how to ask someone to repeat themselves.

Yes and no

Instead of "ne," you can also say "ye" for yes. With friends, use "eung" for yes and "ani" for no.

Asking again

When you don't catch what was said, politely ask "ne?" or "dasi hanbeon malsseumhae juseyo" (please say that again).

Meaning	Polite	Casual
Yes	네 / 예	응
No	아니요	아니
When unsure	잘 모르겠어요	잘 몰라

Reacting and asking a favor

To keep a conversation flowing, backchannels like "majayo" (that's right) and "geuraeyo?" (really?) are handy. Starting a request with "jeogiyo" makes it sound polite.

When you don't know, and buying time

If you don't know the answer, it's fine to say "jal moreugesseoyo" (I'm not sure) honestly. If you need a moment to think, "jamkkanmanyo" lets you pause.

Confirming what you heard

To check that you understood, ask "majayo?" (right?) or echo back what you heard with the ending "...ragoyo?" It's a good habit for avoiding misunderstandings.

💡 Tip: Besides meaning agreement ("that's right"), "ne" also works as a backchannel that says "I'm listening." A light "ne, ne" during a chat sounds natural.