v0.1 Released: 10 Critical Nuances AI Gets Wrong
Why Korean is different, and why generic AI fails to teach it.
Korean is a language of relationships. Who you're talking to — older, younger, your boss, a stranger — changes the words themselves.
AI translators map words one-to-one and miss that. This open project collects the phrases they get wrong, and what Koreans actually say instead.
10 of 10 expressions
- Daily Lifev0.1
괜찮아요
gwaen-cha-na-yo · “It's okay / It's fine”
AI gets it wrong:In reply to an offer, 괜찮아요 almost always means 'No thanks, I'm fine without it.' Learners also use it to accept things and end up refusing by accident.Say instead:아니요, 괜찮아요.See why → - Workplace & Hierarchyv0.1
김 씨
gim ssi · “Mr./Ms. Kim”
AI gets it wrong:씨 is polite only between equals or toward juniors. Surname + 씨 alone can even sound like you're addressing a laborer or a stranger you look down on. Superiors are called by their job title.Say instead:김 팀장님, 회의 자료 보내 드렸습니다.See why → - Emotion & Relationshipsv0.1
당신
dang-sin · “You”
AI gets it wrong:In conversation, 당신 addressed to a peer or stranger can sound distant or even like the start of an argument. Korean usually drops 'you' or uses a name/title instead.Say instead:점심 드셨어요?See why → - Emotion & Relationshipsv0.1
미안해요
mi-an-hae-yo · “I'm sorry”
AI gets it wrong:미안하다 is the apology word for equals and juniors. To a professor, boss, customer or elder, even with 요 it can sound like you aren't taking the mistake seriously. 죄송하다 is the respectful form.Say instead:교수님, 늦게 제출해서 정말 죄송합니다.See why → - Daily Lifev0.1
밥 먹었어요?
bap meo-geo-sseo-yo · “Did you eat (rice)?”
AI gets it wrong:Most of the time it's a casual check-in, close to 'How's it going?' The speaker usually isn't asking about your menu and isn't necessarily inviting you.Say instead:네, 먹었어요. 식사하셨어요?See why → - Workplace & Hierarchyv0.1
수고하세요
su-go-ha-se-yo · “Keep working hard”
AI gets it wrong:Sounds condescending when used toward superiors or elders.Say instead:먼저 들어가 보겠습니다.See why → - Workplace & Hierarchyv0.1
알았어요
a-ra-sseo-yo · “(I) knew / Got it”
AI gets it wrong:To a superior, 알았어요 sounds brief and a little reluctant, like 'Fine, I heard you.' The expected reply to an instruction is 알겠습니다, which signals you accept the task.Say instead:네, 알겠습니다.See why → - Emotion & Relationshipsv0.1
언니 · 오빠 · 형 · 누나
eon-ni · o-ppa · hyeong · nu-na · “Older sister / older brother (depends on your gender)”
AI gets it wrong:Calling someone older by their bare name (with 아/야) is how you address equals or juniors. Even close friends usually call an older friend with a kinship title, and AI also mixes up which title matches whose gender.Say instead:언니, 내일 시간 있어요?See why → - Emotion & Relationshipsv0.1
언제 밥 한번 먹어요
eon-je bap han-beon meo-geo-yo · “Let's eat together sometime”
AI gets it wrong:It's usually a warm way to say goodbye and keep the relationship open, like 'We should catch up sometime.' Pinning down a date right away can feel awkward unless the other person clearly means it.Say instead:네, 좋아요! 연락할게요.See why → - Daily Lifev0.1
저희 나라
jeo-hui na-ra · “Our (humble) country”
AI gets it wrong:Humbling your own nation in front of fellow Koreans makes no sense — the listener belongs to the same country. Standard guidance treats 우리나라 as correct even in formal speech.Say instead:우리나라에서는 설날에 떡국을 먹어요.See why →