Home › Korean › Glossary › oh no
Korean vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "oh no" in Korean?
아, 안 돼
a, an dwae
In Korean, "oh no" is 아, 안 돼 (a, an dwae).
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free Korean learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
"A, an dwae" is two short beats, said with real feeling: a sharp little "a," then a dropping, dismayed "an dwae."
Writing and usage
아, 안 돼 is written using hangul. It's a phrase, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
oh no
Test your Korean knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember 아, 안 돼
An dwae literally means not okay — a tiny two-word alarm bell you can picture ringing when things go wrong.
Related words
- absolutely 물론이죠 mulronijyo
- thats amazing 정말 대단하네요 jeongmal daedanhaneyo
- thats terrible 끔찍하네 kkeumjjikhane
- watch your step 발 조심하세요 bal josimhaseyo
- be quiet 조용히 해. joyonghi hae.
- listen up 잘 들어요 jal deureoyo
- look out 조심해 josimhae
- thats so funny 정말 웃기네요 jeongmal utgineyo
- i cant believe it 믿을 수가 없어 mideul suga eopseo
Browse all Korean words in the glossary.
Questions about 아, 안 돼
How do you pronounce 아, 안 돼?
"A, an dwae" is two short beats, said with real feeling: a sharp little "a," then a dropping, dismayed "an dwae."
Is 아, 안 돼 formal or casual?
아, 안 돼 is a common everyday expression. Context and tone of voice matter more than the words themselves for how formal it sounds.
How is 아, 안 돼 written in Korean?
아, 안 돼 is written using hangul. Romanised, it reads as a, an dwae.
Where can I practice Korean words for free?
You can play free Korean minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Korean glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Oh no" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Korean language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town