Real clips
"아깝다"(1/3)
너무 아까워 한 곡만 듣기
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Emotional reactions
아깝다
akkapda
아깝다 means something is too good or valuable to waste, lose, or let go — from 'what a waste' to 'that was so close'. It is not 'expensive'; it is the pang of value slipping away.
Meaning
아깝다 means something is too good or valuable to waste, lose, or let go — from 'what a waste' to 'that was so close'.
Tone
Regretful, 'what a waste' tone
Best when
Use it when something valuable would be wasted — 버리기 아까워 ('too good to throw away'), 시간이 아까워 ('what a waste of time').
After you hear the clips
아깝다 becomes easier to reuse once you hear how native speakers place it inside a real line. Start with the highlighted moment, then compare the other clips on this page.
Why this matters
Use this page to learn the default meaning fast, then check how tone and surrounding subtitles change the feeling in each clip.
Use it when
These are the fastest checks before you reuse 아깝다 in your own Korean.
Natural fit
Use it when something valuable would be wasted — 버리기 아까워 ('too good to throw away'), 시간이 아까워 ('what a waste of time').
Also useful
Use it as a near-miss reaction, 아깝다!, when a result just barely fell short.
Watch out for
This keeps the phrase from sounding too direct, too casual, or slightly off-target.
Watch the nuance
Do not use it to mean 'expensive'; that is 비싸다. 아깝다 is about value lost, not price.
Compare with 아쉽다
Means you wanted more or wish it were different — the lack is in you. 아깝다 is that something good is being wasted — the value is in the thing.
Meaning and nuance
아깝다 is the feeling that something valuable is being wasted or slipping away — food, time, money, a chance, or a near-win. The thing is too good to lose, so letting it go stings.
It also fires as a near-miss reaction: 아깝다! after a shot that just missed means 'so close'. English splits this across 'what a waste', 'too good to lose', and 'so close', but Korean holds them in one word.
Pronunciation and delivery
Say it in three beats: a-kkap-da.
The tense ㄲ in 아-깝 gives it a sharp, regretful punch that suits the 'what a waste' feeling.
In real reactions you will usually hear 아까워, 아깝다, or 아까워요 rather than a flat dictionary tone.
Default tone
Regretful, 'what a waste' tone
Compare with nearby expressions
Learners usually get faster retention when they compare one nearby option instead of memorizing this phrase in isolation.
아쉽다
Means you wanted more or wish it were different — the lack is in you. 아깝다 is that something good is being wasted — the value is in the thing.
안타깝다
Is feeling sorry watching someone else's hard situation; 아깝다 is the sting of good value slipping away, often your own.
Next after 아깝다
Keep the nuance map going with nearby guides, or open Tubelang search to hear more native examples with 아깝다.
Feelings and boundaries
서운해요
서운해요 means 'I feel hurt', 'I feel a little let down', or 'I feel sad you did that'. It is softer and more relational than simply saying 'I am angry'.
Emotional reactions
짠하다
짠하다 means a tender ache for someone — that soft, helpless pang when you watch a person try hard and still come up short. Not quite 'pity', not quite 'heartbroken for them'; it is love that aches.
Feelings and boundaries
서럽다
서럽다 is grief with something underneath — the lonely, wronged kind of sad where no one took your side and you cry alone. English 'sad' misses the injustice and isolation baked in.
FAQ
Does 아깝다 mean 'expensive'?
No. Expensive is 비싸다. 아깝다 is the feeling that something valuable is being wasted or lost, whatever its price.
Why do Koreans shout 아깝다 during games?
It is the near-miss reaction — 'so close!'. A shot that just misses is 아깝다 because a good chance was wasted.