Breakdown of munja-e dapjangeul neutge haeseo mian.
~에~e
destination particle
하다hada
to do
~을~eul
object particle
늦게neutge
late
Questions & Answers about munja-e dapjangeul neutge haeseo mian.
What politeness level is this? Who can I say it to?
It’s casual/informal. 미안 is a clipped form of 미안해, so this is fine for close friends, same‑age peers, or younger people in texts. Avoid with elders, your boss, or strangers.
Why is it just 미안 and not 미안해?
미안 is a shortened, very casual way of saying 미안해. In speech or texting, people often drop -해 when the meaning is obvious. It’s a bit blunter than 미안해. If you want slightly softer casual, use 미안해.
How do I make this polite or formal?
- Polite casual: 문자에 답장을 늦게 해서 미안해요.
- Polite/formal: 문자에 답장이 늦어서 죄송합니다.
- Very deferential (to a superior): 문자에 답장 드리는 게 늦어서 죄송합니다.
What does 문자에 mean here? Why the particle 에?
With 답장하다 “to reply,” Korean marks the target with -에: “reply to (something).” So 문자에 = “to the text (message).”
- Reply to a person: 너한테/너에게 답장하다 (“reply to you”)
- Reply to a message: 문자에 답장하다 (“reply to the text”)
Could I use 문자로 instead of 문자에?