아파요 (Apayo): How to Say Hurt in Korean

🔍 One Korean Word That Does the Work of Five English Ones

Search “how to say hurt in Korean.” Then try “how to say sick in Korean.” Then “aching,” “sore,” and “unwell.”

📌 Part of the Korean Grammar — Make Sense of It, Not Just Memorize series — start there if you’re new.

You will keep landing on the same word: 아파요 a-pa-yo.

That is not a coincidence. Korean does not split pain the way English does. One verb handles your headache, your cold, your sore knee, and your broken heart. Once you know 아파요 a-pa-yo, you have covered more ground than most beginners expect.

💡 Meet 아파요: The One Pattern You Need

The base form is 아프다 a-peu-da — the dictionary form meaning “to hurt” or “to be sick.” In polite everyday speech, it becomes:

The verb does not change. Only the body part in front of it changes. English forces a vocabulary switch — hurt, sick, sore, aching — depending on the body part and situation. Korean never makes that demand. Same verb, every time.

🗣️ Four Body Parts, One Verb

Here is 아파요 a-pa-yo across four situations — from a standard headache to something harder to name:

Korean does not switch to a different register for emotional pain. 마음 maeum means “heart” or “mind” — the place that hurts when you receive bad news. The verb is still 아파요 a-pa-yo. No separate word for heartache. The language treats physical and emotional pain as the same continuous experience.

🌱 Why 이 or 가 Before 아파요?

The small word between the body part and 아파요 a-pa-yo is a subject marker. It signals what the sentence is about — in this case, the part that hurts.

The rule has one condition:

• Word ends in a consonant → use 이 i. Example: 무릎 mureup ends in the consonant ㅍ, so: 무릎이 아파요 mureup-i a-pa-yo.
• Word ends in a vowel → use 가 ga. Example: 머리 meori ends in a vowel sound, so: 머리가 아파요 meori-ga a-pa-yo.

The markers 이/가 i/ga appear in hundreds of everyday Korean sentences — not just pain expressions. You already know them in context from this pattern. → 이/가 (i/ga): How Korean Subject Markers Work

✍️ Quick Practice

1. Your knee hurts. How do you say it in Korean?

2. Both your head and stomach hurt. Do you need a different verb for each one?

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 아파요 for emotional pain?

Yes. 마음이 아파요 maeum-i a-pa-yo is a natural, everyday expression. Korean does not use a separate verb for emotional hurt — the same 아파요 a-pa-yo covers physical and emotional pain alike.

What is the difference between 아파요 and 아팠어요?

아파요 a-pa-yo describes the present: “it hurts” or “I’m sick right now.” 아팠어요 a-pa-sseo-yo is past tense: “it hurt” or “I was sick.” The base form stays the same; only the ending shifts to mark time.

Is there a more formal version of 아파요?

아픕니다 a-peum-ni-da is the formal register — used in presentations, official announcements, or formal speaking situations. In daily conversation, 아파요 a-pa-yo is the natural choice. Most people you speak with will use and expect 아파요.

🎯 아파요 Is Your Starting Point

아파요 a-pa-yo is the one Korean word that holds all of your pain — physical and emotional, sharp and dull, one morning or ongoing. You do not need five English words. You need one Korean verb and the body part in front of it.

Once this pattern is solid, the next move is learning the subject markers 이/가 i/ga that attach the body part to the verb. They appear in almost every Korean sentence, and you already know them in one real context. → 이/가 (i/ga): How Korean Subject Markers Work