When to use it
잘 모르겠어요 ("I'm not sure / I don't know") is the gentle, natural way to say it. Follow up with 천천히 말해 주세요 ("please speak slowly").
Letter by letter: 잘 모르겠어요
Korean is written in syllable blocks. Here is what each block of 잘 모르겠어요 is made of.
| Block | Letters | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| 잘 | ㅈ + ㅏ + ㄹ | ㅈ j, ㅏ a, ㄹ l (at the end) |
| 모 | ㅁ + ㅗ | ㅁ m, ㅗ o |
| 르 | ㄹ + ㅡ | ㄹ r / l, ㅡ eu |
| 겠 | ㄱ + ㅔ + ㅆ | ㄱ g / k, ㅔ e, ㅆ t (at the end) |
| 어 | ㅇ + ㅓ | ㅇ silent, ㅓ eo |
| 요 | ㅇ + ㅛ | ㅇ silent, ㅛ yo |
Written 잘 모르겠어요, but said [잘 모르게써요]: linking (final moves to the next vowel). The romanizer explains these sound rules for any word.
New to the letters? Tap through the Hangul chart to hear each one.
How to type it
On a standard Korean keyboard (2-set), press these keys in order:
WㅈKㅏFㄹSpace␣AㅁHㅗFㄹMㅡRㄱPㅔShift+TㅆDㅇJㅓDㅇYㅛ
Practice with the online Korean keyboard, or learn the layout in the typing test.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "I don't understand" in Korean?
The everyday polite way is 잘 모르겠어요 (jal moreugesseoyo). The formal version is 이해가 안 됩니다. With close friends, say 모르겠어.
How do you pronounce 잘 모르겠어요?
It sounds like "jal moreugesseoyo", because of Korean sound changes it is said as [잘 모르게써요]. Press the speaker button on this page to hear it.
Romanization: Revised Romanization of Korean, with sound changes. Audio: a recorded native-sounding Korean voice.
Last checked: 2026-10-20