A KakaoTalk thread: making weekend plans
You met Jiwoo at a language exchange last week, and you're about the same age. You haven't agreed to speak casually yet, so both of you use polite 요 endings. The readings leave out ㅋㅋ, ㅎㅎ and ㅠㅠ, which aren't read aloud.
Jiwoo
안녕하세요! 이번 주말에 시간 돼요?
Reading: Annyeonghaseyo! Ibeon jumare sigan dwaeyo?
Meaning: Hi! Are you free this weekend?
You
안녕하세요 ㅎㅎ 토요일 오후는 괜찮아요!
Reading: Annyeonghaseyo. Toyoil ohuneun gwaenchanayo!
Meaning: Hi! Saturday afternoon works for me!
Jiwoo
오 잘됐다 ㅋㅋ 성수에 새로 생긴 카페 가 볼래요?
Reading: O jaldwaetda. Seongsue saero saenggin kape ga bollaeyo?
Meaning: Oh, great! Want to check out the new café in Seongsu?
You
좋아요! 몇 시에 볼까요?
Reading: Joayo! Myeot sie bolkkayo?
Meaning: Sounds good! What time should we meet?
Jiwoo
2시 어때요? 성수역 3번 출구에서 만나요
Reading: Du si eottaeyo? Seongsuyeok sambeon chulgueseo mannayo
Meaning: How about 2? Let's meet at exit 3 of Seongsu Station.
You
넵 좋아요! 그럼 토요일에 봬요~
Reading: Nep joayo! Geureom toyoire bwaeyo
Meaning: Yep, perfect! See you Saturday, then.
Jiwoo
저 10분 정도 늦을 것 같아요 ㅠㅠ 죄송해요!
Reading: Jeo sipbun jeongdo neujeul geot gatayo. Joesonghaeyo!
Meaning: I think I'll be about 10 minutes late. So sorry!
You
괜찮아요~ 천천히 오세요!
Reading: Gwaenchanayo. Cheoncheonhi oseyo!
Meaning: No problem, take your time!
Jiwoo
도착했어요! 출구 앞 편의점 옆에 있어요
Reading: Dochakaesseoyo! Chulgu ap pyeonuijeom yeope isseoyo
Meaning: I'm here! I'm next to the convenience store in front of the exit.
What each line is doing
The thread looks simple, but several choices in it are what make it sound like a real Korean chat.
- Jiwoo asks 시간 돼요?, literally does time work for you, which is the everyday way to ask if someone is free. It's softer than asking directly what you're doing.
- Jiwoo's 잘됐다, great, is a casual exclamation dropped into an otherwise polite chat. People do this a lot; one casual reaction doesn't mean the whole conversation has switched to casual speech.
- Texts often drop the final period. To some people a period can look a little stiff, a tilde or exclamation point sounds friendlier, and no punctuation at all is the most neutral.
- 넵, nep, is a bright, quick yes that many people prefer to a plain 네 in texts, which can look curt on its own. 봬요, see you, is often misspelled as 뵈요; the correct form is 봬요.
- The tilde in 괜찮아요~ makes the reply sound relaxed and friendly, a bit like a smile in your voice.
Laughing and smiling marks, and the tone each gives
These marks are small, but people notice them. Here is how they usually read, though habits vary by age and between friend groups.
- ㅋㅋ: laughter, from the sound of a laugh. Two or three is a light laugh; a long string means something is really funny. A single ㅋ can come across as dry or even sarcastic.
- ㅎㅎ: a gentler smile or chuckle. It softens a message and is a safe choice with people you don't know well yet.
- ^^: a smiling face. It reads as warm and polite, and many people associate it with older adults or with politeness toward someone senior. Younger people use it less among friends.
- ㅠㅠ or ㅜㅜ: crying eyes, for being sorry, sad, or moved. Often added to apologies, like Jiwoo's message about being late.
- ㅇㅇ and ㅇㅋ: casual yes and okay. Fine with close friends, but too blunt for anyone older or anyone you use polite endings with.
Lines for planning, changing plans and getting unstuck
These are in polite 요 style unless the note says otherwise.
혹시 일요일로 바꿔도 될까요?
Reading: Hoksi iryoillo bakkwodo doelkkayo?
Meaning: Would it be okay to move it to Sunday?
Starting with 혹시, by any chance, softens a request to change plans.
답장이 늦어서 죄송해요!
Reading: Dapjangi neujeoseo joesonghaeyo!
Meaning: Sorry for the late reply!
A quick, friendly way to reply after a long gap. No long explanation needed.
도착하면 연락할게요.
Reading: Dochakamyeon yeollakalgeyo.
Meaning: I'll message you when I get there.
Useful the day of the meetup.
혹시 그게 무슨 말이에요? 제가 아직 줄임말을 잘 몰라서요.
Reading: Hoksi geuge museun marieyo? Jega ajik jurimmareul jal mollaseoyo.
Meaning: What does that mean? I don't really know abbreviations yet.
Your repair phrase. Use it when someone sends slang or an abbreviation you can't figure out; people are usually happy to explain.
주말에 시간 돼?
Reading: Jumare sigan dwae?
Meaning: Free this weekend?
Casual speech, for close friends who are your age or younger, once you've both dropped polite endings. Adding 요 back makes it polite again.
콜!
Reading: Kol!
Meaning: Deal!
Casual. A quick yes to a plan among friends. Not for anyone older or senior.
Texting someone older, a senior, or a group
With professors, managers, older members of a club or anyone clearly senior, use 요 or the more formal 습니다 endings, skip ㅋㅋ, and keep messages complete and tidy.
넵, 알겠습니다!
Reading: Nep, algetseumnida!
Meaning: Yes, understood!
A very common reply to a manager or senior at work or in a club. It sounds responsive and respectful.
확인했습니다. 감사합니다!
Reading: Hwaginhaetseumnida. Gamsahamnida!
Meaning: Got it, thank you!
The standard reply to an announcement in a group chat or a message with details from someone senior.
저도 참석할게요!
Reading: Jeodo chamseokalgeyo!
Meaning: I'll be there too!
Use it to RSVP in a group chat when someone asks who's coming.
주말 잘 보내세요!
Reading: Jumal jal bonaeseyo!
Meaning: Have a good weekend!
A warm, polite way to close a conversation with anyone, including someone older.
KakaoTalk habits worth knowing
The unread 1
The small number next to a message shows how many people in the chat haven't read it yet. In a one-on-one chat, the 1 disappears as soon as the other person opens it. Because of this, many people read previews from the notification without opening the chat, and leaving a message read without replying, 읽씹, ikssip, can feel cold to some people.
Reply speed
There's no fixed rule, but between friends a reply within a few hours is normal, and a quick apology for a late reply is common. With seniors, it's polite to reply to anything that asks a question or shares plans, even with a short acknowledgment.
Group chat manners
Group chats, 단톡방, dantokbang, are used for classes, clubs, workplaces and families. When you're added, a short hello with your name is polite. When an organizer posts details, people reply with a short acknowledgment; long one-on-one conversations belong in a private chat. Leaving a group usually shows a notice to everyone, so many people wait until the event or project is over.
Late night and edits
Avoid messaging someone senior late at night unless it's urgent. Recent versions of KakaoTalk let you delete a sent message for a limited time, and newer ones also let you edit it, but the chat may still show that a message was deleted or edited, so it's better to check before sending.
Practice the chat in Text chat first
You can rehearse this exact thread in writing. When you create an activity in ChitterChatter, choose Text chat: an AI character texts you in Korean, with goals to cover, and you get feedback when the chat is done. Our guide to practicing texting with AI shows how a chat runs.
Now say the same plan out loud
Texting lets you take your time; a phone call doesn't. Making the same weekend plan by voice is a good next step: you'll need to listen for the time and place, confirm them, and handle a change of plans in real time. On the phone you start with 여보세요, yeoboseyo, hello, and you can't lean on ㅋㅋ or a tilde, so your tone has to come from your voice and from softeners like 혹시.
Practice making plans by voice
Once the texts feel easy, rehearse the same weekend plan as a spoken conversation, so the phrases from the chat become ones you can say without looking.
- Open Create with AI and paste the description below. Change the place to somewhere you'd actually go.
- Talk out loud with the AI friend, who replies by voice in Korean and may suggest a different time or place.
- After the conversation, check which learning goals you covered and read the clearer way to say one of your lines. Ask the AI Coach about any suggestion.
- Run it again, this time calling a club senior instead of a friend, and keep your endings polite.
Describe it like this when you create the activity
Korean, a phone call with a friend I met at a language exchange in Seoul. The AI plays Jiwoo, who calls to make plans for the weekend. I need to say when I'm free, agree on a time and meeting place, then ask politely to move the plan to Sunday. Beginner to intermediate level, polite speech.
Questions learners usually ask first
What does ㅋㅋ mean in Korean texts?
It's laughter, taken from the first consonant of a laughing sound, a bit like lol. More of them means funnier. A single one can look dry or sarcastic, so most people send at least two.
Is it rude to leave someone on read on KakaoTalk?
It depends on the relationship. Between close friends it's usually no big deal, but leaving a question or plan unanswered can feel cold, and with someone senior it can come across as rude. If you can't reply properly, a short message saying you'll answer later is a kind middle ground.
Should I use polite or casual Korean when texting?
Use polite 요 endings with anyone you haven't agreed to speak casually with, and with anyone older or senior. Friends often switch to casual speech after one of them suggests it, for example with 말 편하게 할까요? or 말 놓을까요? Until that happens, stay polite, even if the other person drops in a casual word now and then.
How can I practice Korean conversation for making plans?
Read a sample thread like the one on this page, then practice the same plan out loud, since speaking forces you to answer in real time. In ChitterChatter, you can describe this exact situation in Create with AI and talk it through with an AI character who replies by voice in Korean. It's free to start, and after each conversation you get feedback and a full transcript.