취소하다 vs 미루다: Cancel a Plan or Propose a Later Time in Korean
취소하다 calls off the plan you are discussing; 미루다 can move it to a later time. When changing an appointment in Korean, name the original plan, explain the change and confirm the new date together. A proposal is not yet an agreed appointment.
1. Two verbs, two different changes
Use 취소하다 when you mean that a planned event or promise is being called off. Use 미루다, in its scheduling sense, when the activity or time is being moved later. The National Institute of Korean Language’s Korean-English Learners’ Dictionary records these meanings separately.
For a beginner, the useful contrast is “the existing plan will not happen” versus “I want it to happen later.” Neither verb, by itself, tells the listener an agreed replacement date. If you have a new date in mind, say it and ask whether it works.
| Practice sentence | Meaning in this context | What is still unknown |
|---|---|---|
| 오늘 모임을 취소해요. | We are cancelling today’s gathering. | Whether another gathering will be arranged |
| 오늘 모임을 다음 주로 미뤄요. | We are moving today’s gathering to next week. | The exact day and whether everyone agrees |
The sentences here are original practice examples. They are not real announcements and do not describe a booking policy.
Check 취소하다 in the official Korean-English dictionary
2. Name the plan before suggesting a new time
A message is easier to understand when it identifies the original plan. “오늘 모임” points to today’s gathering; “내일 약속” identifies tomorrow’s appointment or plan. With an object, you can practise 약속을 취소하다 and 약속을 미루다.
To propose a later time politely, try “내일 약속을 다음 주로 미뤄도 될까요?” — “Would it be okay to move tomorrow’s plan to next week?” The question asks permission; it does not report that a new appointment has already been agreed.
Then make the time concrete: “다음 주 화요일 오후 두 시는 어때요?” — “How about two in the afternoon next Tuesday?” Keep the full date available when there could be confusion about which Tuesday you mean.
For cancellation, “죄송하지만 오늘 모임을 취소해야 할 것 같아요” expresses an apologetic need to cancel today’s gathering. It does not mean that the organiser or a booking service has processed a cancellation. Separate a language message from an actual reservation action.
3. A short dialogue and a substitution exercise
Here is a fictional practice conversation between two classmates:
A: 내일 공부 모임을 다음 주로 미뤄도 될까요?
B: 괜찮아요. 다음 주 수요일은 어때요?
A: 좋아요. 수요일 오후 세 시에 만나요.
A asks to postpone tomorrow’s study meeting. B proposes Wednesday, and A agrees on three in the afternoon. The final line supplies a shared time; the first line alone did not.
| Your intention | Choose | Add |
|---|---|---|
| The planned gathering will not happen | 취소하다 | Which gathering; a clear message to participants |
| You want to meet later | 미루다 | A proposed time and a question |
| The other person proposes a time | An answer that accepts or changes it | The concrete date and hour |
Substitute a noun and a time: 공부 모임 / 내일 / 다음 주. Read your message aloud, then check whether the listener can answer three questions: which plan, what change, and what date has actually been agreed?
Check the scheduling meaning of 미루다4. Common learner questions
Does 취소하다 mean we can never arrange the event again?
It calls off the plan being discussed. It does not, by itself, say that a later new plan is impossible. Explain any replacement plan separately.
Does 미루다 always refer to a calendar?
No. The dictionary also records other senses. This lesson uses the scheduling sense; check the surrounding words before transferring it to every sentence.
Can I just say “다음 주로 미뤄요”?
That can be understood when the plan is already clear in the conversation. During beginner practice, naming the plan helps avoid uncertainty about what is changing.
Practice note: write the original plan, your intended change, a proposed date if needed, and the other person’s answer. Keep “proposed” and “agreed” in separate boxes until both people have confirmed the time.
Sources: the official Korean-English Learners’ Dictionary entries for 취소하다 and 미루다. Dialogues and practice tables were written for this lesson.
Information checked: 1 October 2026.
The illustrations are original explanatory diagrams, not screenshots of the dictionary.
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