How to Refuse a Second Round of Drinks in Korean (2cha)

The company dinner, or hoe-sik (회식), is winding down. Half the table stands up. Someone says i-cha ga-ja (이차 가자 — let’s go for round two), or maybe han-jan deo ha-go ga-ja (한잔 더 하고 가자 — let’s have one more drink and go). Coats come off the hooks again. You want to head home, but a flat no feels risky in front of your boss. This post covers how to refuse a second round of drinks in Korean without making the room go quiet.

2cha (이차) literally means second round. The first round, il-cha (일차), is usually dinner with food. Round two often moves to a bar, sometimes just for beer, sometimes for something stronger. A hoe-sik can stretch into samcha (삼차), a third round, if the mood is good and people keep drinking. Knowing how to step off this train, politely, is a real skill in Korean work life. For a broader look at how speech levels shape moments like this, the National Institute of Korean Language has an English overview of the honorific system.

Setting a Clear Stopping Point

Once the group starts moving toward round two, I need a line that stops the drinking without stopping the night for everyone else. Around close coworkers, I just say na i-je geu-man ma-sil-lae (나 이제 그만 마실래 — I’m done drinking for tonight). It’s short, it’s honest, and nobody reads it as an insult.

In a stiffer setting, with senior coworkers or a boss at the table, I switch to jeo-neun jom cheon-cheon-hi ma-si-get-seum-ni-da (저는 좀 천천히 마시겠습니다 — I’ll drink slowly from here). It doesn’t slam the door shut. It just signals that I’m easing off, and most people take the hint. A more textbook version you’ll also hear around the office is jeo-neun yeo-gi-kka-ji-man ha-get-seum-ni-da (저는 여기까지만 하겠습니다 — I’ll stop here), which does the same job in a more formal round.

Blaming Your Schedule, Not the Mood

Sometimes I need a reason that isn’t about how I feel. Timing works well because nobody argues with a schedule. I usually say nae-il a-chim-e il-jjik i-ri i-sseo-seo-yo (내일 아침에 일찍 일이 있어서요 — I have something early tomorrow morning). It hands my boss an easy, guilt-free reason to let me go.

When I don’t have a real excuse, I keep it vague. Jip-e i-ri i-sseo-seo-yo (집에 일이 있어서요 — I have something going on at home) covers almost anything without inviting follow-up questions. Around close coworkers, I skip the formality and just say na nae-il il-jjik na-ga-ya dwae-seo meon-jeo gal-ge (나 낼 일찍 나가야 돼서 먼저 갈게 — I have to head out early tomorrow, so I’m leaving first).

Blaming Your Body Instead

Another easy way out is to point at how I feel physically, not at the company or the drink. Honestly, jeo su-ri yak-hae-seo-yo (저 술이 약해서요 — I’m a lightweight drinker) is a phrase I hear more from people who genuinely can’t handle much alcohol. I don’t reach for it often myself.

What I actually say is closer to o-neul kon-di-syeon-i an jo-a-seo-yo (오늘 컨디션이 안 좋아서요 — I’m not feeling well today). It moves the reason away from the mood at the table, and it still works even if I was drinking fine an hour earlier. Around close coworkers, I just say na o-neul sok an jo-a (나 오늘 속 안 좋아 — my stomach isn’t doing well today). Nobody questions a bad stomach.

How to Actually Leave the Table

At some point, talking isn’t enough. I need to stand up and go. With a boss in the room, I say jeo meon-jeo deu-reo-ga bo-get-seum-ni-da, nae-il boep-get-seum-ni-da (저 먼저 들어가 보겠습니다, 내일 뵙겠습니다 — I’ll head out first, see you tomorrow). A small bow while I say it makes the exit feel respectful instead of rushed.

With close coworkers, the same moment is much lighter. I just say na meon-jeo gal-ge (나 먼저 갈게 — I’m heading out first), or wave and say na gan-da (나 간다 — I’m off), then head for the door. Nobody treats it as rude between friends. If you want more lines for other kinds of gatherings, I wrote a separate post about how to leave a gathering early in Korean.

Why a Flat ‘No’ Feels Cold

An ma-sil-geo-ye-yo (안 마실 거예요 — I won’t drink) isn’t wrong, grammar-wise. But in a setting with a clear hierarchy, it can sound blunt. It skips the small cushion Koreans usually expect around a refusal, especially with older coworkers.

If I’m being honest, I wouldn’t say just an ma-sil-geo-ye-yo on its own. I’d rather attach one soft reason, even a small one. Something like o-neu-reun kon-di-syeon-i an jo-a-seo cheon-cheon-hi ma-si-get-seum-ni-da (오늘은 컨디션이 안 좋아서 천천히 마시겠습니다 — I’m not feeling great today, so I’ll drink slowly) sounds much softer than a flat no. It isn’t really about drinking slowly in the literal sense. It reads as a polite decline. This is my personal experience. Older coworkers at my company may expect more cushioning than younger coworkers do.

A Couple of Practical Tips

Pair any of these lines with a small gesture. A slight bow, a hand near your chest, or a quick wave all help. The words carry less weight than the tone and body language around them.

Timing also matters more than wording. Saying one of these lines right as the bill arrives, before coats come off again, lands better than saying it once everyone is already outside walking toward the next bar. For general background on this kind of gathering, see Wikipedia’s entry on Korean drinking culture.

Key Expressions

저는 여기까지만 하겠습니다 (jeo-neun yeo-gi-kka-ji-man ha-get-seum-ni-da) — I’ll stop here (polite). Example: I’ll stop here, I have to work early tomorrow.
내일 아침에 일찍 일이 있어서요 (nae-il a-chim-e il-jjik i-ri i-sseo-seo-yo) — I have something early tomorrow morning. Example: Sorry, I have something early tomorrow morning.
저 술이 약해서요 (jeo su-ri yak-hae-seo-yo) — I’m a lightweight drinker. Example: I’m a lightweight drinker, so I should stop now.
저 먼저 들어가 보겠습니다 (jeo meon-jeo deu-reo-ga bo-get-seum-ni-da) — I’ll head out first (polite). Example: I’ll head out first, see you tomorrow.
나 먼저 갈게 (na meon-jeo gal-ge) — I’m heading out first (casual). Example: I’m heading out first, text me when you’re home.