Can This Love Be Translated? premiered on Netflix on January 16, 2026, and for many viewers it has been one of the most anticipated K-dramas of the year.
It stars Kim Seon-ho as the main lead, Joo Ho-jin, a gifted interpreter who can translate multiple languages fluently but struggles to express his own emotions. Kim Seon-ho has received widespread critical acclaim for his performances in dramas such as You Drive Me Crazy (2018), Start-Up (2020), and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021), becoming a household name and one of the top romantic leads of his generation.
Opposite him is Go Youn-jung, who plays Cha Mu-hee, a globally famous actress whose confidence in public differs from her guarded self in private. Go Youn-jung began her acting career in 2019 and gained early recognition through roles in Sweet Home (2020) and Law School (2021).
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She rose to wider prominence with her performances in Alchemy of Souls, Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow, and the hit action-drama Moving, earning praise for her range and screen presence. Can This Love Be Translated? marks her first leading role in a romantic comedy.
With 12 episodes in this limited series, here is my review of Can This Love Be Translated?
What is the plot of Can This Love Be Translated?
In Can This Love Be Translated?, we follow Cha Mu-hee and Joo Ho-jin, who first cross paths during a chance encounter in Japan. Ho-jin works as a professional interpreter with an impressive ability of multiple languages, including Korean, Japanese, English, and Italian. Meanwhile, Mu-hee is an up-and-coming actress with a chaotic and highly public love life.
Mu-hee travels abroad to confront her cheating boyfriend, while Ho-jin is in Japan on assignment, hoping to reconnect with a love from his past. Unfortunately, neither plan ends well for them. Despite the disappointment, their lives become unexpectedly intertwined once again when they meet under professional circumstances.
Mu-hee lands her big break in a horror film, followed by a role on a romance-themed reality television show, while Ho-jin is hired as the on-set interpreter. Fate continues to push them together, even as unresolved feelings and unrequited love complicate their blossoming connection.
Can This Love Be Translated? is a romantic comedy that explores love, heartbreak, overcoming trauma and whether feelings can truly be expressed across linguistic barriers.
The series also features engaging subplots that follow the characters as they film in stunning locations across the globe, from Canada to Italy and Japan. This drama centers on finding comfort, healing, and understanding in unexpected places.
Plot
I really enjoyed the plot of this series and found the central romance both compelling and believable. If you love a slow-burn romance with flawed characters who are drawn to one another despite the obstacles in their way, this drama is definitely for you.
That said, the reality show element that was heavily advertised did not play as large a role in the story as I initially expected. Instead, the focus shifted more toward Cha Mu-hee and her struggle with identity, particularly as she grapples with becoming an alter ego tied to a tragedy in her past. As a coping mechanism following a traumatic accident, the Do Ra-mi persona begins to seep into her real life. At times, this storyline felt confusing and slightly derailed the narrative, but thankfully the show did not linger on it for too long, which worked in its favor.
There is also another romantic subplot, which is fairly typical for a Korean drama, involving Mu-hee and Hiro, a Japanese actor who stars alongside her on the reality show. While I did enjoy this dynamic and appreciated what it added to the story, the romantic tension didn’t feel as strong as it could have been. Personally, I was left wanting more yearning and emotional depth from this pairing.
Setting
As mentioned already, the sets were absolutely amazing. Can This Love Be Translated? has seen the cast travel across the globe, which really adds to the scale and beauty of the series. Backstage photos have shown the cast meeting fans and being photographed at various breathtaking locations, giving viewers a deeper look into the journey behind the scenes. I especially liked the use of the GoPro, as it captured wide, sweeping shots of different places and made the experience feel more immersive and authentic. One particularly memorable and standout moment was when Hojin and Chu Mee shared a scene beneath the Northern Lights. It was completely amazing and truly unforgettable.
Characters
I’m a sucker for a show with strong main characters as well as memorable supporting characters. I felt like Can This Love Be Translated had a great balance of both. Ho-Jin was very sweet and mature, while Chu Mee pined after him and wore her heart on her sleeve. This dynamic worked really well because opposites truly do attract. I also think the real-life age gap between the actors added to this dynamic. I really liked Hiro as well—the fact that he even learned Korean just so he could communicate with Chu Mee was incredibly cute.
Pacing
The pacing throughout this drama was spot on. You can expect it to be a bit slower paced, and that actually worked in its favor. When you’re in an unfamiliar place, things naturally feel slower, and with a slice-of-life drama like this, that pace is to be expected.
Overall Thoughts
Just from watching this drama, I already know it’s going to be one I feel nostalgic about in the future. After finishing it, I’m already getting chills just from edits and listening to the OST. When a show is emotional and bittersweet, the only way I can really describe it is that it felt like I was in a dream the entire time—like I truly felt as though I was someone else. However, I do think the show would have worked even better if it had been released during the hotter months; it would have suited the atmosphere perfectly. Can This Love Be Translated is probably already one of my favorite K-dramas of 2026.