Basic Korean Sentences for Your Next Trip

If you haven’t been already, you should consider Korea as your next travelling destination. Its amazing cuisine, sightseeing spots, museums, festivals, activities and cultural experiences make it the perfect place to explore. Whether you’ve started studying the language or planning to visit the county, the following article provides a good overview of basic Korean sentences that can help introduce you to the language.

Directions

길 좀 물을게요 [Kil jom mool-ul-keh-yo]
May I ask you for directions?

___로 어떻게 가나요? [___roh uttut keh kana yo?]
How do I get to [destination]?

이 근처 ___이/가 어디에 있나요? [Ee keunchuh___ee/kah uh-di-eh it-na-yo?]
Where is the nearest [destination; station, restaurant, convenience store]?

왼쪽/오른쪽 [Wen-chok/Oreun-chok]
Left/Right

골목 [Kol-moke]
Alley

건물 [Kun-mool]
Building

Checking into your hotel

체크인 할게요 [Check-in hal-kke-yo]
I would like to check in

체크아웃은 몇시까지인가요? [Check-out-un myut-si-kkaji-in-ka-yo?]
By what time is the check out?

조식 포함이에요? [Cho-sik po-haam-ee-eh-yo?]
Is the breakfast included (in the price of the room?)

___은/는 어디에 있나요? [___un/nun uh-di-eh it-na-yo?]
Where is [bathroom, restaurant, swimming pool]

Tips: Guest houses are very popular for foreign tourists where they can meet other travellers and exchange information. The owners are very outreaching and helpful, and the prices are relatively cheaper compared to hotels as well.

Transportation

교통 카드 충전해주세요 [Kyo-tong card choong-jeon-heh-joo-se-yo]
Can I recharge my transit pass?

이 버스 ___까지 가나요? [Ee bus ___kka-ji ka-na-yo?]
Does this bus go to [specific destination]?

___까지 가려면 어디서 갈아타야 하나요? [___kka-ji ka-ryo-myun uh-di-suh kal-ah-ta-ya ha-na-yo?]
Where should I transfer/connect if I want to get to [specific destination]?

___로 가주세요 [___ro ka-ju-se-yo]
Please take me to ___ [specific destination] (i.e. to a taxi driver]

Tips: Korea, especially the metropolitan centers, are known for its well-organized public transit lines (and they’re cheap too!). If you are planning to use public transportation quite a bit, it is best to purchase a rechargeable public transport pass (available at most convenience stores).

Restaurant

여기요, 주문할게요 [Yeo-ki-yo, joo-moon hal-keh-yo]
Excuse me, can I order?

뭐가 제일 맛있어요? [muh-ka jeil masit-suh-yo?]
What is your specialty?

___주세요 [___ ju-se-yo]
I will get [name of a menu] (i.e. when you order)

___ 좀 더 갖다주세요 [___ jom duh kat-dah-joo-se-yo?]
Can I get some more of [water, side dish]?

Tips: Servers in Korean restaurants normally do not seat customers or bring bills to their tables (there may be exceptions for high-end, formal restaurants).Find a seat yourself when you walk into a restaurant and go to the cashier when you are finished with your meal.

Shopping

이거 다른 사이즈/색깔 있나요? [Ee-guh t ta-reun size/sekkal it-nah-yo?]
Do you have any other size/color for this?

입어봐도 되나요? [Ib-uh boa-doe doi-na-yo?]
Can I try this on?

이 거 얼마에요? [Ee-guh ul-ma-eh-yo?]
How much is this?

카드 결제 되나요? [Card kyul-jeh doi-na-yo?]
Can I pay with [credit/debit] card?

___은 어디에 있어요? [___ un uh-dit-suh-yo?]
Where is [specific item]? (i.e. in a grocery store)

Tips: If you are shopping at a market (like Namdaemun or Express Bus Terminal Mall), bargaining is a big part of the shopping culture among the locals. You can ask for a discount by saying the following:

조금만 깎아주세요 [Cho-kum-man kakka-ju-se-yo]
Give me a little discount please

Learning basic Korean on LingQ

LingQ has thousands of hours of great content, including Korean, to help you speed up your language learning journey.

If you’ve just started learning Korean, I recommend going through LingQ’s mini-stories. These are great because they’re not too difficult, they often repeat common vocabulary, and these lessons come with audio so you can hear how the words are pronounced.

For higher level learners, you can import Korean dramas and music into LingQ. For more information, please check the video, How You Can Use Your Favorite K Pop Lyrics to Study Korean, or blog post, The Best Korean Dramas for Intermediate Language Learners.

Planning a trip to Korea? Check out polyglot and LingQ cofounder Steve Kaufmann’s YouTube video on language immersion and travel to enhance your language learning!

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Julie Yoon has been teaching Korean and English in formal and informal settings for ten years. She is learning French as a third language.