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Practical Korean
Survival Korean for the workplace, clinic, immigration office and convenience store, phrase by phrase.
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Phrases for this week, by situation. The grammar is at Korean; this page is for functioning before you have it.
Everything below is in the standard polite form, which is the one to use with everyone until you are invited to do otherwise. It is never rude, and using the casual form with someone older unbidden is the mistake that actually lands badly.
The six that do most of the work
| Hangeul | Say | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 | Annyeonghaseyo | Hello |
| 감사합니다 | Gamsahamnida | Thank you |
| 저기요 | Jeogiyo | Excuse me, to call someone over |
| 얼마예요? | Eolmayeyo? | How much is it? |
| 이거 주세요 | Igeo juseyo | This one, please |
| 모르겠어요 | Moreugesseoyo | I do not know, or I do not understand |
Jeogiyo and igeo juseyo together will get you through almost any transaction, because pointing is entirely acceptable and extremely effective.
Getting by in conversation
| Hangeul | Say | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 네 / 아니요 | Ne / Aniyo | Yes / No |
| 죄송합니다 | Joesonghamnida | I am sorry |
| 괜찮아요 | Gwaenchanayo | It is fine, or no thank you |
| 한국말 조금 해요 | Hangukmal jogeum haeyo | I speak a little Korean |
| 영어 하세요? | Yeongeo haseyo? | Do you speak English? |
| 천천히 말해 주세요 | Cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo | Please speak slowly |
| 다시 말해 주세요 | Dasi malhae juseyo | Please say that again |
| 잠시만요 | Jamsimanyo | Just a moment |
Numbers, which come in two systems
| Sino-Korean | Il, i, sam, sa, o, yuk, chil, pal, gu, sip |
|---|---|
| Native Korean | Hana, dul, set, net, daseot, yeoseot, ilgop, yeodeol, ahop, yeol |
| Use Sino-Korean for | Prices, dates, minutes, phone numbers, floors |
| Use native Korean for | Counting things and people, and hours of the clock |
Annoying, unavoidable, and worth learning deliberately rather than guessing. Prices use the Sino-Korean set, which makes it the more urgent of the two.
In a shop or convenience store
| Hangeul | Say | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 봉투 주세요 | Bongtu juseyo | A bag, please |
| 카드 돼요? | Kadeu dwaeyo? | Can I pay by card? |
| 현금 | Hyeongeum | Cash |
| 영수증 주세요 | Yeongsujeung juseyo | Receipt, please |
| 데워 주세요 | Dewo juseyo | Please heat it up |
| 이거 있어요? | Igeo isseoyo? | Do you have this? |
| 없어요 | Eopseoyo | There is none |
In a restaurant
| Hangeul | Say | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 물 주세요 | Mul juseyo | Water, please |
| 메뉴 주세요 | Menyu juseyo | The menu, please |
| 안 매운 거 있어요? | An maeun geo isseoyo? | Is there something not spicy? |
| 고기 없는 거 | Gogi eomneun geo | Something without meat |
| 하나 / 둘 / 셋 | Hana / dul / set | One / two / three portions |
| 포장해 주세요 | Pojanghae juseyo | To take away, please |
| 계산할게요 | Gyesanhalgeyo | I will pay now |
| 맛있어요 | Masisseoyo | It is delicious |
Note that "without meat" does not mean vegetarian in Korea, because anchovy and fish stock are in a great deal of food without being thought of as meat. Where to eat in Korea covers how to ask properly.
Transport
| Hangeul | Say | Means |
|---|---|---|
| ... 가 주세요 | ... ga juseyo | Please go to ... |
| 여기 세워 주세요 | Yeogi sewo juseyo | Please stop here |
| ... 어디예요? | ... eodiyeyo? | Where is ...? |
| 화장실 어디예요? | Hwajangsil eodiyeyo? | Where is the toilet? |
| 얼마나 걸려요? | Eolmana geollyeoyo? | How long does it take? |
| 이 버스 ... 가요? | I beoseu ... gayo? | Does this bus go to ...? |
Have your destination written in Korean on your phone. Showing it works better than pronouncing it, and taxi drivers are used to it. Getting around Korea covers the networks.
At a clinic or pharmacy
| Hangeul | Say | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 아파요 | Apayo | It hurts, or I am unwell |
| 여기가 아파요 | Yeogiga apayo | It hurts here, while pointing |
| 열이 있어요 | Yeori isseoyo | I have a fever |
| 약 주세요 | Yak juseyo | Medicine, please |
| 처방전 | Cheobangjeon | Prescription |
| 알레르기 있어요 | Allereugi isseoyo | I have an allergy |
| 통역 필요해요 | Tongyeok piryohaeyo | I need an interpreter |
| 도와주세요 | Dowajuseyo | Please help me |
Tongyeok piryohaeyo is the most valuable phrase on this page. Say it at a reception desk and larger hospitals will arrange something; free phone interpretation also exists. English-speaking doctors in Korea covers the services, and in an emergency the numbers are 119 for an ambulance and 112 for police.
At an office or a workplace
| Hangeul | Say | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 외국인등록증 | Oegugin deungnokjeung | Residence card |
| 서류 | Seoryu | Documents |
| 어디로 가요? | Eodiro gayo? | Where should I go? |
| 언제 돼요? | Eonje dwaeyo? | When will it be ready? |
| 다시 확인해 주세요 | Dasi hwaginhae juseyo | Please check again |
| 수고하셨습니다 | Sugohasyeotseumnida | Thank you for your hard work |
That last one is worth learning properly. It is said at the end of a shift, a meeting or a task, it has no real English equivalent, and using it correctly marks you out as someone paying attention. Your rights as a worker covers the workplace itself.
Small conventions worth knowing
Not phrases, but they decide how the phrases land.
Two hands for giving or receiving anything from someone older - money, a card, a cup - or your right hand supported at the wrist by your left. A slight bow with a greeting, rather than a handshake. Shoes off at the door of a home, a guesthouse room and many traditional restaurants. Pour for others, not yourself, if you are drinking with Koreans, and hold the glass with two hands when an elder pours for you.
And expect to be asked your age early. It is not nosiness; the language changes depending on the answer.
Where this goes wrong
- Using the casual form with someone older, unbidden.
- Mixing up the two number systems on a price.
- Asking for "no meat" and expecting vegetarian.
- Pronouncing a destination instead of showing it written.
- Not knowing how to ask for an interpreter.
Where to go next
Korean covers Hangeul and the grammar underneath these, and learning Korean covers classes in Korea, several of them free.
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