Korea Travel Phrases: The 20 Sentences That Actually Help on the Ground
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You Do Not Need to Learn Korean to Travel Korea — But a Few Phrases Change Everything
Korea is easier to navigate without Korean than most first-time visitors expect. Subway signs are in English. Most restaurants have photo menus. Payment terminals are largely visual. Many hotel staff speak functional English.
But there are specific moments — ordering at a small local restaurant, getting a taxi to the right destination, asking for the bill at a place with no English menu — where a single phrase in Korean resolves the situation in seconds rather than minutes of pointing and guessing.
This is not a language course. It is a list of the phrases that come up on a real Korea trip — the ones that actually matter at the moment you need them.
How to Use This Guide
Each phrase below includes the Korean script (한글), the romanized pronunciation, and a plain-English pronunciation guide. Korean pronunciation is consistent — once you understand how the letters sound, the romanization becomes reliable.
The quickest way to use these phrases: save this page on your phone before the trip. When a situation comes up, find the phrase, show the screen, or attempt the pronunciation. Either approach works.
The Essential 20 — Organized by Situation
At Restaurants
| Situation | Korean (한글) | Romanization | Pronunciation guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calling the server | 저기요 | jeo-gi-yo | JUH-gi-yo |
| This one, please (pointing at menu) | 이거 주세요 | i-geo ju-se-yo | EE-guh JU-seh-yo |
| Two portions, please | 두 개 주세요 | du gae ju-se-yo | DOO geh JU-seh-yo |
| Not spicy, please | 안 맵게 해주세요 | an maep-ge hae-ju-se-yo | AN mep-geh HEH-ju-seh-yo |
| Delicious (complimenting the food) | 맛있어요 | ma-si-sseo-yo | MA-shi-ssuh-yo |
| The bill, please | 계산해주세요 | gye-san-hae-ju-se-yo | GYEH-san-heh-ju-seh-yo |
| Card payment, please | 카드로 할게요 | ka-deu-ro hal-ge-yo | KA-duh-ro HAL-geh-yo |
One practical note on spice: for inherently spicy dishes like tteokbokki (떡볶이), buldak (불닭), or certain stews (순두부찌개, 김치찌개), asking for "not spicy" may reduce the heat slightly but cannot remove it completely — the base sauce itself is spicy. If you are highly sensitive to chili heat, ask the server whether the dish can be made mild before ordering, rather than after.
저기요 (jeo-gi-yo) is the single most useful phrase in a Korean restaurant. It means "excuse me" — directed at the server. Koreans use it naturally and frequently. Saying it loudly enough to catch attention is completely normal.
One practical note: many Korean restaurants have a call button on the table, usually marked with a bell icon or the word 호출 (ho-chul). If a button is present, press it instead of calling out — a server will come immediately. 저기요 is for places where no button exists.
At Convenience Stores and Shops
| Situation | Korean (한글) | Romanization | Pronunciation guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| No bag needed | 봉투 필요 없어요 | bong-tu pil-lyo eop-seo-yo | BONG-too PIL-yo UP-suh-yo |
| T-Money top-up (with amount) | 티머니 충전 (오천 원) | ti-meo-ni chung-jeon (o-cheon won) | TEE-muh-ni CHOONG-jun (OH-chun won) |
| How much is this? | 이거 얼마예요? | i-geo eol-ma-ye-yo | EE-guh UL-ma-yeh-yo |
| Please heat this up (microwave) | 데워주세요 | de-wo-ju-se-yo | DEH-wuh-ju-seh-yo |
In Taxis and on the Street
| Situation | Korean (한글) | Romanization | Pronunciation guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Please go to [place] | [장소]로 가주세요 | [jang-so]-ro ga-ju-se-yo | [place]-ro GA-ju-seh-yo |
| Stop here, please | 여기서 세워주세요 | yeo-gi-seo se-wo-ju-se-yo | YUH-gi-suh SEH-wuh-ju-seh-yo |
| Where is [place]? | [장소]가 어디예요? | [jang-so]-ga eo-di-ye-yo | [place]-ga UH-di-yeh-yo |
| Please go straight | 직진해주세요 | jik-jin-hae-ju-se-yo | JIK-jin-heh-ju-seh-yo |
For taxis, the simplest approach is to show the destination on Naver Maps or Kakao T rather than attempting the address in Korean. But if you need to direct the driver mid-journey, 여기서 세워주세요 (stop here) is essential.
Greetings and Basic Courtesy
| Situation | Korean (한글) | Romanization | Pronunciation guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello / Good day | 안녕하세요 | an-nyeong-ha-se-yo | AN-nyung-ha-seh-yo |
| Thank you | 감사합니다 | gam-sa-ham-ni-da | GAM-sa-ham-ni-da |
| Sorry / Excuse me | 죄송합니다 | joe-song-ham-ni-da | JWEH-song-ham-ni-da |
| I don't understand | 모르겠어요 | mo-reu-get-sseo-yo | MO-ruh-get-suh-yo |
| Do you speak English? | 영어 할 수 있어요? | yeong-eo hal su i-sseo-yo | YUNG-uh HAL su EE-ssuh-yo |
When Something Goes Wrong
| Situation | Korean (한글) | Romanization | Pronunciation guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Help! | 도와주세요! | do-wa-ju-se-yo | DO-wa-ju-seh-yo |
| I need a hospital | 병원이 필요해요 | byeong-won-i pil-lyo-hae-yo | BYUNG-won-ee PIL-yo-heh-yo |
| Please call the police | 경찰을 불러주세요 | gyeong-chal-eul bul-leo-ju-se-yo | GYUNG-chal-ul BOOL-luh-ju-seh-yo |
Emergency numbers in Korea: Police: 112. Fire and ambulance: 119. Tourist Police Hotline (English available 24/7): 1330. These numbers work from any phone, including foreign SIM cards and phones without a local plan.
Numbers — The Second Most Useful Thing to Learn
Korean has two number systems — native Korean numbers and Sino-Korean numbers. For travel purposes, you mainly need to know prices and quantities.
Prices use Sino-Korean numbers. Most prices in Korea are large enough that knowing 일 (il / 1), 이 (i / 2), 삼 (sam / 3), 사 (sa / 4), 오 (o / 5), 육 (yuk / 6), 칠 (chil / 7), 팔 (pal / 8), 구 (gu / 9), 십 (sip / 10), 백 (baek / 100), 천 (cheon / 1,000), 만 (man / 10,000) gives you the ability to understand most price quotes spoken out loud.
In practice: the number shown on the terminal is almost always sufficient. But when a street vendor says "오천 원" (o-cheon won = ₩5,000) and you understand it without having to see a screen, the transaction moves faster and feels more natural.
What Korean Sounds Like — A Quick Note on Pronunciation
Korean vowels are generally more consistent than English vowels. Once you have learned how the basic vowels sound, the romanization becomes a reliable guide.
A few rules that help:
아 (a) = sounds like "ah" as in "father" 에/애 (e/ae) = sounds like "eh" as in "bed" 이 (i) = sounds like "ee" as in "see" 오 (o) = sounds like "oh" as in "go" 우 (u) = sounds like "oo" as in "food" 으 (eu) = a sound between "uh" and "oo" — no direct English equivalent
Korean has no tones (unlike Chinese or Vietnamese). Stress is relatively flat across syllables. An attempt at the pronunciation — even imperfect — is almost always understood and appreciated.
The Phrase That Covers the Most Ground
If you learn only one phrase before visiting Korea, learn 저기요 (jeo-gi-yo).
It functions as "excuse me," "hey there," and "could I get some help?" in a single word. Use it to call servers, get attention in shops, ask passersby for directions. It is the phrase Koreans themselves use dozens of times a day, and hearing a foreigner use it naturally — without hesitation — immediately signals that the interaction will be smoother than expected.
Related Guides
→ Korean Food Etiquette: What First-Time Visitors Get Wrong
→ Kakao T in Korea: How to Set It Up and Book a Taxi as a Foreign Visitor
→ Convenience Stores in Korea: What to Buy and How to Use Them
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