Guide · LIV · 101
Everyday Korean
Read Hangul, learn a few dozen phrases, and get through daily life more easily.
In short
- You can get by in Korea with almost no Korean, but a few dozen phrases make daily life a lot easier, and people appreciate the effort.
- Learn to read 한글 first. It's a logical alphabet you can learn in a weekend, and then you can read menus, signs and maps.
- Politeness is built into the language. The -요 ending makes almost anything polite and safe with strangers.
- Keep Papago on your phone for anything beyond the basics. The phrases below cover most daily situations.
In big cities you can get around in English, but a little Korean helps a lot at the corner shop, the clinic or in a taxi. Start with the alphabet, then learn the phrases you'll use most. Romanization is a rough guide; listen to native audio (Papago, YouTube) to fine-tune.
Step 1: Learn to read 한글 (Hangul)
Hangul was designed to be easy. It's an alphabet of ~24 letters combined into syllable blocks, so there are no thousands of characters to learn. Most people can learn to read (slowly) in a day or two. Being able to sound out words lets you read station names, menus and signs even when you don't know the meaning. That helps a lot day to day. Free tools: the "Learn Hangul in 90 minutes" style guides, Talk To Me In Korean, and Papago's handwriting/camera input.
The polite ending: -요
Korean has speech levels, but as a foreigner you're safe defaulting to polite speech everywhere. The easy rule: ending a phrase in -요 (-yo) makes it polite. "얼마" (how much) is blunt; "얼마예요?" (how much is it?) is polite and perfect for strangers. When in doubt, add 요.
Everyday phrases
| Korean | Meaning (rough sound) |
|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 | Hello (annyeong-haseyo) |
| 감사합니다 | Thank you (gamsa-hamnida) |
| 네 / 아니요 | Yes / No (ne / aniyo) |
| 죄송합니다 | I'm sorry / excuse me (joesong-hamnida) |
| 실례합니다 | Excuse me (to pass/get attention) (sillye-hamnida) |
| 괜찮아요 | It's okay / no thanks (gwaenchanayo) |
| 잠시만요 | One moment / hold on (jamsiman-yo) |
| 한국어 잘 못해요 | I don't speak Korean well (hangugeo jal mothaeyo) |
| 영어 하세요? | Do you speak English? (yeongeo haseyo?) |
Shopping & eating
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 얼마예요? | How much is it? |
| 이거 주세요 | This one, please (igeo juseyo). Point and say this |
| 계산해 주세요 | The bill, please (gyesan-hae juseyo) |
| 카드 돼요? | Do you take card? (kadeu dwaeyo?) |
| 포장해 주세요 | To go / takeout, please (pojang-hae juseyo) |
| 맛있어요 | It's delicious (masisseoyo) |
| 안 매운 거 있어요? | Is there something not spicy? (an maeun geo isseoyo?) |
| 물 주세요 | Water, please (mul juseyo) |
Getting around
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 화장실 어디예요? | Where's the toilet? (hwajangsil eodiyeyo?) |
| 여기 세워 주세요 | Stop here, please (in a taxi) (yeogi sewo juseyo) |
| 이 주소로 가 주세요 | Please go to this address (i juso-ro ga juseyo). Show the address |
| 지하철역 어디예요? | Where's the subway station? (jihacheol-yeok eodiyeyo?) |
Tip: type or paste your destination in Naver Map and show the driver, or use Kakao T so no speaking is needed (see apps guide).
Signs worth recognizing
- 화장실: toilet · 출구 / 입구: exit / entrance
- 약국: pharmacy · 병원 / 의원: hospital / clinic
- 편의점: convenience store · 은행: bank
- 당기시오 / 미시오: pull / push · 영업중 / 준비중: open / not ready
- 지하철 / 버스: subway / bus · 남 / 여: men / women
Emergencies
| Korean / number | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 도와주세요! | Please help me! (dowa-juseyo) |
| 119 | Fire / ambulance (medical emergencies) |
| 112 | Police |
| 1345 | Immigration Contact Center (multilingual) |
| 1330 | Tourist/interpretation helpline (24h, English) |
See seeing a doctor for medical situations. For 119, they can connect interpretation if you don't speak Korean.
Learning more
- Papago: a translator made for Korean, with camera & voice; better than Google for Korean.
- KIIP: the free government integration program (also counts toward F-2/F-5). See the residence guide.
- Free/cheap classes at Global Centers and many 주민센터; apps like Talk To Me In Korean.
- Even TOPIK 1–2 opens up more your job options and residency paths.
Sources: Standard Korean politeness/speech-level conventions and common daily-life phrasing; emergency numbers per Korean public safety guidance (119, 112, 1345, 1330).
Last verified: July 2026. Romanizations are approximate. Use Papago or native audio for pronunciation. General information to help you get started.
Learning Korean?
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