Crucial Korean Travel Phrases✈️

안녕하세요! (Annyeonghaseyo!) – Hello everyone!

Welcome back to our Korean learning guide blog!

If you’re planning a trip to Korea, knowing a few key phrases can make your journey much smoother and more enjoyable.

Not every Korean speaks English, and particularly in some cities besides Seoul, it’s still beneficial to know basic phrases before traveling to Korea.

However, many places in Korea now use ordering machines, so even if you don’t speak Korean, it wouldn’t be too challenging.

Today, we’re diving into essential Korean phrases for traveling. Whether you’re navigating the streets, ordering food, or seeking assistance, these phrases will come in handy.

If you don’t know how to read the Korean alphabet yet and would like to learn (you can master it in just 30 minutes!), please check out this post: Click here!

Let’s get started!

Greetings and Basic Phrases 😊

1. Hello : 안녕하세요 (An nyeong ha sae yo)

• Pronunciation: [an -nyeong -ha -se -yo]
• Formality : Very polite
• Usage: A polite greeting used any time of the day.

2. Thank you : 감사합니다 (Gam sa ham ni da)

• Pronunciation: [gam-sa-ham-ni-da]
• Formality : informal
• Usage: This is a polite way to say “thank you” in Korean. It is suitable for most situations, whether you are thanking a friend, a colleague, or a stranger. It’s a versatile expression of gratitude.

3. Yes : 네 (nae)

• Pronunciation: [nae]

4. No : 아니 (a ni yo)

• Pronunciation: [a-ni-yo]

5. Excuse me : 실례합니다 (sil lye ham ni da)

• Pronunciation: [sil-lye-ham-ni-da]
• Usage: Useful for getting someone’s attention or apologizing for a minor inconvenience.

Directions & transportation

1. Where is [place]? : [place] 어디예요? ( eo di ye yo?)

• Pronunciation: [eo-di-e-yo]
• Usage: 화장실이 어디예요? (Where is the bathroom ?) [hwa-jang-sil-ee eo-di-ye-yo?]
  호텔이 어디예요? (Where is the hotel ?) [ho-tel-ee eo-di-ye-yo?]

2. Please take me to [place]: [place]으로/로 가 주세요 ([place]eu lo ga ju sae yo)

• Pronunciation: [euu-lo ga ju-sae-yo]
• Formality : formal, polite
• Usage: 식당으로 가 주세요 (Please take me to the restaurant) [ sig-dang-eu-lo ga ju-sae-yo]
  카페로 가 주세요(Please take me to the cafe) [ ca-fe-lo ga ju-sae-yo]
  
  (으로/로 changes depending on whether there is a final consonant. If you get confused by this, just omit the part or use “에 (ae)” instead. For example, “카페에 가 주세요 [Cafe ae ga ju sae yo]” )

3. How to go to [place] : [place]에 어떻게 가요? (ae eo tteok gae ga yo?)

• Pronunciation: [ae eo tteok gae ga yo?]
• Usage: 강남에 어떻게 가요? ( How can I get to Gang nam? ) [ Gang-nam-ae eo-tteok-gae ga-yo]

Dining & Order

1. Can I have ___?:___ 주세요 (Ju sae yo) ⭐

This expression is essential! You can use it anywhere.

Just point to the item and say, “Can I have this?”, which is (이거 주세요 – ee-geo ju-sae-yo)!

• Pronunciation: [Ju-sae-yo]
• Usage: 이거 주세요 ( Can I have this? ) [ ee-geo ju-sae-yo]
  케이크 주세요 ( Can I have cake? ) [Cakeeu ju-sae-yo]

2. Do you have ___? : ___ 있나요? (it na yo)

• Pronunciation: [It-na-yo]
• Usage: 바나나 아이스크림 있나요? ( Do you have banana ice cream? ) [ banana ice cream it-na-yo?]

3. How much is ___?: ___얼마예요? (eol ma yae yo)

• Pronunciation: [eol-ma-yae-yo]
• Usage: 이거 얼마예요? ( How much is this ? ) [ ee-geo eol-ma-yae-yo?]

These are phrases you might find useful.

As a Korean, whenever I traveled to Japan, Japanese people often mistook me for being Japanese and would speak to me in their language. So I had to memorize the phrase “I don’t speak Japanese” and used it all the time! Here’s how you can say “I don’t speak Korean!“

– I don’t speak Korean: 한국어 못 해요 (han gug eo mot hae yo)

– Please speak in English: 영어로 해 주세요 (young eo lo hae ju sae yo)

Practice Makes Perfect!

Koreans are generally kind and helpful, so don’t hesitate to use these phrases with confidence! Your efforts will be greatly appreciated during your travels in Korea.

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