Greetings and Basic Courtesy
안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) — Hello. Works any time of day, to anyone. Add a slight head nod when you say it.
감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) — Thank you. The more casual 고마워요 (gomawoyo) works with peers, but gamsahamnida is safe everywhere, including with staff, hosts, and older people.
죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) — I'm sorry / my apologies. Use this when you've actually done something (bumped into someone, made a mistake).
실례합니다 (sillyehamnida) — Excuse me. Use this to get someone's attention, ask a stranger for directions, or step past someone in a crowd — it's not an apology, it's a "pardon me."
네 (ne) — Yes. 아니요 (aniyo) — No.
안녕히 계세요 (annyeonghi gyeseyo) — Goodbye, said to the person who is staying (e.g., to a shopkeeper as you leave). 안녕히 가세요 (annyeonghi gaseyo) — Goodbye, said to the person who is leaving (e.g., you're staying, they're going). Koreans do distinguish these, but if you mix them up, you'll still be understood.
Shopping and Money
얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?) — How much is it?
이거 주세요 (igeo juseyo) — This one, please (point at the item).
카드 되나요? (kadeu doenayo?) — Do you take card? Card is accepted almost everywhere in Korean cities, but small market stalls and some street vendors are cash-only.
Korean uses two separate number systems, and travelers run into both. Sino-Korean numbers (il, i, sam, sa, o...) are used for money, phone numbers, and addresses. Native Korean numbers (hana, dul, set, net...) are used for counting items and age. For shopping, the one that matters is Sino-Korean, and the key trick is that Korean currency is counted in units of 만 (man), meaning 10,000, not in thousands like English. So 50,000 won is 오만원 (oman-won) — "five-man-won" — not "fifty-thousand-won." Prices on receipts and price tags are written in digits, so you rarely need to say the number out loud, but recognizing 만 on a price tag helps you read it fast.
At Restaurants
여기요! (yeogiyo!) — Over here / excuse me. This is the standard way to call a server's attention in Korea — table service usually isn't roving, so you call out when you're ready to order or need something. It's not rude; it's expected.
메뉴판 주세요 (menyupan juseyo) — Menu, please.
이거 뭐예요? (igeo mwoyeyo?) — What is this? Useful when a dish arrives and you don't recognize it.
저는 ___ 안 먹어요 (jeoneun ___ an meogeoyo) — I don't eat ___. Fill in the blank with the food word, e.g., 땅콩 (ttangkong) for peanuts, 새우 (saeu) for shrimp, 돼지고기 (dwaejigogi) for pork. This phrasing works for both allergies and preference, but for a genuine allergy it's worth also saying 알레르기가 있어요 (allereugiga isseoyo) — "I have an allergy" — so staff treat it as a health issue rather than a dislike.
맵지 않게 해주세요 (maepji anke haejuseyo) — Please make it not spicy. Korean food defaults to spicy more often than many other cuisines, and not every kitchen can adjust, but it's worth asking.
물 주세요 (mul juseyo) — Water, please. Many restaurants provide water or barley tea automatically or via a self-serve station, but this works if not.
계산이요 (gyesaniyo) or 계산해 주세요 (gyesanhae juseyo) — Check, please. In most casual restaurants you pay at a counter near the entrance on your way out rather than at the table.
Getting Around
여기 가 주세요 (yeogi gajuseyo) — Please take me here (said to a taxi driver while showing an address or pointing at a map on your phone — this is normal and expected, since not every driver reads English addresses).
화장실이 어디예요? (hwajangsili eodieyo?) — Where is the restroom?
이 버스 ___ 가요? (i beoseu ___ gayo?) — Does this bus go to ___? Fill in the destination.
여기서 내려주세요 (yeogiseo naeryeojuseyo) — Please let me off here (for taxis or local buses without fixed stops on request).
Emergencies
도와주세요! (dowajuseyo!) — Help me!
아파요 (apayo) — It hurts / I feel sick.
병원이 어디예요? (byeongwoni eodieyo?) — Where is the hospital?
여권을 잃어버렸어요 (yeogwoneul ireobeoryeosseoyo) — I lost my passport.
For emergencies, Korea's nationwide numbers are 112 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance — both work from any phone, and many operators can connect you to an English-language line.
Pronunciation Tips That Actually Help
Romanized Korean trips up English speakers in a couple of predictable ways:
- eo (as in eolmayeyo or annyeonghaseyo) is not pronounced "ee-oh." It represents a single vowel, closer to the "u" in "cut" or "sun." Reading it as two English vowels is the single most common mispronunciation.
- eu (the vowel ㅡ, as in 크다 keuda, "big") is a flat, unrounded vowel, not the French "eu" sound. Keep your lips relaxed rather than rounded — it's closer to the "oo" in "book" said without pursing your lips.
- Consonants like ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ (romanized g, d, b, j) sit between the English voiced and unvoiced versions of those sounds, so a word like 가 can sound like it's halfway between "ga" and "ka" depending on where it falls in a sentence. Don't over-think this one — Koreans are used to hearing it both ways from foreigners.
More: Revised Romanization of Korean, National Institute of Korean Language