The great influence of Korean culture, be it K-pop, Korean dramas and films, to traditional Korean culture, has made many foreign tourists interested in having a vacation in Korea. As one of the developed countries in Asia, people already have a lot of expectations when on vacation to Korea. Starting from a clean and beautiful environment, sophisticated technology, culinary delights that spoil the tongue, to panoramic views that satisfy the eye.
However, if you go on vacation to Korea, you can't expect all native Koreans to be able to speak English. Some native Koreans in places such as shops, food stalls, restaurants, holiday rides, or other places may tend to speak little to no English well.
So, if you are going on vacation to South Korea, you need to know some basic Korean expressions that can be used in certain circumstances. Immediately refer to the list of Korean sentences for the following daily needs!
Everyday Korean Conversation List
1. Do You Accept Credit Card Payments?
When shopping, Toppers may want to use a credit card as a means of payment. Toppers need to ask first whether the store accepts payment by credit card or not.
To ask, Toppers can say “Kah-deu bat-euh-seh-yo? (카드 받으세요?)” which means do you accept credit cards. South Korea itself has a fairly high level of credit card use, so it's very likely that you can use a credit card to pay.
When on a culinary tour to South Korea, tasting various kinds of local food is an activity that must be done. However, some dishes may contain food ingredients that can cause allergies. You can say Juh ahl-luh-ji eet-suh-yo (저 알러지 있어요) which means I have an allergy to the waiter at the restaurant where you eat.
2. Exchanging Goods
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Paying attention to the condition of the items that have been purchased needs to be done to ensure that there are no missing, missing or defective items after Toppers buy them. If there is a defect in the item purchased, you need to notify the store employee and ask for an exchange of goods.
Use the phrase “Gyo-hwan-heh ju-seh-yo (교환해 주세요)” which means please exchange my item. If you have a strong reason, it should be possible to exchange goods.
3. Please Call the Police
The crime rate in South Korea is relatively low, but as a foreign tourist on vacation to another country, there's nothing wrong with preparing yourself in the face of crime.
It should be noted that the emergency number to call the police in South Korea is 112. However, if you are in a rush or urgent, you can say Kyung-chal / kyung-chal-eul bu-reu-seh-yo (경찰 / 경찰을 부르세요 ) which means the police or call the police to native Koreans around you.
4. I Need a Doctor
Falling sick in a foreign country is indeed an annoying thing. However, for some people, extreme weather and climate transitions can make their body condition drop. In critical situations like illness or injury that require a doctor, you can say Uie-sah-gah pil-yo-he-yo (의사가 필요해요) which means I need a doctor. Please also note that the emergency number for ambulances and fire services in South Korea is 119.
5. I Have Allergies
When on a culinary tour to South Korea, tasting various kinds of local food is an activity that must be done. However, some dishes may contain food ingredients that can cause allergies. You can say Juh ahl-luh-ji eet-suh-yo (저 알러지 있어요) which means I have an allergy to the waiter at the restaurant where you eat.
6. Say hello
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Starting from the basics, namely greeting other people. When in Korea, you can greet someone by saying “Annyeonghaseyo (안녕하세요)”.
If you greet someone who is the same age, you can lower your head and if you are older, you can lower your head deeper.
If the one you greet is younger, you can just say “Annyeong (안녕)”, Toppers!
_”*
Hmm!
7. Thank you
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Besides greeting, another basic thing you need to know is to say thank you.
There are actually many ways to say thank you, but the safest is to say “Kamsahamnida (감사합니다)”. The body gestures you make depend on the age of the person you are talking to.
8. Apologize
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Before traveling abroad or somewhere, you must study the culture, customs, and regulations that exist there. This is useful for minimizing errors that occur.
So, if you accidentally make a mistake, an important word to remember is “Joesonghabnida (죄송합니다)” which is what you should say when you apologize.
9. Meet Someone
After meeting someone, you can say “Manaso Bangabseumnida (방갭셈니다)” which means nice to meet you.
10. Excuse me
When you want to ask a question or get someone's attention, you can say “Jeogiyo (저기요)” which can mean hi or excuse me.
11. Please Give Me
It's not complete if you have a vacation without tasting the typical food of the area you are aiming for. When you want to buy food, you can say “Juseyo (주세요)” which means please give me.
So, if you want to buy Kimbab, you can say “Kimbab juseyo (김밥 주세요)” which means please give me Kimbab.
12. Do you speak English
When you are on holiday in Korea and you want to ask something but don't know the Korean language, you can say “Yeongo halsu isseoyo? (영어 할수있어요)” which means can you speak English..
So, before you ask further, you ask first if he understands English.
13. Asking Somewhere
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While on vacation, of course you want to visit various places, but you are not sure where it is.
However, language differences make it difficult for you and local people to communicate. You can work around this by showing a photo of a place you want to visit and saying “Yeogiga eodiyeyo? (여기가 어디예요)” which means where is here.
14. Asking for a Known Place
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So, if you want to ask a place whose name you already know, you can say “XXX eotteoke ga yo? (XXX 어떻게 가요)” which means how do I go to XXX.
For example, if you want to go to Lotte World Adventure, you can say “Lotte World Adventure eotteoke ga yo? (롯데월드 어드벤처 어떻게 가요)” which means how to go to Lotte World Adventure.
15. Asking for Help
When asking someone for help in Korea, you can say Sillyejiman, jom dowajul su issseubnikka? (실례지만, 좀 도와줄 수 있습니까) which means sorry, can you help me.
Don't forget to bow a little when starting a conversation, OK?
12. Asking for the Washroom
You want to use the restroom? Say “Hwajangshil eodiyeyo? (화장실 어디에요)” which means where is the restroom.
16. Asking Stations
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Want to go somewhere by train but you don't know where the nearest station is?
You can say “Jihacol yok i eodiyeyo? (지하철역이 어디예요?)” which means where is the subway station.
17. Ordering Food
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To attract the waiter's attention you can call him by saying “Jeogiyo”, after getting the waiter's attention, to order food, you can say “Naneun jumunhal geos-ida (나는 주문할 것이다)” which means I want to order.
18. Amount of Food Ordered
When ordering food and pointing at the menu, you can say “Igeo hana juseyo (이거 하나 주세요)” which means give me one or if your order is for two portions, you can say “Igeo dui ga juseyo (이거 두개 주세요)” which means please give me this two.
19. Asking Prices
It's not complete if you take a walk but don't shop. When you want to ask the price, you can say “Igeo eolmayeyo? (이거 얼마예요?)” which means how many of these.
20. Discounted Prices
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You've bought a lot but the price still feels expensive? Ask for a discount by saying “Ggagga juseyo (깎아주세요)” which please cut the price.
21. Please Take My Photo
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Of course you want to capture the moment while traveling. One way is by taking pictures.
You can use this phrase to ask someone to take your photo, Toppers. Say “Jeogiyo, served jjigeojuseyo (저기요, 사진 찍어주세요)” which means excuse me, can you take a photo of me.
22. Inform Origin
When you meet and get acquainted with new people while on vacation, of course you will ask where you are from. To inform where you are from, say “Jeoneun indonesia-eseo wassseubnida (저는 인도네시아에서 왔습니다)” which means I come from Indonesia.
23. Eat Delicious Food
The food you buy tastes good and delicious? Express it with the words “mas-issseubnida! (맛있습니다!)” which means delicious.
24. Asking WiFi Password
Eating at a restaurant and want to inquire about WiFi? You can say “Waipai bimil beonho jom allyeo juseyo (와이파이 비밀 번호 좀 알려 주세요)” which means please give me your WiFi password.
25. Wait a Minute – Jamsimanyo
Are you having trouble finding something? Don't be shy to ask! However, the person answered too quickly for you to take notes? You can object by saying “Jamsimanyo (잠시만 요)” which means wait a moment.
26. Farewell
Traveling allows you to meet new people, both local and other countries. However, if you meet a local and want to say goodbye, you can say “Annyeonghigaseyo (안녕히 가세요)” which means goodbye.