Useful Basic Korean Phrases for Travel

You can travel Korea without speaking Korean. But the phrase you will use ten times a day is not a greeting — it is the word that calls a server over, and most phrasebooks bury it near the back.

This one is ordered by how often you will actually need each phrase. Every entry gives the Hangul, a romanized pronunciation, and when to use it.

At a glance

Jeogiyo
How you call staff in a restaurant. The single most-used phrase of the trip.
Gwaenchanayo
Covers 'I'm fine', 'no thanks' and 'no problem' in one word.
Two sets of numbers
Native and Sino-Korean, chosen by which counter follows them.
Romanization follows sound
It spells pronunciation, not letters. 한국말 is hangungmal.

The two phrases to learn first

Phrasebooks open with greetings. These are the two you will actually reach for most.

저기요 (jeogiyo) — how you call a member of staff in a restaurant or shop. Raising a hand and saying this is the normal, expected method in Korea; waiting quietly to catch someone's eye will leave you waiting a long time. 여기요 (yeogiyo) does the same job.
괜찮아요 (gwaenchanayo) — depending on context it means "I'm fine", "no thank you", or "no problem". It answers the bag question at a checkout, declines an offer of help, and reassures someone who bumped into you.

Add 잠시만요 (jamsimanyo), which covers both "excuse me, coming through" and "one moment please". It is the phrase for getting off a crowded subway car.

Greetings and the basics

안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) — the polite all-purpose hello. It works at any hour of the day.
감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) — thank you, in its polite form.
죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) — sorry, as an apology.
실례합니다 (sillyehamnida) — excuse me, before approaching a stranger.
네 / 아니요 (ne / aniyo) — yes and no.
한국말 잘 못해요 (hangungmal jal motaeyo) — "I don't speak Korean well." Saying this up front is worth more than any other sentence here: people slow down and start using gestures.
영어 가능하세요? (yeongeo ganeunghaseyo?) — "Do you speak English?"

In a restaurant

Pointing solves most of ordering. These cover the other half.

두 명이요 (du myeongiyo) — "two people", said on the way in. How many of you there are is the first question you will be asked.
이거 주세요 (igeo juseyo) — "this one, please", while pointing at the menu or a neighbouring table. The most widely useful way to order anything.
이거 뭐예요? (igeo mwoyeyo?) — "what is this?"
매워요? (maewoyo?) — "is it spicy?" Worth asking; the local baseline for "not spicy" may not be yours.
안 매운 거 있어요? (an maeun geo isseoyo?) — "is there anything that isn't spicy?"
포장해 주세요 (pojanghae juseyo) — "to take away, please."
여기서 먹을게요 (yeogiseo meogeulgeyo) — "I'll eat here." A cafe will almost always ask you which it is.
계산할게요 (gyesanhalgeyo) — "I'd like to pay." Note that Korean restaurants are usually paid for at the counter, not at the table.
카드 돼요? (kadeu dwaeyo?) — "do you take cards?" Worth asking at traditional-market stalls.
알레르기가 있어요 (allereugiga isseoyo) — "I have an allergy", said before you order.
고기, 생선 없이 해주세요 (gogi, saengseon eopsi haejuseyo) — "without meat or fish, please."

Korea has two sets of numbers

This is where new speakers get stuck. Korean has two numeral series — a native Korean one and a Sino-Korean one — and they coexist, each used in its own places.

What decides between them is the counter that follows. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture explains that the native series combines with native-origin counters, giving 열여섯 살 (sixteen years old) and 연필 일곱 자루 (seven pencils) as its examples. Say the same age with the Sino-Korean counter and it becomes 십육 세; the mixed form "열여섯 세" is not used. It also notes that the native series is not used for numbers of a hundred and above.

For a traveller, that shakes out like this.

하나, 둘, 셋… — people (한 명, 두 명), items (한 개), bottles (한 병), glasses (두 잔), and the hour in a time (세 시).
일, 이, 삼… — money (오천 원), minutes (삼십 분), floors (사 층), portions (이 인분), phone numbers and dates.

Which is why a single expression such as "세 시 삼십 분" — half past three — draws from both series at once. Getting it wrong will still be understood. But knowing why there are two makes menus and station announcements far less opaque.

Directions, taxis, and when something goes wrong

화장실 어디예요? (hwajangsil eodiyeyo?) — "where is the toilet?"
여기 어떻게 가요? (yeogi eotteoke gayo?) — "how do I get here?", said while showing a map or an address. The phrase assumes you are pointing at a screen.
얼마나 걸려요? (eolmana geollyeoyo?) — "how long does it take?"
얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?) — "how much is it?"
여기 세워 주세요 (yeogi sewo juseyo) — "please stop here", in a taxi.
도와주세요 (dowajuseyo) — "please help me."

Anything costly to get wrong — a number, an address, an allergy — should not travel by speech alone. Save the Korean sentence on your phone and show the screen. Pronunciation can fail; a screen does not.

How to read the romanization

The romanized forms here follow the Revised Romanization of Korean from the National Institute of Korean Language. Its basic principles are two lines: "Romanization is based on standard Korean pronunciation", and no symbols other than Roman letters are used where it can be avoided.

The consequence worth understanding is that it spells the sound, not the letters. That is why 한국말 is written hangungmal rather than hangukmal — the actual pronunciation is closer to han-gung-mal. The standard's own example works the same way: 백마 is pronounced [뱅마], so it is romanized Baengma.

So treat the romanization as a pronunciation aid, not as a key for reconstructing the Hangul. The standard itself only switches to spelling-based romanization for special cases such as academic writing, where the Hangul has to be recoverable.

Your pronunciation does not have to be good. Say the short version, then show a menu, a map or a translation screen alongside it, and the misunderstanding usually disappears. And getting jeogiyo right on its own will change how your restaurant meals go.

Frequently asked questions

Can I travel in Korea without speaking Korean?

Yes. Tourist areas and the subway carry plenty of English signage, and translation apps plus pointing handle most situations. But knowing jeogiyo, gwaenchanayo and igeo juseyo makes restaurants markedly easier.

How do I get a server's attention in a restaurant?

Raise your hand and say '저기요' (jeogiyo) or '여기요' (yeogiyo). This is the normal method in Korea — waiting quietly to be noticed will take much longer.

Why does Korean have two sets of numbers?

Korean has a native series (하나, 둘, 셋) and a Sino-Korean series (일, 이, 삼), and which one you use depends on the counter that follows. People, items and the hour take the native series; money, minutes, floors and portions take the Sino-Korean one. The native series is not used for numbers of a hundred and above.

Will people understand me if I read the romanization?

Usually. Revised Romanization is based on standard pronunciation rather than spelling, so it is close to the sound. It is not a full phonetic notation, though, so treat it as an aid.

How do I avoid spicy food?

Ask '안 매운 거 있어요?' (an maeun geo isseoyo?), or check before ordering with '매워요?' (maewoyo?). Bear in mind that the local threshold for 'not spicy' may not match yours.

How do I ask whether they take cards?

'카드 돼요?' (kadeu dwaeyo?). Most restaurants and shops accept cards, but it is worth asking at traditional-market stalls.