Dive in Korean

Topic guide

Korean Phrases for Travelers

Not grammar theory — the actual phrases you'll use on the ground in Korea, from the taxi ride in to ordering your first meal.

Numbers come first because they show up everywhere else on this list — prices, times, phone numbers, all of it.

Bookmark this page before your trip, but don't try to memorize it all at once — each linked page below is short enough to review right before you need it (in a taxi, at a counter) rather than weeks in advance.

  1. 01

    Korean Numbers: Native vs Sino-Korean, Explained

    Korean has two full number systems — native Korean (하나, 둘, 셋) and Sino-Korean (일, 이, 삼).

  2. 02

    How Much in Korean? (얼마예요) Explained

    얼마예요?

  3. 03

    Ordering Food in Korean: The Phrases You Actually Need

    Real Korean phrases for ordering at a restaurant — calling staff, ordering, asking for more banchan, and…

  4. 04

    How to Order Coffee in Korean

    Order coffee in Korean like a local — Americano, iced (아아) or hot (뜨아), size, for here or to go, and…

  5. 05

    Convenience Store Korean Phrases You'll Actually Need

    Real Korean phrases for a convenience store (편의점) visit — asking prices, heating food, getting a bag, and…

  6. 06

    Taxi Korean Phrases You'll Actually Need

    Real Korean phrases for taking a taxi in Korea — giving a destination, asking to stop, and paying — with…

  7. 07

    How to Ride a Bus in Seoul (and the Korean You'll Hear)

    A native speaker's guide to Seoul buses: which transit card to get, why you tap off, free transfers, bus…

  8. 08

    How to Ask for Directions in Korean

    Real Korean phrases for asking directions — finding a place, understanding left/right/straight, and asking…

  9. 09

    Reading Korean Street Signs: What the Words on Seoul's Buildings Mean

    Seoul shop signs (간판, ganpan) decoded: 노래, 치과, 부동산, 학원, 생맥주 전문점, 임대 and more — plus how floors (1층, 3F,…

  10. 10

    Shopping Phrases in Korean You'll Actually Need

    Real Korean phrases for shopping — asking for sizes, trying things on, prices, and discounts — with…

  11. 11

    Korean Numbers 1 to 10: Both Systems Side by Side

    Korean numbers 1 to 10 in both systems, side by side: 하나·둘·셋 (native) and 일·이·삼 (Sino-Korean), with…

  12. 12

    At the Korean Hospital or Pharmacy: Saying Where It Hurts

    How to describe symptoms in Korean — 아파요, 열이 나요 — plus how Korea's 병원/약국 system works: prescriptions,…

  13. 13

    Gwanghwamun Square: King Sejong, Admiral Yi and the Gate of Gyeongbokgung

    A photo guide to Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul: the King Sejong statue, Admiral Yi Sun-sin and the turtle…

  14. 14

    A Walk Through Jongno: Bosingak, Cheonggyecheon and the Korean Around Them

    A photo walk through Jongno, Seoul's old downtown: the Bosingak bell and its New Year's Eve ringing,…

  15. 15

    From Seoul City Hall to Namdaemun Market: A Walk Through Old and New Seoul

    A photo walk from Seoul City Hall past Deoksugung and Sungnyemun to Namdaemun Market — guard ceremony,…

  16. 16

    Myeongdong: Seoul's Shopping Street, Its Red-Hat Guides and the Cathedral on the Hill

    A photo guide to Myeongdong, Seoul: car-free shopping streets, tourist guides in red hats, Myeongdong…