20 Korean phrases for tourists — from the taxi to the night market

The short answer: You can get through a trip to Korea with about 20 phrases, and most of them end in 주세요 (juseyo, "please give me / please do") or 어디예요? (eodiyeyo, "where is it?"). Add 감사합니다 after everything, and people will happily help you.

Phrasebooks list hundreds of sentences. You won't use them. So we followed one ordinary travel day, from the airport taxi to a late snack, and kept only what you'd actually say.

8 a.m. — Taxi and subway

Show the driver the address on your phone and say the first line. That's often the whole conversation.

Learn 어디예요? well. Put any place in front of it, and you've made a new question. 편의점 어디예요? Where's the convenience store?

11 a.m. — Shops and markets

Numbers come back fast at the counter. If 만 (man) and 천 (cheon) confuse you, our Korean numbers guide makes prices easy.

1 p.m. — Cafés and lunch

At a sit-down restaurant, there's more: calling the staff, refills and paying. That's all in our restaurant phrases guide. And no, you don't need to tip. Here's why.

4 p.m. — Talking to people

잠시만요 is the subway hero. Say it softly when the train is packed and you need to get off. People will make room.

When something goes wrong

That's 20. Now save three numbers in your phone:

• 112 — police.
• 119 — ambulance and fire.
• 1330 — the Korea Tourism Organization's travel hotline. The UK government's travel advice says it offers interpretation, even three-way calls, from 7 a.m. to midnight. The Korea Times says it helps in eight languages.

Easy mistakes

Dropping 요. Without 요, these phrases turn casual. 얼마야? sounds like you're talking to a friend, not a shop owner. Keep 요 with strangers. Our polite speech guide explains why.

Saying 감사합니다 too softly. It's not too much. Say it clearly to the driver, the cashier and the person who took your photo.

Reading romanization like English. 주세요 is closer to "joo-seh-yo" than "jew-seez." Ten minutes with our Korean alphabet chart will help more than any spelling trick.

Why short phrases work so well in Korea

In Korea, a short polite request plus a smile is normal, not rude. You don't need "Would you mind if I…" Korean politeness lives in the ending, so 영수증 주세요 is already polite.

Also, a little Korean goes a long way. Even if the other person answers in English, your first 안녕하세요 sets a friendly tone. Start with 안녕하세요. Our hello guide shows which goodbye to use when you leave a shop.

Quick check

1. You want to know the price of a fridge magnet. What do you say?
2. The taxi reaches your hotel door. What do you say?
3. You can't find your way back to the station. What do you say first?

Answers: 1. 이거 얼마예요? 2. 여기서 세워 주세요. 3. 길을 잃었어요, then ___역 어디예요?

Want to practice before the flight? Try today's 5, a quick daily round of real Korean situations.

In one line: Learn 주세요, 어디예요? and 감사합니다, save 1330, and you can handle a whole day in Korea.