Korean Phrases for a Night Out in Seoul

A handful of polite Korean phrases ending in -yo or -nida will carry you through a whole evening in Seoul: greeting staff, ordering, asking for the bill, booking a room and getting a taxi home. You do not need grammar to use them. Learn the sound of each one, point when in doubt, and the people you speak to will usually meet you halfway.

Polite or casual: which form to use

Korean changes the ending of a sentence depending on who you are talking to. Three levels matter for a visitor:

• Formal polite (-nida, -mnida): used in announcements, shops and with people much older or senior. Gamsahamnida (thank you) is the classic example.
• Standard polite (-yo): friendly but respectful. This is the safe default with staff, drivers and anyone you have just met.
• Casual (no ending): for close friends and people younger than you who have invited you to speak casually. Using it with a stranger can sound rude.

If you remember one rule, make it this: add -yo and you will rarely go wrong.

The phrase table

Romanisation follows the official Korean system; it is a guide to sound, not a perfect match. Say the phrases slowly and evenly, without stressing one syllable heavily.

Phrases in context

At the restaurant

In many Korean restaurants staff will not hover near your table. Calling out jeogiyo in a normal voice, or pressing the call button if the table has one, is the accepted way to order or ask for more side dishes. Juseyo ("please give me") is the workhorse verb: put almost any noun in front of it and you have a usable request. Paying usually happens at the counter by the door rather than at the table, so gyesanhae juseyo is often said while standing up.

Drinks and toasts

When someone pours for you, hold your glass with both hands or with one hand supporting the other wrist, and say gamsahamnida. Geonbae is the everyday toast. If you would rather not drink more, a light hand over the glass and a smile is understood. Know your limits, and never drive after drinking.

Booking a table or a karaoke room by phone

Phone calls are harder than face-to-face conversations, so keep it short: say hello, yeyakhago sipeoyo, then the time and number of people. Numbers for hours use native Korean (han, du, se, ne and so on), which is why eight o'clock is yeodeol si. For a karaoke room (noraebang, 노래방), bang isseoyo? asks whether a room is free. If you are planning the karaoke part of a night in Gangnam, Korean-language guides such as 강남가라오케 use much of the same booking vocabulary, so the phrases above make them easier to follow. If the call gets complicated, a hotel front desk can usually help.

Directions and the ride home

Station names are the easiest landmarks to give a driver; add -euro or -ro ("towards") and ga juseyo. Showing the destination written in Hangul on your phone avoids most misunderstandings. If you are weighing up taxis against other options, our comparison of rideshare, taxi and private car services covers the general trade-offs, which apply in most large cities.

Casual versions you will hear

Among friends, endings drop away. Annyeong replaces annyeonghaseyo, gomawo replaces gamsahamnida, and ga-ja means "let's go". It is useful to recognise these, but wait to be invited before using them yourself, particularly with anyone older.

What if I mispronounce something?

That is expected. Context does most of the work, and an attempt in Korean, followed by pointing or a translation app, is usually received warmly.

Should I bow?

A small nod of the head when greeting or thanking someone is polite and natural. A deep bow is not needed in a restaurant or a taxi.

Before your trip, save the table to your phone and practise a few lines out loud; travellers' prep lists like our practical tips for backpackers work best when a few words of the local language are part of the packing.