2 Basic Phrases

Yes.

ne. (polite)

nay.

네.

eung. (intimate)

eung.

응.

No.

anio. (polite)

ahnee-oh.

아니오.

ani. (intimate)

ahnee.

아니.

Right.

maja.

mahjah.

맞아.

What?

mwo?

mwo?

뭐?

Who?

nugu?

noogoo?

누구?

Where?

eodi?

uh-dee?

어디?

When?

eonje?

on-jay?

언제?

Why?

wae?

way?

왜?

How?

eotteoke?

uh-tto-kay?

어떻게?

Which?

eotteon geo?

uh-ttun go?

어떤 거?

Whose?

nugu kkeo?

noogoo kko?

누구 거?

This.

igeo.

eego.

이거.

That.

jeogeo. (something over there)

juh-go.

저거.

geugeo. (something close to the listener)

geugoh.

그거.

Here.

yeogi.

yohgee.

여기.

There.

jeogi. (over there)

johgee.

저기.

geogi. (close to the listener)

gohgee.

저기.

Maybe.

geureol keoya.

geurull kkoya.

그럴 거야.

Maybe not.

anil keoya.

ahneel kkoya.

아닐 거야.

I

na

nah

나

You

neo

naw

너

He/She

jyae (used in a person’s presence, informal)

jay

쟤

gyae (used in a person’s absence, informal)

gyay

걔

We

uri

ooree

우리

You (plural)

nedeul

nee-deul

네들

They

jyaenedeul (informal)

jyehne-deul

쟤네들

Don’t!

haji ma!

hahjee mah!

하지 마!

Please.

jebal.

jebahl.

제발.

Thank you.

gamsahamnida (polite).

gahmsahm-needah.

감사합니다.

gomawo (intimate).

gohmahwah.

고마워.

Can I have this?

igeo gajeodo dwae? (informal)

eego gahjuh doe dway?

이거 가져도 돼?

How much is this?

igeo eolmayeyo? (polite)

eego olmah-yay-yo?

이거 얼마예요?

That’s not cheap.

ssan ge anieyo. (polite)

ssahn gay ahneeeyo.

싼게 아니예요.

That’s too expensive!

neomu bissayo! (polite)

nuhmoo bee-sahyo!

너무 비싸요!

I’m not buying this.

igeo an sal kkeoyeyo. (polite)

eego ahn sahl kkoyay-yo.

이거 안 살 거예요.

Make it cheaper and I’ll buy it.

jom deo ssa-myeon salkkeyo. (polite)

chohm duh ssahm-yuhn sahlkkay-yo.

좀 더 싸면 살께요.

Haggling over prices happens mostly when you’re buying something second-hand. There are still lots of open-air markets around, and a few of them are geared specifically toward tourists. There’s still some room for haggling in places like this. But more and more shopping these days is done in large department stores, where the prices are fixed and marked—no haggling here.

For a shopping experience that combines traditional with modern, visit Namdaemun and Dongdaemun, two massive markets in Seoul. Dongdaemun is particularly famous for up-tothe-minute fashion, accessories and fabrics. Namdaemun is hundreds of years old, and boasts a lot of hard-to-find items. Both are great for a dose of Korean goods, food and people.

What are you looking for?

mwo chaj-eu-se-yo?

mwo chah-jeu-say-yo?

뭐 찾으세요?

I’m just looking.

Geu-nyang bo-neun geo-ye-yo.

Geun-yang boh-neun goyay-yo.

그냥 보는 거에요.

Don’t worry.

geok-jeong-ma-se-yo.

kuck-juhng mah-say-yo.

걱정마세요.

Here! (to call a salesperson)

yeo-gi-yo!

yo-gee-yo!

여기요!

Do you have a bigger size?

han chi-su keun geo iss-eo-yo?

hahn chi-soo keun gaw issoyo?

한 치수 큰 거 있어요?

Do you have a smaller size?

han chi-su jak-eun geo iss-eo-yo?

hahn chi-soo chahgeun gaw issoyo?

한 치수 작은거 있어요?

Body language is common in Korea, just like in the West. This language has plenty of gestures of its own (and there are lots of websites that will show them to you, like Eat Your Kimchi (www.eatyourkimchi.com) and many others). Most Western gestures are OK (and if they’re considered rude in the West, you might want to think twice about using them elsewhere).

Here are just a few useful tips.

•  Give and receive with with both hands.

•  When beckoning to an adult or hailing a cab, turn your palm downward (so different from the West) and wave your fingers toward you.

•  All the chopstick rules you may have heard about in China or Japan apply in Korea, so don’t point with chopsticks, don’t stab food with them and don’t leave them sticking up in your bowl of rice.

•  If you ever feel inclined to play “got your nose” with a Korean child, don’t. It’s extremely offensive.