Korean phrases

How Korean unmanned photo booths work, what the screen says at each step, and the phrases you need when you've never used one before.

How payment works when you get out of a Korean taxi — Kakao T auto-payment, card at the reader, and what to say either way.

What the driver asks when you get in, how to say your destination, and what to do when you cannot pronounce it.

What Korean store staff ask before selling alcohol, which documents work, and how to answer in Korean.

Why the staff tells you to grab another drink, and how 1+1 and 2+1 deals work at Korean convenience stores.

Bags cost money in Korea, and the question comes fast. Here's the exchange from start to finish, and what to say if you'd rather skip it.

The hot water is free, the seat is free, and nobody minds you staying. Two questions and one thing nobody tells you about chopsticks.

Drink names are already English. These are the ten words that aren't — the ones that come up at the counter, at your table, and on the way out.

Leaving your cup on the table is fine in most countries. In Korea you take it to the return station — and one short question saves you from guessing.

The restroom is often outside the cafe, in a shared hallway, behind a locked door. Two questions get you in.

Korean cafes are built for people who stay for hours. Two questions get you a seat with an outlet and the wifi password.

You order your coffee, the barista asks one more thing, and you have no idea what it was. It's almost always this question — and the answer is two words.

Koreans drink more iced americano than anything else, and ordering one takes four words. Here's the phrase and the two questions you'll be asked back.

You can raise your hand for the bill all night and nobody will come. In most Korean restaurants you take the slip to the counter yourself.

Nobody will turn you away for dining solo — but most grill restaurants have a two-serving minimum. Here's how to order around it.

"A little spicy" in Korea is not a little spicy. Here's how to ask before you order, and the phrase that gets your food toned down.

Waiting to catch someone's eye will keep you waiting all night. Korean restaurants run on a button and one loud word — here's how both work.

The small plates that arrive before your meal are free, and so are the refills. Here's how the system works and the one phrase you need to get more.

Korean pharmacists ask questions before handing anything over. Here is how to describe a symptom, understand the instructions, and buy medicine without a prescription.

Asking is easy. Understanding the reply is the hard part. Here are the phrases you need and the four sentence patterns Koreans use when giving directions.