Survival Phrases
The exact phrases you need for real life abroad — with practice dialogues and audio, for every level.
Practice pronunciationGreetings & Socializing
Meeting people, small talk, and everyday politeness.
Greetings & Introductions
These phrases are used for meeting someone for the first time, introducing yourself, and making polite small talk in Korean work or social settings.
Making Small Talk
These phrases will help you start, maintain, and naturally conclude everyday conversations in Korean without sounding like a textbook.
Saying Goodbye
These phrases cover everyday departures, whether you are leaving the office, parting ways with friends, or saying goodbye to service staff.
Thanking & Apologizing
These essential phrases will help you navigate everyday social interactions in Korean, from expressing sincere gratitude to gracefully apologizing for mistakes.
Invitations & Making Plans
Use these phrases to naturally invite someone out, agree on the details, or politely decline if you are busy.
Making Friends
Learn natural, everyday phrases to break the ice, find common ground, and exchange contact information when making new friends in Korea.
Congratulations & Celebrations
Use these phrases to naturally celebrate achievements, wish happy birthdays, and toast to good news in everyday Korean.
Talking About Family
Use these phrases to naturally ask about and describe family size, marital status, and living situations when making small talk with acquaintances or colleagues.
Saying No Politely
Use these phrases to politely decline invitations or offers, give a soft reason, and suggest alternatives without hurting feelings.
Eating & Drinking Out
Restaurants, cafés, bars, and ordering food.
Making a Restaurant Reservation
Essential Korean phrases for making, changing, and confirming a restaurant reservation over the phone or in person.
Ordering at a Restaurant
Master these essential phrases to confidently read the menu, order your food, and handle special requests in a Korean restaurant.
Allergies & Dietary Needs
Use these phrases to safely and clearly communicate your dietary restrictions and allergies when eating out in Korea.
Sending Food Back & Complaints
Use these phrases to politely point out a problem with your order and ask the staff for a solution.
Paying & Splitting the Bill
Use these phrases when you are ready to settle the bill, split the cost with friends, or choose a payment method at a restaurant or cafe.
Ordering Drinks at a Bar
These phrases will help you confidently order drinks, ask for recommendations, handle ID checks, and settle the tab at a Korean bar.
Takeaway & Delivery
Essential phrases for ordering takeaway, arranging food delivery, handling payments, and fixing order mistakes in Korean.
Travel & Transport
Airports, trains, taxis, and getting around.
Checking in at the Airport
These phrases will help you smoothly navigate the airport check-in counter, from providing your documents and dropping off bags to choosing a seat and receiving your boarding pass.
Going Through Security
Use these phrases when navigating airport security checks, following officer instructions, and asking about prohibited items.
Customs & Immigration
Essential phrases for navigating immigration control, stating your travel purpose, and clearing customs smoothly upon arrival in Korea.
Reporting Lost Luggage
Use these phrases to report a missing suitcase, describe its appearance, and arrange for delivery at the airport baggage claim.
Buying Train Tickets
Use these phrases when purchasing train tickets, inquiring about schedules, and navigating the station in Korea.
Using Buses & the Metro
These phrases will help you navigate buses and the metro smoothly, ask for directions, handle transit cards, and politely deal with crowds.
Taking a Taxi or Rideshare
These phrases will help you navigate taxi or rideshare trips in Korea smoothly, from giving clear directions to handling payment.
Asking for Directions
Use these phrases to navigate, ask locals for directions, and confirm you are going the right way.
Renting a Car
Learn the essential Korean phrases you need to pick up a rental car, handle insurance options, and return the vehicle smoothly.
On the Plane
Use these phrases when boarding, settling in, and talking to flight crew during a Korean domestic or international flight.
Missed or Delayed Connection
Use these phrases at an airport or train station when your flight or train is delayed, cancelled, or you have missed a connection.
At the Tourist Office
These phrases will help you navigate a Korean tourist information office, from asking for recommendations and directions to purchasing tickets.
Renting a Bike or Scooter
These phrases will help you navigate the process of renting, riding, and returning a shared bike or electric scooter in Korea.
Hotels & Accommodation
Checking in, problems, and amenities.
Checking into a Hotel
Essential phrases for checking into a Korean hotel, handling your reservation, and requesting room features or amenities.
Hotel Room Problems
These phrases will help you clearly report problems to hotel staff and request solutions when your room is not up to standard.
Asking About Hotel Amenities
Use these phrases when you need practical information about hotel facilities, services, and checkout procedures during your stay, ensuring you communicate clearly with staff and travel companions.
Checking Out
Use these phrases to smoothly handle checking out, confirming your bill, and asking for a favor like luggage storage before you head to the airport.
Booking a Room
Here are the essential Korean phrases you need to confidently book a room, specify your needs, and interact with hotel staff naturally.
Airbnb & Short-Term Rentals
Essential phrases for communicating with your Airbnb host and navigating your short-term rental.
Staying at a Hostel
These phrases will help you navigate hostel life in Korea, from checking in and asking about the rules to making friends in the dorms.
Extending Your Stay
These phrases will help you check room availability and adjust your booking when you decide to extend your stay at a hotel.
Shopping & Money
Stores, markets, prices, and paying.
Buying Clothes
Use these essential phrases to confidently navigate clothing stores in Korea, from finding the fitting room to asking for different sizes or colors.
Prices & Bargaining
Master these essential phrases and polite negotiation tactics for shopping at Korean traditional markets and underground malls.
Returns & Exchanges
Use these phrases when you need to return or exchange an item, discuss store policies, or handle issues with a receipt.
At the Electronics Store
Use these phrases when shopping for electronics to compare models, ask about specs and warranties, and make a confident purchase.
Souvenirs & Gifts
Use these phrases when browsing shops, asking for gift recommendations, and paying for souvenirs in Korea.
Health & Pharmacy
Doctors, pharmacies, and describing symptoms.
At the Pharmacy
These phrases will help you explain your symptoms, buy the right medicine, and understand dosage instructions at a Korean pharmacy.
Making a Doctor Appointment
Use these phrases to confidently book, change, or confirm doctor appointments and handle basic clinic registration in Korean.
Describing Symptoms
Use these phrases at a pharmacy or clinic to describe your symptoms, ask about medication, and understand a doctor's or pharmacist's instructions.
At the Dentist
These phrases will help you explain your dental issues clearly and understand the dentist's instructions and treatment options.
At the Hospital / ER
These phrases will help you navigate a hospital or emergency room visit in Korea, from registering at the front desk to explaining your symptoms and understanding wait times.
At the Optician
Use these phrases to explain your vision problems, choose frames, and request specific lenses when visiting an optician in Korea.
Getting a Test or Vaccine
These phrases will help you book a test or vaccine, describe your symptoms, and ask about results or certificates at a Korean clinic.
Banking & Daily Admin
Banks, post office, phone, and internet.
Opening a Bank Account
These phrases will help you navigate the process of opening a Korean bank account, from providing your ID to asking about mobile banking features.
Exchanging Money
These phrases will help you navigate currency exchange counters and banks in Korea, covering everything from asking about rates and commissions to requesting specific bills.
At the Post Office
Use these phrases to navigate the post office smoothly, from choosing your shipping method to handling customs forms.
Getting a Phone / SIM Card
These phrases will help you navigate a mobile store in Korea to purchase, activate, and top up a prepaid SIM card.
Filing a Complaint
Use these phrases to confidently explain a problem, request a refund, or politely escalate an issue when dealing with bank staff or administrators.
Getting a Library Card
Use these phrases when registering for a library card, borrowing materials, and navigating the rules at a Korean public library.
Renting & Housing
Finding a place, utilities, and repairs.
Viewing an Apartment
These essential phrases will help you ask about rent, check utility conditions, and discuss moving dates when viewing an apartment in Korea.
Setting Up Utilities
These essential phrases will help you navigate setting up utilities, scheduling technician visits, and handling bills when moving into a new home in Korea.
Repairs & Maintenance
Use these phrases when something is broken in your home and you need to communicate with your landlord about getting it fixed.
Talking to Neighbors
Use these phrases to build good relationships with your neighbors, from introducing yourself to handling common apartment living situations like deliveries and noise.
Trash & Recycling Rules
Essential phrases for figuring out where, when, and how to dispose of trash and recycling in your Korean home.
Furnishing Your Place
Use these phrases to confidently navigate furniture stores, ask about dimensions, and arrange delivery in Korea.
Everyday Services
Hairdresser, laundry, gym, and appointments.
At the Hairdresser
Visiting a hair salon in Korea can be intimidating, but these essential B1-level survival phrases will help you get exactly the style you want. You will learn how to discuss hair length, ask for specific treatments like coloring or layering, confirm prices, and effectively use reference photos. Master these expressions to communicate confidently with your stylist and avoid any unwanted surprises during your appointment.
Laundry & Dry Cleaning
Essential phrases for dropping off and picking up your dry cleaning and laundry in Korea.
Joining a Gym
Here are the essential phrases you need to navigate joining a gym in Korea, from asking about membership plans and free trials to checking opening hours and cancellation policies.
Booking an Appointment
These phrases will help you request, adjust, and confirm appointments naturally in everyday Korean.
At the Mechanic
Essential phrases for explaining car trouble, requesting a repair estimate, and discussing timelines with a mechanic in Korean.
Phone & Device Repair
Essential phrases for explaining phone issues, asking about repair times, and protecting your data at a repair shop.
Spa, Nails & Massage
Learn how to confidently book an appointment, specify your treatment preferences, and handle payments at a Korean spa or nail salon.
Tailor & Alterations
Essential phrases for getting your clothes shortened, taken in, or hemmed at a Korean tailor or alteration shop.
Emergencies & Safety
Getting help fast when something goes wrong.
Calling Emergency Services
Learn the most critical phrases for calling the police, fire department, or an ambulance in Korea, including how to explain your situation and location clearly.
A Medical Emergency
These phrases will help you clearly communicate the situation, ask for medical help, and follow instructions during an emergency in Korea.
Lost or Stolen Items
Use these phrases to report lost or stolen belongings, ask for help in an emergency, and navigate the process at the police station or embassy.
Car Accident or Breakdown
Essential phrases for staying safe, communicating with other drivers, and getting help during a car accident or breakdown.
Reporting a Crime
Use these phrases to clearly report an incident, describe what happened, and request necessary documentation when speaking with the Korean police.
Fire & Evacuation
Use these phrases to alert others, navigate to safety, and communicate with emergency personnel during a fire or building evacuation.
Work & Study
Interviews, the workplace, and enrolling in courses.
Your First Day at Work
These phrases will help you navigate your first day at a Korean workplace, from introducing yourself to asking for help and small talk.
Enrolling in a Course
These phrases will help you ask about class schedules, understand fees, and register for a course at a language school or academy.
Asking for Time Off
Here are the essential phrases you need to ask for time off, call in sick, or arrange cover for your work or studies.
University Admin
Use these essential phrases to navigate university administration, from registering for classes and changing courses to getting official documents.