Korean phrases

86 everyday phrases in 8 topics. Every line has audio, the polite form, and the alternatives Koreans actually reach for — and if the one you want is not here, type it in and ask for it.

Greetings

One word covers most greetings in Korean. The harder part is the ending you put on it — and the three questions you will be asked the first time you meet someone.

Thanks & sorry

The small polite words you will use fifty times a day in Korea — and the one word, 괜찮아요, that can mean yes, no, thanks or don't worry depending on how you say it.

Travel

You can get around Korea with surprisingly few phrases, as long as they are polite ones. Every phrase here is given the way a traveller should say it to a stranger.

Food & drink

Korean restaurants run on a few short phrases — and a few table manners that matter more than any of them.

Feelings

In Korean, a feeling word is usually a whole sentence on its own. 피곤해 is “I'm tired” — no “I”, no “am”.

Reactions

Korean listeners talk back constantly — 진짜?, 맞아, 그렇구나 — to show they are following. A silent listener sounds like someone who is not listening.

Love & cheering

화이팅, 사랑해, 생일 축하해 — the phrases Koreans use to cheer each other on, and the ones that are easy to say at the wrong moment.

Slang & K-drama

Most of the Korean in dramas is casual speech between people who are close. It is great for understanding — and the part you should copy last.