Basic Korean Phrases

Today, I am going to inform you of some useful Korean phrases that might help you in your everyday life in Korea to make your life hopefully a little bit easier.

 

A. Greetings in Korea

“Annyeong-haseyo” is Hello in Korea.

There are two related terms that I am going to explain. “Annyeong-he-ga se yo” and “Annyeong-he-gae se yo.” These are the greetings told to someone who is leaving and who is staying, respectivley. For the person who is staying, you must say Annyeong-he-ga se yo to the person who is leaving. If you are leaving and your friend is staying, you have to say Annyeong-he-gae se yo.

The next part is on how to say “Nice to meet you.” ”Man-na-saw bang-ga woah-yo” is the correct way to say nice to meet you in Korean. You may also say “Man-na-saw bang-gab seub-ni-da.”

 

B. Introducing yourself to others

To introduce yourself, you have to say “Jaw-noon (your name) ib-ni-da (My name is …).”

To tell where you come from, use “Jaw-noon (your country)-saram ib-ni-da (I am from …..).”

 

C. Thank you and Sorry

To say thank you, use “Gam-sa-ham-ni-da” or “Go-map-seub-ni-da.”

To say sorry, use “Mi-ahn-ham-ni-da” or “Joe-song-hab-ni-da.”

 

 

D. Ordering Food!

When you are in the restaurant, if you want to call somebody, please say “Yeo-gi-ae” (Please or excuse me). To order food, just say “(food name)-hana-ju-se-yo.” For example, Bibimbap-hana-ju-se-yo. Pleae give me one bibimbap. Hana meaning one.

E. Numbers

For Korean numbers, there are two ways to count. In case of ordering food, you have to use the following set of numbers.

hana 1, dul 2, set 3, net 4, daseot 5, yeoseot 6, ilgop 7, yeodeol 8, ahop 9, yeol 10.

 

Koreans also have another way to say numbers which is derived from Chinese. This method is used when counting money. You will hear these numbers when you buy something.

il 1, ii 2, sam 3, sa 4, o 5, yuk 6, chil 7, phal 8, gu 9, sip (pronounced as ship) 10.

 

 

These are some of the Koreans I have learned so far which made my life easier and convenient in South Korea.

Last but not least, I almost forgot to tell you one of the most important phrase. Some of you might already know this. “Saranghae.” Does this remind you of something? Je t’aime, Te Amo, Wo Ai Ni. Yes, it is what you think. I LOVE YOU.

By Zaw from Myanmar