SkarpChapter 6 of 9
Getting Around: Directions, Transport, and Navigation
Build the language you need to use public transport, ask for directions, and understand common announcements and signs.
New Words and Phrases: Getting Around
In this step you will learn essential Korean words for using public transport and asking for directions. These are high‑frequency, practical expressions you will see and hear in Korean cities.
| Word | Pronunciation | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 지하철 | jee-ha-cheol | subway, metro | 지하철역이 어디에 있어요?(Where is the subway station?) |
| 버스 정류장 | beo-seu jeong-ryu-jang | bus stop | 이 근처에 버스 정류장이 있어요?(Is there a bus stop near here?) |
| 갈아타다 | ga-ra-ta-da | to transfer (change lines/buses) | 시청역에서 2호선으로 갈아타세요.(Please transfer to Line 2 at City Hall Station.) |
| 교통카드 충전해 주세요. | gyo-tong-ka-deu chung-jeon-hae ju-se-yo | Please top up my transport card. | 여기요, 교통카드 충전해 주세요. 만 원이요.(Excuse me, please top up my transport card. Ten thousand won, please.) |
| 여기서 내려요. | yeo-gi-seo nae-ryeo-yo | I get off here. | 저는 다음 정류장에서 여기서 내려요.(I get off here at the next stop.) |
| 왼쪽 / 오른쪽 / 직진 | oen-jjok / o-reun-jjok / jik-jin | left / right / straight ahead | 저기에서 왼쪽으로 가다가 사거리에서 직진하세요.(Go left over there, then go straight at the intersection.) |
| 가까워요 / 멀어요 | ga-kka-wo-yo / meo-reo-yo | It is close / It is far | 지하철역이 가까워요, 걸어서 5분이에요.(The subway station is close; it’s a 5‑minute walk.) |
| 얼마쯤 나와요? | eol-ma-jjeum na-wa-yo | About how much will it cost? (often in a taxi) | 택시로 공항까지 얼마쯤 나와요?(By taxi, about how much will it cost to the airport?) |
Language Patterns for Directions and Transport
1. Using place + 에 to say "at" or "to"
In Korean, the particle 에 (e) is used after a place word.
- To say "at a place" or "to a place" (location or destination):
- 지하철역에 있어요.
- Korean: 지하철역에 있어요.
- Pronunciation: jee-ha-cheol-yeo-ge i-sseo-yo
- Meaning: I am at the subway station.
- 버스 정류장에 가요.
- Korean: 버스 정류장에 가요.
- Pronunciation: beo-seu jeong-ryu-jang-e ga-yo
- Meaning: I go to the bus stop.
You already know 가요 (ga-yo, go) from earlier modules, so you can combine it with new transport words.
- 공항에 택시로 가요.
- Pronunciation: gong-hang-e taek-shi-ro ga-yo
- Meaning: I go to the airport by taxi.
2. Giving simple directions with left, right, straight
Use 으로/로 (eu-ro/ro) after a direction word to mean "toward" or "to the direction of".
- 왼쪽으로 가세요.
- Pronunciation: oen-jjo-geu-ro ga-se-yo
- Meaning: Please go to the left.
- 오른쪽으로 가세요.
- Pronunciation: o-reun-jjo-geu-ro ga-se-yo
- Meaning: Please go to the right.
- 직진하세요.
- Pronunciation: jik-jin-ha-se-yo
- Meaning: Please go straight ahead.
-세요 / -하세요 is a polite way to make a request or give an instruction, similar to "please do X".
3. Talking about distance: 가까워요 / 멀어요
These are descriptive verbs (adjectives) in polite form:
- 가까워요 (ga-kka-wo-yo) = It is close / near.
- 멀어요 (meo-reo-yo) = It is far.
You can add a place + 이/가 to say what is close or far:
- 지하철역이 가까워요.
- Pronunciation: jee-ha-cheol-yeok-i ga-kka-wo-yo
- Meaning: The subway station is close.
- 버스 정류장이 멀어요.
- Pronunciation: beo-seu jeong-ryu-jang-i meo-reo-yo
- Meaning: The bus stop is far.
4. Useful patterns for transport and taxis
(교통카드) 충전해 주세요.
- Pattern: Noun + 해 주세요 = "Please do (noun action) for me."
- 교통카드 충전해 주세요.
- Pronunciation: gyo-tong-ka-deu chung-jeon-hae ju-se-yo
- Meaning: Please top up my transport card.
You can insert an amount of money before it:
- 오천 원 충전해 주세요.
- Pronunciation: o-cheon won chung-jeon-hae ju-se-yo
- Meaning: Please top up 5,000 won.
얼마쯤 나와요?
- This is a very natural way to ask about an estimated price, often in taxis.
- 공항까지 얼마쯤 나와요?
- Pronunciation: gong-hang-kka-ji eol-ma-jjeum na-wa-yo
- Meaning: About how much will it cost to the airport?
Combine with time constraints you learned earlier (from the time module):
- 공항까지 빨리 가 주세요.
- Pronunciation: gong-hang-kka-ji ppal-li ga ju-se-yo
- Meaning: Please go quickly to the airport.
Practice Dialogue: Asking for Directions and Using Transport
In this dialogue, a traveler asks a local for directions to the subway station, then speaks with a staff member to top up a transport card. The conversation uses the new vocabulary and patterns from this module.
On a street near a bus stop and subway entrance in Seoul
실례합니다, 지하철역이 어디에 있어요?
Excuse me, where is the subway station?
저기 버스 정류장 지나서 왼쪽으로 가세요. 지하철역이 가까워요.
Go past that bus stop over there, then go left. The subway station is close.
여기서 멀어요?
Is it far from here?
아니요, 걸어서 5분이에요. 직진하다가 사거리에서 오른쪽으로 가세요.
No, it’s a 5‑minute walk. Go straight, then at the intersection go right.
감사합니다. 지하철역에서 교통카드 충전해 주세요, 만 원이요.
Thank you. (At the station) Please top up my transport card, 10,000 won.
네, 여기요. 오늘은 2호선으로 갈아타세요.
Sure, here you go. Today, please transfer to Line 2.
공항까지 얼마쯤 나와요?
About how much will it cost to the airport?
지하철로 가면 싸요. 교통카드로 가면 한 사람에 약 오천 원이에요.
If you go by subway, it’s cheap. If you use a transport card, it’s about 5,000 won per person.
Check Your Understanding: Directions and Transport
Answer this question to check your understanding of the new transport and direction vocabulary.
You are in a taxi and want to say, “Please go straight ahead, and I get off here.” Which option is the best Korean sentence?
- 직진하세요, 여기서 내려요.
- 왼쪽으로 가세요, 교통카드 충전해 주세요.
- 지하철역이 멀어요, 얼마쯤 나와요?
- 버스 정류장에서 갈아타세요, 가까워요.
Show Answer
Answer: A) 직진하세요, 여기서 내려요.
Option 1, "직진하세요, 여기서 내려요.", directly means "Please go straight ahead, and I get off here." 직진하세요 = please go straight ahead; 여기서 내려요 = I get off here. The other options talk about turning left and topping up a card, asking if something is far and the price, or transferring at a bus stop, so they do not match the meaning.
Key Terms
- 공항
- airport; often used with 까지 (until/to) when giving destinations.
- 싸요
- it is cheap; polite present form of the adjective 싸다 (to be cheap).
- 왼쪽
- left side or left direction.
- 직진
- straight ahead; often used in driving and walking directions.
- 2호선
- Line 2; a subway line number, 호선 means numbered line.
- 멀어요
- it is far; polite present form of the adjective 멀다 (to be far).
- 사거리
- intersection, crossroads; literally a four-way junction.
- 오른쪽
- right side or right direction.
- 지하철
- subway, metro; very common in Korean cities for public transport.
- 가까워요
- it is close/near; polite present form of the adjective 가깝다 (to be close).
- 갈아타다
- to transfer or change lines/vehicles; used for subway lines, buses, etc.
- 교통카드
- transport card; rechargeable card used on buses, subways, and some taxis.
- 버스 정류장
- bus stop; place where buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers.
- 여기서 내려요
- I get off here; can be said on a bus or in a taxi when you want to stop.
- 충전해 주세요
- please charge/top up (something) for me; polite request form.
- 얼마쯤 나와요?
- about how much will it cost?; often used for estimated prices, especially in taxis.