Korean Transportation Phrases

Getting around Korea without knowing the language is possible — subway signs are bilingual, and taxis have translation apps. But knowing the right phrases makes everything smoother and lets you access places tourists never find. Chapter 11 covers transportation vocabulary and the grammar patterns you need.

Asking for Directions

Basic Questions

• 어떻게 가요? (eotteoke gayo?) — How do I get there?
• 여기에서 멀어요? (yeogieseo meoreoyo?) — Is it far from here?
• 걸어서 갈 수 있어요? (georeoseo gal su isseoyo?) — Can I walk there?
• 몇 번 버스를 타요? (myeot beon beoseureul tayo?) — Which bus number should I take?

Direction Words

Subway (지하철)

Seoul's subway is one of the best in the world. Key phrases:

• 2호선으로 갈아타세요 (Transfer to Line 2)
• 몇 호선이에요? (Which line is it?)
• 다음 역이 어디예요? (What's the next station?)
• 여기에서 몇 정거장이에요? (How many stops from here?)
• 어디에서 내려요? (Where do I get off?)

Grammar: -(으)려고 하다 (Intending to)

Chapter 11 introduces the intention pattern:

• 부산에 가려고 해요 (I'm planning to go to Busan)
• 택시를 타려고 해요 (I'm intending to take a taxi)
• 2호선으로 갈아타려고 해요 (I'm planning to transfer to Line 2)

Bus (버스)

• 이 버스 [destination]에 가요? (Does this bus go to [destination]?)
• 어디에서 내려야 해요? (Where should I get off?)
• 다음 정류장에서 내릴게요 (I'll get off at the next stop)
• 내려 주세요! (Let me off, please!) — Press the bell or call out

Taxi (택시)

• [destination]까지 가 주세요 (Please take me to [destination])
• 여기에서 세워 주세요 (Please stop here)
• 얼마예요? (How much is it?)
• 카드 돼요? (Can I pay by card?)
• 영수증 주세요 (Receipt, please)

Duration: 걸리다 (to take time)

One of the most useful verbs for transportation:

• 지하철로 30분 걸려요 (It takes 30 minutes by subway)
• 택시로 10분쯤 걸려요 (It takes about 10 minutes by taxi)
• 걸어서 20분 걸려요 (It takes 20 minutes on foot)

The particle (으)로 indicates the means of transportation:

• 버스로 (by bus)
• 지하철로 (by subway)
• 택시로 (by taxi)
• 걸어서 (on foot — uses 어서 instead of 로)

KTX (High-Speed Train)

For longer trips:

• 서울에서 부산까지 KTX로 2시간 반 걸려요 (Seoul to Busan takes 2.5 hours by KTX)
• 편도 주세요 (One-way ticket, please)
• 왕복 주세요 (Round-trip ticket, please)
• 창가 자리 있어요? (Is there a window seat?)

Useful Apps

While learning the language, these apps help:

• Naver Map — Best navigation in Korea (Google Maps is limited)
• Kakao Map — Good alternative
• Kakao T — Korean ride-hailing (like Uber)
• Seoul Metro — Official subway app

But knowing the phrases above means you can ask locals directly, which often gets you better directions than any app.

Practice on Chamelingo

Chapter 11's exercises cover direction-giving dialogues, transportation vocabulary matching, and listening exercises where you hear subway announcements and identify the correct station. The build-korean exercise type is especially useful here — you'll translate English directions like "Please take me to Gangnam Station" into Korean by tapping word tokens in the correct order, practicing SOV word order with real transportation vocabulary.

Study all the direction, location, and transit words ahead of time in our vocabulary reference -- knowing the words before you hear them on a crowded subway platform makes all the difference.