Korean phrases for directions and asking for help

Prepare a destination card before asking

Save the venue's Korean name, full road address, phone number and exact branch, then add the nearest station and intended exit when known. A search result containing only a translated attraction name can point to another entrance or business with a similar name.

Open a clean screenshot or large-text note that hides booking codes, home addresses, passport details and notifications. Keep hold of the device while the helper reads it; use a paper hotel card when the phone is low on battery.

• 여기에 가고 싶어요 — yeo-gi-e ga-go si-peo-yo — I want to go here.
• 이 주소로 가고 싶어요 — i ju-so-ro ga-go si-peo-yo — I want to go to this address.
• 이곳이 맞아요? — i-go-si ma-ja-yo? — Is this the correct place?
• 지점 이름을 확인해 주세요 — ji-jeom i-reu-meul hwa-gin-hae ju-se-yo — Please check the branch name.
• 한국어 주소를 보여드릴게요 — han-gu-geo ju-so-reul bo-yeo-deu-ril-ge-yo — I will show you the Korean address.

Ask one direction question at a time

Start with the place, then ask whether it is near, which way to go or where the entrance is. Wait for the answer and point to the map before asking a second question. A long machine-translated paragraph makes it harder to identify the actual decision.

Use left and right only after both people face the same direction. A gesture toward a road, stairway or building entrance is more reliable than memorizing several turns from speech alone.

• ___이/가 어디예요? — ___i/ga eo-di-ye-yo? — Where is ___?
• 어느 쪽으로 가야 해요? — eo-neu jjok-eu-ro ga-ya hae-yo? — Which way should I go?
• 여기서 가까워요? — yeo-gi-seo ga-kka-wo-yo? — Is it close from here?
• 걸어서 갈 수 있어요? — geo-reo-seo gal su i-sseo-yo? — Can I walk there?
• 입구가 어디예요? — ip-kku-ga eo-di-ye-yo? — Where is the entrance?
• 왼쪽이에요, 오른쪽이에요? — oen-jjo-gi-e-yo, o-reun-jjo-gi-e-yo? — Is it left or right?

Confirm distance, time and the final landmark

Ask for an approximate walking time and a visible landmark instead of relying on distance alone. A short map distance may include a hill, underground passage, large intersection, closed gate or building interior.

Repeat the last useful instruction back: the exit number, floor, gate, building or side of the road. Treat the estimate as orientation, not a timetable, and reopen navigation after each major turn.

• 걸어서 몇 분 정도 걸려요? — geo-reo-seo myeot bun jeong-do geol-lyeo-yo? — About how many minutes on foot?
• 무슨 건물 근처예요? — mu-seun geon-mul geun-cheo-ye-yo? — What building is it near?
• 길을 건너야 해요? — gi-reul geon-neo-ya hae-yo? — Do I need to cross the road?
• ___번 출구가 맞아요? — ___beon chul-gu-ga ma-ja-yo? — Is exit number ___ correct?
• 이 길로 계속 가면 돼요? — i gil-lo gye-sok ga-myeon dwae-yo? — Should I keep going along this road?
• 제가 제대로 이해했는지 확인할게요 — je-ga je-dae-ro i-hae-haen-neun-ji hwa-gin-hal-ge-yo — Let me check that I understood correctly.

Recover after taking the wrong route

Stop in a lit, staffed place before the mistake becomes a long detour. Show the current location and intended destination separately, then ask whether you should return, cross, change platforms or leave through another exit.

If the phone location jumps underground, use the station name, line, platform direction and exit signs. Ask station staff before passing through another fare gate or boarding a train based only on its line color.

• 길을 잃었어요 — gi-reul i-reo-sseo-yo — I am lost.
• 잘못 온 것 같아요 — jal-mot on geot ga-ta-yo — I think I came the wrong way.
• 지금 어디에 있어요? — ji-geum eo-di-e i-sseo-yo? — Where am I now?
• 반대 방향인가요? — ban-dae bang-hyang-in-ga-yo? — Is it the opposite direction?
• 다시 돌아가야 해요? — da-si do-ra-ga-ya hae-yo? — Do I need to go back?
• 어디에서 갈아타요? — eo-di-e-seo ga-ra-ta-yo? — Where do I transfer?

Ask station or bus staff for a usable route

Give the destination first and state the constraint that matters: few transfers, an elevator, no stairs, the last service or room for luggage. The fastest route is not automatically the easiest route.

For a bus, show the stop in the intended direction and ask where to get off. Watch the live stop display and route app; a driver's brief confirmation is useful but should not replace checking the service number and destination.

• 이 버스가 ___에 가요? — i beo-seu-ga ___e ga-yo? — Does this bus go to ___?
• 어디에서 내려야 해요? — eo-di-e-seo nae-ryeo-ya hae-yo? — Where should I get off?
• 도착하면 알려주실 수 있어요? — do-cha-ka-myeon al-lyeo-ju-sil su i-sseo-yo? — Could you tell me when we arrive?
• 환승이 적은 길로 알려주세요 — hwan-seung-i jeo-geun gil-lo al-lyeo-ju-se-yo — Please show me a route with fewer transfers.
• 엘리베이터가 있는 출구가 어디예요? — el-li-be-i-teo-ga in-neun chul-gu-ga eo-di-ye-yo? — Which exit has an elevator?
• 막차가 몇 시예요? — mak-cha-ga myeot si-ye-yo? — What time is the last service?

Request practical accessibility help

Name the barrier instead of asking only whether a place is accessible. Ask about stairs, elevator location, step-free entrance, wheelchair route, seating or a place to wait. A building described as accessible can still have a difficult approach or a temporarily unavailable lift.

Do not let an unknown person lift a wheelchair, stroller, medical device or heavy bag without clear consent and a safe plan. Ask trained staff where available, and keep companions together while a route is checked.

• 계단을 이용하기 어려워요 — gye-dan-eul i-yong-ha-gi eo-ryeo-wo-yo — I have difficulty using stairs.
• 계단 없는 길이 있어요? — gye-dan eom-neun gi-ri i-sseo-yo? — Is there a step-free route?
• 휠체어로 갈 수 있는 입구가 어디예요? — hwil-che-eo-ro gal su in-neun ip-kku-ga eo-di-ye-yo? — Where is the wheelchair-accessible entrance?
• 직원 도움을 받을 수 있어요? — ji-gwon do-u-meul ba-deul su i-sseo-yo? — Can I get assistance from staff?
• 잠시 앉을 곳이 있어요? — jam-si an-jeul go-si i-sseo-yo? — Is there somewhere I can sit briefly?
• 먼저 만지지 말아 주세요 — meon-jeo man-ji-ji ma-ra ju-se-yo — Please do not touch it first.

Choose a safer person and place to ask

For a complicated route, approach a tourist information center, station office, hotel desk, staffed shop or uniformed official rather than following an unknown person to a second location. Visit Seoul publishes current tourist-information locations and services; confirm the listing and hours rather than relying on an old map pin.

1330 can provide non-emergency travel information and tourist interpretation by telephone or online channel. It cannot dispatch emergency services, guarantee that a venue is open or take control of your phone and bookings.

• 관광안내소가 어디예요? — gwangwang an-nae-so-ga eo-di-ye-yo? — Where is the tourist information center?
• 영어로 도와주실 수 있어요? — yeong-eo-ro do-wa-ju-sil su i-sseo-yo? — Can you help me in English?
• 통역 도움이 필요해요 — tong-yeok do-u-mi pi-ryo-hae-yo — I need interpretation help.
• 지도에 표시해 주세요 — ji-do-e pyo-si-hae ju-se-yo — Please mark it on the map.
• 여기서 기다릴게요 — yeo-gi-seo gi-da-ril-ge-yo — I will wait here.
• 괜찮아요, 혼자 갈게요 — gwaen-cha-na-yo, hon-ja gal-ge-yo — It is okay; I will go by myself.

Separate ordinary help from an emergency

If someone is following, threatening or touching you, move toward staff or a busy safe place and call 112. For fire, rescue or urgent medical help, call 119. Give the location before explaining the whole story and request English interpretation after connection.

Do not use 1330 or a public Q&A while immediate danger continues. If the issue is not urgent but you feel unsafe walking, ask a staffed venue to help identify an official taxi stand, station office or safe waiting point.

• 도와주세요 — do-wa-ju-se-yo — Please help me.
• 지금 위험해요 — ji-geum wi-heom-hae-yo — I am in danger now.
• 이 사람이 저를 따라와요 — i sa-ra-mi jeo-reul tta-ra-wa-yo — This person is following me.
• 112에 전화해 주세요 — il-il-i-e jeon-hwa-hae ju-se-yo — Please call 112.
• 119에 전화해 주세요 — il-il-gu-e jeon-hwa-hae ju-se-yo — Please call 119.
• 영어 통역 부탁드립니다 — yeong-eo tong-yeok bu-tak-deu-rim-ni-da — English interpretation, please.

Save two offline show-the-screen cards

Direction card: 이곳에 가고 싶어요. 한국어 주소는 ___이고 지점 이름은 ___입니다. 여기서 걸어갈 수 있는지, 어느 출구와 입구를 이용해야 하는지 지도에 표시해 주세요. It gives the Korean address and branch, then asks for the walking route, exit and entrance to be marked.

Recovery card: 길을 잃었고 휴대전화 연결이 불안정합니다. 현재 위치와 ___까지 가는 가장 단순한 길을 알려주세요. 계단을 이용하기 어렵습니다/짐이 많습니다. It says that you are lost with unreliable connectivity, then asks for the simplest route and states an accessibility or luggage constraint.

• Keep the accommodation's Korean address and phone number on paper.
• Save the first and final transport legs offline.
• Hide passport, payment, booking and personal-message notifications before showing the screen.
• A phrase card supports navigation; it does not replace current signs, staffed assistance or emergency dispatch.

Official sources to re-check

• National Institute of Korean Language — Korean-English Learners' Dictionary
• Visit Korea — 1330 Travel Helpline and Complaint Center
• Visit Seoul — tourist information centers
• NAVER Map Help — app language settings
• Seoul — public transportation guide
• Visit Seoul — accessibility
• Visit Korea — disaster safety services for international visitors