실례합니다.
sil-lye-ham-ni-da
Excuse me.
Universal opener for asking strangers anything. Slightly more polite than 저기요 (literally 'over there').
Korean directions follow a predictable pattern that makes them easier to parse than the language as a whole would suggest. The phrases below get you from stranger-on-the-street to confidently following directions to a subway exit, restaurant, or hotel.
Translate something specific →실례합니다.
sil-lye-ham-ni-da
Excuse me.
Universal opener for asking strangers anything. Slightly more polite than 저기요 (literally 'over there').
XX이 어디에 있어요?
XX-i eo-di-e i-sseo-yo
Where is XX?
Replace XX with the place name. Examples: 화장실 (bathroom), 지하철역 (subway station), 편의점 (convenience store).
어떻게 가요?
eo-tteo-ke ga-yo
How do I get there?
Follow up after locating something.
여기서 멀어요?
yeo-gi-seo meo-reo-yo
Is it far from here?
If they say 가까워요 (close) you're walking. 멀어요 (far) usually means subway or taxi.
지하철로 어떻게 가요?
ji-ha-cheol-lo eo-tteo-ke ga-yo
How do I get there by subway?
지하철 = subway. Korea's subway map is in English on every station — directions usually narrow to 'X line, Y stop, exit Z'.
몇 번 출구로 나가요?
myeot beon chul-gu-ro na-ga-yo
Which exit do I take?
Korean subway exits are numbered (1번 출구, 2번 출구...). Crucial — most landmarks specify exit number.
직진하세요.
jik-jin-ha-se-yo
Go straight.
Phrases you'll HEAR: 직진 (straight), 왼쪽 (left), 오른쪽 (right), 사거리 (intersection), 횡단보도 (crosswalk).
두 블록 가세요.
du beul-lok ga-se-yo
Go two blocks.
블록 = block (English loanword). Common in densely numbered Seoul districts.
길 건너편에 있어요.
gil geon-neo-pyeon-e i-sseo-yo
It's across the street.
길 = road. 건너편 = the other side.
택시 타고 가는 게 좋아요.
taek-si ta-go ga-neun ge jo-a-yo
It's better to take a taxi.
If you hear this, the destination is far enough that walking isn't sensible.
Korean strangers will almost always help with directions — sometimes guiding you in person if they're going the same direction. Phone screens with the destination in Hangul or in Naver Maps work better than spoken English. Naver Map and KakaoMap are both far more accurate than Google Maps inside Korea (Google has restricted map data due to security regulations). Both have full English UIs.
Use Panor's free Korean rhetoric translator to translate phrases not on this page. The translator preserves cultural register (반말, 존댓말, 비격식체) and explains rhetorical patterns specific to Korean — particularly useful for K-pop lyrics, drama dialogue, and marketing copy where literal translation misses the meaning.