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Korean Taxi Phrases: What to Say from Pickup to Payment
Level
A1
Type
Guide
Theme
Travel
작성자
Y
작성시각
You get into a taxi after a long day, and the driver asks 어디로 가세요? You don't need to explain your whole route. Show the destination in Korean and say 여기로 가 주세요: "Please go here."
That one sentence can start the ride. Add 저기 앞에 세워 주세요 when you're close and 카드로 할게요 when it's time to pay.
The four phrases to learn first
Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
여기로 가 주세요. | yeogi-ro ga ju-se-yo | Please go here. |
이 주소로 가 주세요. | i ju-so-ro ga ju-se-yo | Please go to this address. |
저기 앞에 세워 주세요. | jeo-gi a-pe se-wo ju-se-yo | Please stop up ahead. |
카드로 할게요. | ka-deu-ro hal-ge-yo | I'll pay by card. |
Keep your destination open on your phone before you get in. The Korean name and address matter more than perfect pronunciation. The Seoul Metropolitan Government's taxi guide also recommends preparing the address in Korean or showing a nearby landmark or subway station.
When the driver asks where you're going
The question you're most likely to need is short:
Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
어디로 가세요? | eo-di-ro ga-se-yo? | Where are you going? |
You can answer with a place name:
Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
서울역 가 주세요. | Seo-ul-yeok ga ju-se-yo | Please go to Seoul Station. |
명동으로 가 주세요. | Myeong-dong-eu-ro ga ju-se-yo | Please go to Myeongdong. |
이 호텔로 가 주세요. | i ho-tel-lo ga ju-se-yo | Please go to this hotel. |
If the name feels hard to say, hold up your phone and use 여기로 가 주세요. The driver can read the Korean destination directly.
You may hear the driver repeat the place as a question: 서울역이요? That means "Seoul Station?" Confirm with 네, 맞아요: "Yes, that's right."
A simple start to the ride
You don't need a special taxi greeting. 안녕하세요 is enough.
Driver: 어디로 가세요?
You: 이 주소로 가 주세요.
Driver: 강남역 근처요?
You: 네, 맞아요.
You: 이 주소로 가 주세요.
Driver: 강남역 근처요?
You: 네, 맞아요.
The driver asks where you're going, checks that it's near Gangnam Station, and you confirm. The map and address do most of the work.
How to ask the driver to stop
Near the destination, you have several useful choices.
Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
여기 세워 주세요. | yeo-gi se-wo ju-se-yo | Please stop here. |
저기 앞에 세워 주세요. | jeo-gi a-pe se-wo ju-se-yo | Please stop up ahead. |
여기서 내려 주세요. | yeo-gi-seo nae-ryeo ju-se-yo | Please let me out here. |
조금만 더 가 주세요. | jo-geum-man deo ga ju-se-yo | Please go a little farther. |
네, 여기 괜찮아요. | ne, yeo-gi gwaen-cha-na-yo | Yes, here is fine. |
여기 세워 주세요 is direct and polite. Use 저기 앞에 세워 주세요 when you can see a safer or more convenient stopping point ahead.
If the driver points to a nearby place and asks 여기요?, answer 네, 여기 괜찮아요 when that spot works for you.
Left, right, or a little farther
You may need these in the final few seconds of the ride, especially when a building has more than one entrance.
Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
오른쪽이에요. | o-reun-jjo-gi-e-yo | It's on the right. |
왼쪽이에요. | oen-jjo-gi-e-yo | It's on the left. |
저 건물 앞이에요. | jeo geon-mul a-pi-e-yo | It's in front of that building. |
입구는 저쪽이에요. | ip-gu-neun jeo-jjo-gi-e-yo | The entrance is over there. |
Don't try to direct the entire route in Korean. Use these only when they help the driver find the final entrance or stopping point.
If you need a moment to check the map
Sometimes the pin looks wrong or the driver asks a question you didn't expect. Pause the exchange instead of guessing.
Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
잠시만요. | jam-si-man-yo | One moment, please. |
지도 확인할게요. | ji-do hwa-gin-hal-ge-yo | I'll check the map. |
한국어 잘 못해요. | han-gu-geo jal mo-tae-yo | I don't speak Korean well. |
주소 보여 드릴게요. | ju-so bo-yeo deu-ril-ge-yo | I'll show you the address. |
A safe recovery line is:
잠시만요. 지도 확인할게요.
One moment. I'll check the map.
One moment. I'll check the map.
This gives you time without agreeing to something you didn't understand.
Paying at the end
Seoul's official guidance lists cash, credit cards, and public transportation cards as taxi payment options. For a normal card payment, you can keep the Korean very short.
Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
카드로 할게요. | ka-deu-ro hal-ge-yo | I'll pay by card. |
교통카드 돼요? | gyo-tong-ka-deu dwae-yo? | Can I use a transportation card? |
영수증 주세요. | yeong-su-jeung ju-se-yo | Receipt, please. |
감사합니다. | gam-sa-ham-ni-da | Thank you. |
If you've already paid through a taxi app, check the app before presenting a card. The Seoul guide warns travelers not to pay twice when an app has taken the fare in advance.
A complete taxi exchange
Driver: 어디로 가세요?
You: 이 주소로 가 주세요.
Driver: 서울역 근처 맞으세요?
You: 네, 맞아요.
You near the destination: 저기 앞에 세워 주세요.
Driver: 여기요?
You: 네, 여기 괜찮아요. 카드로 할게요.
You after paying: 감사합니다.
You: 이 주소로 가 주세요.
Driver: 서울역 근처 맞으세요?
You: 네, 맞아요.
You near the destination: 저기 앞에 세워 주세요.
Driver: 여기요?
You: 네, 여기 괜찮아요. 카드로 할게요.
You after paying: 감사합니다.
You used four short lines, understood two checks, and completed the ride.
Practice the ride, not a long phrase list
Before your trip, save one hotel or destination in Korean. Rehearse this order:
1.
이 주소로 가 주세요.
2.
네, 맞아요.
3.
저기 앞에 세워 주세요.
4.
카드로 할게요.
Once you've used those in Korea, listen for how the driver shortens questions to a place name plus -요? That small pattern appears far beyond taxis: 서울역이요?, 카드요?, 여기요? Recognizing it is a useful next step in real Korean listening.