Walking In: Your First Interaction
When you step into a Korean restaurant or cafe, you'll almost always hear the staff call out 어서 오세요 (eoseo oseyo) -- "welcome!" You don't need to say it back. A friendly 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) works perfectly.
Next, they'll want to know how many people. Hold up fingers or use one of these:
| Korean | Romanization | English | |--------|-------------|---------| | 한 명이요 | han myeong-iyo | One person | | 두 명이요 | du myeong-iyo | Two people | | 세 명이요 | se myeong-iyo | Three people | | 네 명이요 | ne myeong-iyo | Four people |
Korean uses a native number system for counting people, so these are worth memorizing as fixed phrases rather than trying to construct them from scratch.
Ordering Food and Drinks
Once you're seated and ready to order, you'll need to get the server's attention. In Korea, it's totally normal to call out:
저기요! (jeogiyo!) -- "Excuse me!" (literally "over there!")
This isn't rude. It's how ordering works in most Korean restaurants. Some places also have a call button on the table.
Here are the phrases you'll use most:
| Korean | Romanization | English | |--------|-------------|---------| | 이거 주세요 | igeo juseyo | This one, please | | 메뉴 주세요 | menyu juseyo | Menu, please | | 물 주세요 | mul juseyo | Water, please | | 추천해 주세요 | chucheon-hae juseyo | Please recommend something | | 이거 하나요 | igeo hanayo | One of this |
The phrase 주세요 (juseyo) means "please give me" and it's the single most useful word in restaurant Korean. Pair it with pointing at a menu item and you can order almost anything.
At a cafe, ordering follows the same pattern. Walk up to the counter and say what you want plus 주세요:
- 아메리카노 주세요 (amerikano juseyo) -- "Americano, please"
- 아이스 라떼 주세요 (aiseu latte juseyo) -- "Iced latte, please"
Wrapping Up: The Bill and Leaving
When you're ready to pay:
| Korean | Romanization | English | |--------|-------------|---------| | 계산해 주세요 | gyesan-hae juseyo | The bill, please | | 카드 돼요? | kadeu dwaeyo? | Can I pay by card? | | 맛있었어요 | mashisseosseoyo | It was delicious |
Telling the staff 맛있었어요 as you leave is a small gesture that genuinely lands well. It's the Korean equivalent of complimenting the chef, and restaurant staff appreciate hearing it.
Practice These Phrases Before Your Trip
Reading through a phrase list once won't make these stick. You need repetition across multiple sessions -- ideally in a format that forces you to actively recall the Korean rather than passively recognize it.
StudyArcade lets you load custom vocabulary lists and turns them into Memory Match, Word Hunt, and Mini Crossword games. Build a list of these restaurant phrases, and the app handles the rest -- you'll be drilling 주세요 and 계산해 주세요 through gameplay instead of staring at a spreadsheet.
Even ten minutes a day for a week before a Korea trip makes a noticeable difference. The staff won't expect perfection -- they'll just appreciate that you tried.