Directions in Korean

A key thing if you want to visit South Korea is knowing some basic directions in Korean to get around so let’s get into it. Asking directions in Korean is vital to avoiding becoming lost and also can be key to discovering some interesting spots you would of never would have found yourself!

방향: directions
지도: map
직진: straight
왼쪽: left
오른쪽: right
저쪽에: over there

Transit in Korean

Korea has one of the best public transit networks just in Seoul! Many Korean people use taxis, buses and the subway on a daily basis instead of driving. This makes it great for visitors, there is even reliable transit in-between the major cities so you can travel around Korea to Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and more.

버스 정류장: bus stop
기차: Train
기차역: Train station
지하철: Subway
지하철역: Subway station

Locations & Streets

육교: pedestrian overpass
길: street/road
골목: alley
지하도: underpass
횡단보도: crosswalk
삼거리: three-way intersection
사거리: four-way intersection

공원: park
편의점: convenience store
극장: theatre
도서관: library

Directional Verbs

오다: to come
가다: to go
찾다: to find; to look for
건너다: to cross
나가다: to go out
나오다: to come out
들어오다: to come inside
돌아오다: to come back
돌아가다: to go back
들어가다: to go inside
올라가다: to go up
내려가다: to go down

Cardinal Directions in Korean

Korean uses Sino-Korean for the cardinal directions, so you might already recognize them from my breakdown on Sino-Korean!

북: north
동: east
북동: north east
남: south
서: west
남서: south west
남동: south east
복서: north west

Now for some test phrases!

사거리에서 왼쪽으로 가세요 – at the intersection go left
이 길을 내려가세요 – go down this street
지도 있어?: do you have a map?
이 학교 동쪽에는 편의점가 있어요 – there’s a convenience store east of this school
공원은 저쪽에 있어요: the park is over there