Convenience Store

18 phrases · Korean with romanization, English and audio

  1. 데워 드릴까요?

    De-wo deu-ril-kka-yo?

    Shall I heat it up for you?

    Usage

    Said by staff. You will be asked when you bring a lunchbox or a triangular gimbap to the till. Answer "ne, de-wo ju-se-yo" (yes please) or "a-ni-yo, gwaen-cha-na-yo" (no, it is fine)

    Grammar Note

    "Verb + a/eo deuril-kkayo?" offers to do something for the listener in humble speech. "Deurida" is the humble counterpart of "juda" (to give), and service staff use it almost exclusively

  2. 전자레인지에 데워 주세요

    Jeon-ja-re-in-ji-e de-wo ju-se-yo

    Could you heat this up in the microwave, please?

    Usage

    Use this to ask before staff offer. Many Korean convenience stores put the microwave in the eat-in corner for customers to use themselves, in which case you heat the food yourself

    Grammar Note

    "Verb + a/eo juseyo" is the core request pattern. "Jeonjareinji" combines the Sino-Korean "jeonja" (electronic) with a transliteration of English "range" — Korean appliance names draw heavily on English

  3. 숟가락 드릴까요?

    Sut-ga-rak deu-ril-kka-yo?

    Would you like a spoon?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Korea has tightened rules on disposable items, so cutlery is no longer added without asking. Reply "ne, ju-se-yo" (yes please) or "a-ni-yo, gwaen-cha-na-yo" (no thanks)

    Grammar Note

    The object particle "eul/reul" is routinely dropped in speech, leaving the bare noun as here. A Korean place setting of spoon and chopsticks together is called "sujeo"

  4. 젓가락도 주세요

    Jeot-ga-rak-do ju-se-yo

    Chopsticks as well, please

    Usage

    Use it when buying instant noodles or a lunchbox. Korean chopsticks are usually metal, but convenience stores supply disposable wooden or plastic ones. For napkins say "hyu-ji-do ju-se-yo"

    Grammar Note

    The particle "do" (also) replaces case particles rather than stacking with them: you say "jeotgarak-do", never "jeotgarak-eul-do"

  5. 빨대 드릴까요?

    Ppal-dae deu-ril-kka-yo?

    Would you like a straw?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Straws are handed out on request only as part of the push to cut single-use plastic. Decline with "a-ni-yo, gwaen-cha-na-yo"

    Grammar Note

    "Ppaldae" is a native Korean compound: the stem of "ppalda" (to suck) plus "dae" (rod). It contrasts nicely with loanwords such as "jeonjareinji", showing Korean's two vocabulary layers

  6. 이거 원 플러스 원이에요

    I-geo won peul-leo-seu wo-ni-e-yo

    This one is buy-one-get-one-free

    Usage

    Said by staff. Shelf tags read "1+1", pronounced "won peulleoseu won"; "2+1" is equally common. These promotions are the heart of Korean convenience-store retailing. If you picked up only one, staff will tell you and you can go back for the second — and you can often mix different items within the same promotion

    Grammar Note

    The polite form of the copula "ida" is "ieyo" after a consonant and "yeyo" after a vowel. "Won" ends in a consonant, hence "won-ieyo"

  7. 영수증 드릴까요?

    Yeong-su-jeung deu-ril-kka-yo?

    Would you like the receipt?

    Usage

    Said by staff. If you decline it is binned. Korea has a cash-receipt system ("hyeon-geum yeong-su-jeung") that residents use for tax deductions by registering a phone number. Visitors can simply say "a-ni-yo, gwaen-cha-na-yo"

    Grammar Note

    "Yeongsujeung" is a Sino-Korean word corresponding to the characters for "receipt". Roughly 60% of Korean vocabulary is Sino-Korean, and many items closely match Japanese: yeongsujeung (receipt), yeyak (reservation), jucha (parking)

  8. 봉투 필요하세요?

    Bong-tu pi-ryo-ha-se-yo?

    Do you need a bag?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Korea bans handing out disposable plastic bags free of charge, so convenience-store bags cost roughly 50-100 won. Say "ne, ju-se-yo" for yes or "a-ni-yo, gwaen-cha-na-yo" for no

    Grammar Note

    The honorific infix "-si-" turns "piryohaeyo" into "piryohaseyo", elevating the listener. Service speech defaults to this "-haseyo" form

  9. 따로 담아 주세요

    Tta-ro da-ma ju-se-yo

    Could you bag them separately?

    Usage

    Use it to separate heated food from ice cream, or to split purchases between people. Each bag is charged. To split the payment instead, say "tta-ro gye-san-hae ju-se-yo"

    Grammar Note

    "Damda" means to put something into a container — a bag, a bowl, a plate. It carries more of a sense of arranging things neatly than the plainer "neota" (to insert)

  10. 카카오페이로 결제돼요?

    Ka-ka-o-pe-i-ro gyeol-je-dwae-yo?

    Can I pay with KakaoPay?

    Usage

    Korean convenience stores widely accept KakaoPay, Naver Pay and Samsung Pay barcodes, but most require a Korean phone number and bank account, putting them out of reach for short visits. Foreign credit cards work fine, so "ka-deu dwae-yo?" is the safer question

    Grammar Note

    The instrumental particle is "ro" after a vowel or the consonant "l", and "euro" after other consonants — hence "kadeu-ro" (by card) but "hyeon-geum-euro" (in cash)

  11. 여기서 먹어도 돼요?

    Yeo-gi-seo meo-geo-do dwae-yo?

    Is it all right to eat here?

    Usage

    Most Korean convenience stores have a counter by the window or tables outside, and eating in is completely normal — cooking and eating instant noodles on the spot is a national habit. Unlike Japan, eating in does not change the tax. Sort your rubbish into the bins provided

    Grammar Note

    "Verb + a/eo-do dwaeyo?" is the standard way to ask permission. To ask whether something is forbidden instead, use "-myeon an dwaeyo?"

  12. 전자레인지 어디 있어요?

    Jeon-ja-re-in-ji eo-di i-sseo-yo?

    Where is the microwave?

    Usage

    Korean convenience stores set aside a self-service corner where the microwave sits next to an "onsugi" hot-water dispenser. Buying a pot noodle, filling it there and eating at the counter is a national ritual, with disposable chopsticks and paper cups provided alongside

    Grammar Note

    "Eodi isseoyo?" is the basic way to ask where something is. "Eodi-yeyo?" also works, but "isseoyo" fits better when you are hunting for the physical location of an object

  13. 따뜻한 음료는 어디 있어요?

    Tta-tteu-tan eum-nyo-neun eo-di i-sseo-yo?

    Where are the hot drinks?

    Usage

    In winter, hot drinks are kept in a warming cabinet called an "onjanggo" — canned coffee, citron tea, hot chocolate. For freshly brewed coffee, use the machine beside the till and ask for "wondu-keopi" (bean coffee)

    Grammar Note

    The adjective "ttatteuthada" takes the attributive ending "-n" to modify a noun. Note that "eumryo" is pronounced "eum-nyo": an "r/l" after "m" shifts to "n" in Korean

  14. 교통카드 충전돼요?

    Gyo-tong-ka-deu chung-jeon-dwae-yo?

    Can I top up a transport card here?

    Usage

    T-money and Cashbee transport cards can be topped up with cash at any convenience-store till, saving a queue at the subway machines. You can also buy the card itself in store and use it on the subway, buses, taxis and at convenience stores. Top-ups are cash only

    Grammar Note

    "Noun + doeda" means "X works / is possible" and is the all-purpose colloquial way to ask whether something is available: "kadeu dwaeyo?" (do you take cards), "baedal dwaeyo?" (do you deliver)

  15. 여기서 택배 보낼 수 있어요?

    Yeo-gi-seo taek-bae bo-nael su i-sseo-yo?

    Can I send a parcel from here?

    Usage

    Korean convenience stores run a parcel service known as "pyeon-uijeom taekbae": enter the address on the in-store terminal, hand over the box, and it goes out cheaper than the post office and around the clock. People use it for second-hand sales and for forwarding luggage to the next place they are staying

    Grammar Note

    "Verb + -(eu)l su itda" expresses ability. "Su" is a bound noun meaning "way / means" and never stands alone. The negative is "bonael su eopseoyo" (I cannot send it)

  16. 이 도시락 오늘까지 먹어야 돼요?

    I do-si-rak o-neul-kka-ji meo-geo-ya dwae-yo?

    Does this lunchbox have to be eaten today?

    Usage

    Korean convenience-store meals have a short shelf life, with the label showing "yutonggihan" (sell-by) or "sobigihan" (use-by) down to the hour. Since 2023 labels have shifted to "sobigihan", which states the date the food is actually safe until. Items close to the limit are often discounted at night

    Grammar Note

    "Verb + a/eo-ya doeda" expresses obligation. Swapping "doeyo" for "haeyo" gives "meogeoya haeyo" with the same meaning; the "haeyo" version is preferred in writing

  17. 포인트 적립하시겠어요?

    Po-in-teu jeong-nip-ha-si-ge-sseo-yo?

    Would you like to collect points?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Each chain has its own scheme — GS&POINT at GS25, CU Membership at CU — collected via an app barcode or a phone number. If you have none, "a-ni-yo, gwaen-cha-na-yo" is fine; visitors can shop normally without signing up

    Grammar Note

    Stacking the honorific "-si-" with the volitional "-gess-" gives "-sigesseoyo?", the standard polite way to ask what the customer wants. Note that "jeokrip" is pronounced "jeong-nip" through consonant assimilation

  18. 신분증 좀 보여 주세요

    Sin-bun-jjeung jom bo-yeo ju-se-yo

    Could I see your ID, please?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Buying alcohol or tobacco triggers a mandatory age check — foreigners show a passport or residence card. The legal age is 19, and visitors who look young are checked routinely. Note that Korea places no time restriction on alcohol sales, so you can buy around the clock

    Grammar Note

    "Jom" contracts "jogeum" (a little) but usually softens a request rather than describing quantity. Without it a Korean request sounds like an order, so it is near-obligatory in polite speech

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