Directions & Transportation

Korea's public transport is one of the best in the world: fast, clean, cheap and signposted in Korean and English. But the moment you need to ask a stranger where exit 5 is, or tell a taxi driver where to stop, you need Korean. The good news is that you already have almost all the grammar you need. This lesson is mostly about vocabulary and a few set phrases, and then putting your particles and your new past tense to work.

📍 Location Words

Remember the position nouns from Lesson 9? They work like "the top", "the front" in English: you say the thing + position + 에. So "in front of the station" is literally "station's front at": 역 앞에.

Korean	Meaning	Korean	Meaning
위	above / on top	아래	below / under
앞	in front	뒤	behind
옆	beside / next to	사이	between
안	inside	밖	outside
왼쪽	left (side)	오른쪽	right (side)
여기	here	거기	there (near you)
저기	over there	근처	nearby / vicinity
길	road / way	사거리	intersection (four-way)
신호등	traffic light	건너편	the other side (across)

Korean	English
편의점은 은행 옆에 있어요.	The convenience store is next to the bank.
버스 정류장은 역 앞에 있어요.	The bus stop is in front of the station.
약국은 카페하고 은행 사이에 있어요.	The pharmacy is between the café and the bank.
화장실은 저기 왼쪽에 있어요.	The restroom is over there on the left.

🗣️ Asking for Directions

Korean	Meaning
실례합니다.	Excuse me. (to get attention)
명동역이 어디예요?	Where is Myeongdong Station?
명동역에 어떻게 가요?	How do I get to Myeongdong Station?
이 근처에 화장실 있어요?	Is there a restroom around here?
여기서 가까워요?	Is it close from here?
여기서 멀어요?	Is it far from here?
얼마나 걸려요?	How long does it take?
걸어서 몇 분 걸려요?	How many minutes on foot?

Understanding the answer

Korean	Meaning
쭉 가세요. / 직진하세요.	Go straight.
왼쪽으로 가세요.	Go left.
오른쪽으로 도세요.	Turn right.
길을 건너세요.	Cross the road.
사거리에서 왼쪽으로 가세요.	Go left at the intersection.
신호등 앞에서 오른쪽으로 도세요.	Turn right at the traffic light.
은행 건너편에 있어요.	It's across from the bank.

💡 Why 가세요 and 도세요?

Directions are given with the honorific -(으)세요 you met in Lesson 13. It's a polite "please do" when addressed to a stranger. 가다 → 가세요, 건너다 → 건너세요. 돌다 (to turn) is an ㄹ-verb, and its ㄹ drops before 세: 도세요. You'll get the full story on requests in Lesson 19 and on ㄹ-drop in Lesson 21. For now, learn 도세요 as a chunk.

💡 A few chunks to learn whole

가까워요 (it's close) comes from 가깝다, an irregular verb (Lesson 21 explains why the ㅂ turns into 우). 걸어서 (on foot) comes from 걷다 plus a connector you'll learn in Lesson 23. Until then, just treat both as words.

🚇 Transportation Vocabulary

Korean	Meaning	Korean	Meaning
지하철	subway	버스	bus
택시	taxi	기차	train
KTX	high-speed train	비행기	airplane
자전거	bicycle	배	boat / ship
역	station	정류장	bus stop
공항	airport	출구	exit
입구	entrance	환승	transfer
교통카드	transit card (T-money)	요금	fare
호선	(subway) line number	표	ticket

Transport verbs

Dictionary form	Meaning	Present	Past (Lesson 15)
타다	to ride / get on	타요	탔어요
내리다	to get off	내려요	내렸어요
갈아타다	to change (lines)	갈아타요	갈아탔어요
걸리다	to take (time)	걸려요	걸렸어요
건너다	to cross	건너요	건넜어요
돌다	to turn	돌아요	돌았어요
멀다	to be far	멀어요	멀었어요

✅ T-money Card (교통카드)

Get a T-money card at any convenience store. It works on subways and buses nationwide, in most taxis and in convenience stores. Tap on when you board and tap off when you get off the bus too: that's how you get the free transfer discount. Recharge at convenience stores or subway machines.

🧩 Grammar in Action

No new grammar in this lesson, only new places to use what you already know. Here are four patterns that do nearly all of the work in transport talk.

1. The particle (으)로: "by" and "toward"

This lesson's one new particle. (으)로 marks the means (by bus) and the direction (to the left). The rule matches the others you know: after a 받침 add 으로, after a vowel 로, and after ㄹ it's also just 로.

Formula: noun + (으)로

vowel ending → 로: 버스로, 택시로, 기차로, 출구로
ㄹ ending → 로: 지하철로, 길로
other 받침 → 으로: 왼쪽으로, 오른쪽으로, 2호선으로, 공항으로

Why the special ㄹ rule? ㄹ already flows smoothly into ㄹ, so no buffer vowel 으 is needed.

Korean	English
회사에 지하철로 가요.	I go to work by subway.
공항에 택시로 갔어요.	I went to the airport by taxi.
부산에 KTX로 가요.	I go to Busan by KTX.
시청역에서 2호선으로 갈아타세요.	Change to Line 2 at City Hall Station.
3번 출구로 나가세요.	Go out through exit 3.

2. 에 vs 에서 (from Lesson 9)

You go to a place with 에, but you get on, get off and change at a place with 에서, because those are actions happening there. And 에서 … 까지 gives you "from … to".

Korean	English
강남역에 가요.	I'm going to Gangnam Station.
강남역에서 내려요.	I get off at Gangnam Station.
어디에서 버스를 타요?	Where do I catch the bus?
서울에서 부산까지 두 시간 반 걸려요.	It takes two and a half hours from Seoul to Busan.
집에서 학교까지 멀어요.	It's far from home to school.

Notice that 타다 takes the object particle: 버스를 타요, 지하철을 타요. English says "get on the bus", but Korean treats the bus as the thing you ride.

3. Telling the story of a trip: the past tense (Lesson 15)

Korean	English
어제 지하철을 탔어요.	Yesterday I took the subway.
시청역에서 갈아탔어요.	I changed at City Hall Station.
강남역에서 내렸어요.	I got off at Gangnam Station.
사십 분 걸렸어요.	It took forty minutes.
오늘 아침에 어떻게 왔어요?	How did you get here this morning?

4. Negatives and question words (Lesson 10)

Korean	English
아니요, 안 멀어요.	No, it's not far.
버스가 안 와요.	The bus isn't coming.
택시를 못 잡았어요.	I couldn't get a taxi.
몇 호선이에요?	Which line is it?
몇 번 출구로 나가요?	Which exit number do I take?

🚇 Using the Subway

Korean	Meaning
홍대입구역에서 내려요.	I get off at Hongik Univ. Station.
몇 호선이에요?	Which line is it?
이 지하철 잠실에 가요?	Does this train go to Jamsil?
다음 역이 어디예요?	What's the next station?
환승해야 돼요?	Do I have to transfer? (-아야 돼요: Lesson 19)
이번 역은 시청역입니다.	This station is City Hall. (announcement)

🚕 Taking a Taxi

Korean	Meaning
인사동까지 가 주세요.	To Insadong, please.
여기서 세워 주세요.	Please stop here.
얼마예요?	How much is it?
트렁크 좀 열어 주세요.	Please open the trunk.
카드로 해도 돼요?	Can I pay by card?

The -아/어 주세요 ("please do it for me") and -아도 돼요 ("is it OK if…") patterns are taught properly in Lesson 19. For now these are phrases to use as they are, and they'll get you anywhere in Seoul.

💬 Dialogue: Finding the Way

Speaker	Korean	English
A	실례합니다. 명동역에 어떻게 가요?	Excuse me. How do I get to Myeongdong Station?
B	쭉 가세요. 그리고 두 번째 사거리에서 왼쪽으로 가세요.	Go straight. Then turn left at the second intersection.
A	여기서 멀어요?	Is it far from here?
B	아니요, 안 멀어요. 걸어서 오 분쯤 걸려요.	No, it's not far. It's about five minutes on foot.
A	명동역에서 공항까지 지하철로 가요?	From Myeongdong Station, do I go to the airport by subway?
B	네, 4호선을 타세요. 서울역에서 공항철도로 갈아타세요.	Yes, take Line 4. Change to the Airport Railroad at Seoul Station.
A	감사합니다!	Thank you!

💬 Dialogue: How Did You Get Here?

Speaker	Korean	English
민수	오늘 어떻게 왔어요?	How did you get here today?
Sarah	버스로 왔어요. 그런데 버스가 안 왔어요! 이십 분 기다렸어요.	I came by bus. But the bus didn't come! I waited twenty minutes.
민수	아이고. 저는 지하철로 왔어요. 삼십 분 걸렸어요.	Oh no. I came by subway. It took thirty minutes.
Sarah	어디에서 탔어요?	Where did you get on?
민수	신촌역에서 탔어요. 을지로입구역에서 내렸어요.	I got on at Sinchon Station. I got off at Euljiro 1-ga Station.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

역에 내려요 ❌ → 역에서 내려요 ✅. Getting off is an action at a place: 에서.
버스에 타요 is heard in speech, but the textbook form is 버스를 타요. Use 을/를 with 타다.
왼쪽로 ❌ → 왼쪽으로 ✅. 쪽 ends in a 받침, so it takes 으로.
지하철으로 ❌ → 지하철로 ✅. ㄹ-final nouns take plain 로.
발로 가요 for "on foot" ❌ → 걸어서 가요 ✅.
시간이 걸려요 is "it takes time". Don't use 해요 for duration: "30분 해요" ❌ → 30분 걸려요 ✅.

Getting lost is part of learning a city, and so is fumbling your particles. Every time someone corrects you, you've just been given free, personalised feedback. Take it!

✏️ Practice

Exercise 1 — 으로 or 로?

택시_____ 가요. (Answer: 로)
왼쪽_____ 가세요. (Answer: 으로)
지하철_____ 왔어요. (Answer: 로)
2호선_____ 갈아타세요. (Answer: 으로)
1번 출구_____ 나가세요. (Answer: 로)
자전거_____ 학교에 가요. (Answer: 로)

Exercise 2 — 에 or 에서?

시청역_____ 내리세요. (Answer: 에서)
저는 매일 회사_____ 가요. (Answer: 에)
어디_____ 버스를 타요? (Answer: 에서)
은행은 약국 옆_____ 있어요. (Answer: 에)
서울_____ 부산까지 KTX로 가요. (Answer: 에서)
서울역_____ 갈아탔어요. (Answer: 에서)

Exercise 3 — Put the verb in the past tense (-았/었어요)

타다 → 어제 버스를 _____. (Answer: 탔어요)
내리다 → 강남역에서 _____. (Answer: 내렸어요)
걸리다 → 한 시간 _____. (Answer: 걸렸어요)
갈아타다 → 시청역에서 _____. (Answer: 갈아탔어요)
건너다 → 길을 _____. (Answer: 건넜어요)
오다 → 친구가 택시로 _____. (Answer: 왔어요)

Exercise 4 — Say it in Korean

'subway' → _____ (Answer: 지하철)
'exit' → _____ (Answer: 출구)
'bus stop' → _____ (Answer: 정류장)
'airport' → _____ (Answer: 공항)
'How long does it take?' → 얼마나 _____? (Answer: 걸려요)
'Please stop here.' → 여기서 _____. (taxi phrase) (Answer: 세워 주세요)
'Go straight.' → 쭉 _____. (polite -세요) (Answer: 가세요)
'Is it far?' → _____? (polite present) (Answer: 멀어요)

🧠 Check Your Understanding

❓ Common Questions

🌟 Going Further

Open a Seoul subway map (the Kakao Metro or Naver Map app works well) and plan a real route, for example 홍대입구 to 잠실. Write it out in Korean: which line you take, where you change and where you get off, using 타요, 갈아타요 and 내려요.
Write a five-sentence past-tense story of your last trip anywhere, even to the supermarket: how you went, how long it took, and one thing that went wrong (버스가 안 왔어요…).

🔮 Looking Ahead

You can now get around and talk about trips you've taken. Next, in Lesson 17: Wants, Plans & the Future, you'll learn to talk about trips you want to take and will take: -고 싶어요, -(으)ㄹ 거예요, "shall we…?" with -(으)ㄹ까요?, and -(으)러 가요 ("go in order to…"). That turns "I went to Busan by KTX" into "I'm going to go to Busan to eat seafood."

🇰🇷 Lesson 16: Directions & Transportation