The short answer
English covers Seoul's tourist zones, so nothing here is compulsory. But a little Korean changes the welcome: greet with annyeonghaseyo, thank with gamsahamnida, and learn the vegetarian sentence before you land. Korean is written in hangul, an alphabet created in the 15th century to be easy to learn - and the sentence order (subject-object-verb) is the same shape as Hindi.
The five phrases that matter most
안녕하세요
annyeonghaseyo
Hello (polite)
नमस्ते (विनम्र)
감사합니다
gamsahamnida
Thank you
धन्यवाद
여기에 영어를 하시는 분 계십니까?
yeogie yeong-eoreul hasineun bun gyesimnikka?
Does anyone here speak English?
क्या यहां कोई अंग्रेज़ी बोलता है?
이것은 얼마입니까?
igeoseun eolmaimnikka?
How much is this?
इसकी कीमत कितनी है?
저는 채식주의자입니다
jeoneun chaesikjuuijaimnida
I am a vegetarian
मैं शाकाहारी हूं
All the phrases
Greetings and thanks
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello (polite) | 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo | नमस्ते (विनम्र) |
| Hello (very formal) | 안녕하십니까 | annyeonghasimnikka | नमस्ते (बहुत औपचारिक) |
| Hello (informal, to friends or children) | 안녕 | annyeong | हैलो (अनौपचारिक) |
| Goodbye (to someone staying) | 안녕히 계십시오 | annyeonghi gyesipsio | अलविदा (रुकने वाले से) |
| Goodbye (to someone leaving) | 안녕히 가십시오 | annyeonghi gasipsio | अलविदा (जाने वाले से) |
| Good night | 안녕히 주무십시오 | annyeonghi jumusipsio | शुभ रात्रि |
| Thank you | 감사합니다 | gamsahamnida | धन्यवाद |
| Thank you (casual) | 고마워요 | gomawoyo | धन्यवाद (अनौपचारिक) |
| My name is ... | 제 이름은 ...입니다 | je ireumeun ...imnida | मेरा नाम ... है |
Getting help
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 네 | ne | हां |
| No | 아니요 | aniyo | नहीं |
| Excuse me | 실례합니다 | sillyehamnida | माफ़ कीजिए / सुनिए |
| I am sorry | 죄송합니다 | joesonghamnida | मुझे माफ़ करें |
| Does anyone here speak English? | 여기에 영어를 하시는 분 계십니까? | yeogie yeong-eoreul hasineun bun gyesimnikka? | क्या यहां कोई अंग्रेज़ी बोलता है? |
| I do not understand | 이해가 안 갑니다 | ihaega an gamnida | मैं समझा / समझी नहीं |
Food (vegetarian, Jain, allergies)
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am a vegetarian | 저는 채식주의자입니다 | jeoneun chaesikjuuijaimnida | मैं शाकाहारी हूं |
| I do not eat meat | 저는 고기를 먹지 않습니다 | jeoneun gogireul meokji anseumnida | मैं मांस नहीं खाता |
| I do not eat pork | 저는 돼지고기를 먹지 않습니다 | jeoneun dwaejigogireul meokji anseumnida | मैं पोर्क नहीं खाता |
| I do not eat eggs | 저는 계란을 먹지 않습니다 | jeoneun gyeraneul meokji anseumnida | मैं अंडा नहीं खाता |
| Water | 물 | mul | पानी |
| That was delicious | 맛있었습니다 | masisseotseumnida | बहुत स्वादिष्ट था |
Directions and transport
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is the toilet? | 화장실이 어디에 있습니까? | hwajangsiri eodie itseumnikka? | टॉयलेट कहां है? |
| Take me to ... (to a taxi driver) | ...로 가 주세요 | ...ro ga juseyo | मुझे ... ले चलिए (टैक्सी ड्राइवर से) |
| How much to ...? (fare) | ...까지는 얼마입니까? | ...kkajineun eolmaimnikka? | ... तक का किराया कितना? |
Shopping and numbers
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much is this? | 이것은 얼마입니까? | igeoseun eolmaimnikka? | इसकी कीमत कितनी है? |
| Please give me ... | ... 주세요 | ... juseyo | कृपया ... दीजिए |
Emergency
| English | Local script | How to say it | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|---|
| Help! | 도와주세요! | dowajuseyo! | मदद! |
| Police! | 경찰! | gyeongchal! | पुलिस! |
Save or print
Save the top phrases as a picture to send to your parents, or print the whole sheet.
The five phrases that matter most
- Hello (polite) / नमस्ते (विनम्र)
- 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo)
- Thank you / धन्यवाद
- 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida)
- Does anyone here speak English? / क्या यहां कोई अंग्रेज़ी बोलता है?
- 여기에 영어를 하시는 분 계십니까? (yeogie yeong-eoreul hasineun bun gyesimnikka?)
- How much is this? / इसकी कीमत कितनी है?
- 이것은 얼마입니까? (igeoseun eolmaimnikka?)
- I am a vegetarian / मैं शाकाहारी हूं
- 저는 채식주의자입니다 (jeoneun chaesikjuuijaimnida)
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Quick questions
Sources
- VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization): Tips for Vegetarians · checked 30 Oct 2026
- Wikivoyage: Korean phrasebook · checked 30 Oct 2026