Korean Shopping Vocabulary: Essential Words & Phrases

Building your Korean vocabulary for shopping is essential for navigating markets, department stores, and online shops in Korea. Whether you're browsing the bustling streets of Myeongdong or ordering from a local convenience store, these Korean words for shopping will help you communicate with confidence.

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Practice Korean Shopping Vocabulary with 지민

Turn the lesson into a short guided Korean conversation. Speak or type your replies, and get a translation, correction, or hint when useful.

BeginnerAbout 3 minutes6 turns or fewer

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Essential Shopping Vocabulary

Start with these core Korean vocabulary shopping terms that you'll encounter in almost every retail situation:

Word & Pronunciation	English	Example
가게ga-ge	store, shop	이 가게는 몇 시에 열어요? (What time does this store open?)
쇼핑syo-ping	shopping	주말에 쇼핑하러 갈 거예요. (I'm going shopping this weekend.)
가격ga-gyeok	price	가격이 얼마예요? (What's the price?)
할인hal-in	discount	할인해 주세요. (Please give me a discount.)
계산gye-san	payment, calculation	계산해 주세요. (Please ring this up.)
현금hyeon-geum	cash	현금으로 낼게요. (I'll pay with cash.)
카드ka-deu	card	카드 되나요? (Do you accept cards?)
영수증yeong-su-jeung	receipt	영수증 주세요. (Please give me a receipt.)
봉투bong-tu	bag	봉투 필요하세요? (Do you need a bag?)
손님son-nim	customer	손님, 뭘 찾으세요? (Customer, what are you looking for?)
사다sa-da	to buy	이거 사고 싶어요. (I want to buy this.)
팔다pal-da	to sell	여기서 뭘 팔아요? (What do you sell here?)
바꾸다ba-kku-da	to exchange	이거 바꿀 수 있어요? (Can I exchange this?)
환불hwan-bul	refund	환불 가능해요? (Is a refund possible?)
사이즈sa-i-jeu	size	더 큰 사이즈 있어요? (Do you have a bigger size?)
색깔saek-kkal	color	다른 색깔 있어요? (Do you have other colors?)

Common Phrases

These expressions will help you navigate any shopping situation in Korea:

• 얼마예요? (eol-ma-ye-yo?) — How much is it?
• 이거 주세요. (i-geo ju-se-yo) — Please give me this.
• 그냥 구경하는 거예요. (geu-nyang gu-gyeong-ha-neun geo-ye-yo) — I'm just looking.
• 입어 봐도 돼요? (i-beo bwa-do dwae-yo?) — May I try this on?
• 탈의실이 어디예요? (tal-ui-sil-i eo-di-ye-yo?) — Where is the fitting room?
• 너무 비싸요. (neo-mu bi-ssa-yo) — It's too expensive.
• 좀 깎아 주세요. (jom kka-kka ju-se-yo) — Please lower the price a bit.
• 이거 세일해요? (i-geo se-il-hae-yo?) — Is this on sale?
• 포장해 주세요. (po-jang-hae ju-se-yo) — Please wrap it.
• 선물이에요. (seon-mul-i-e-yo) — It's a gift.

Usage Notes

Understanding Korean shopping culture will help you use these words more naturally:

• Bargaining: Haggling (흥정, heung-jeong) is acceptable at traditional markets like Namdaemun or Dongdaemun, but not at department stores or convenience stores. Use phrases like 깎아 주세요 politely.
• Plastic bag fees: Since 2019, many Korean stores charge for plastic bags. You might hear 봉투 필요하세요? at checkout. Bring your own bag (장바구니, jang-ba-gu-ni) to avoid fees.
• Card vs. cash: Korea is highly card-friendly. Even small purchases can be made with cards. However, some traditional market vendors prefer cash.
• Polite language: Always use polite forms (-요 endings) when speaking to shop staff. They will address you as 손님 (customer) or 고객님 (valued customer).
• Counter words: When specifying quantities, use the appropriate counter. For general items, use 개 (gae): 두 개 주세요 (Please give me two).

Practice Sentences

Use these example sentences to practice your Korean shopping vocabulary in context:

• 이 옷이 너무 예쁜데 가격이 얼마예요?
  This clothing is so pretty—how much is it?
• 카드로 계산할게요. 영수증은 필요 없어요.
  I'll pay by card. I don't need a receipt.
• 이 신발 260 사이즈 있어요?
  Do you have these shoes in size 260?
• 세일 기간이 언제까지예요?
  Until when is the sale period?
• 이거 환불하고 싶은데 영수증 여기 있어요.
  I'd like to refund this—here's the receipt.
• 검은색 말고 흰색으로 주세요.
  Please give me the white one, not the black.
• 시장에서 과일을 샀는데 진짜 싸요.
  I bought fruit at the market and it was really cheap.
• 온라인 쇼핑이 더 편해요.
  Online shopping is more convenient.