Learn Basic Korean for Travel: Everyday Korean Phrases for Shopping at a Clothing Store

Imagine walking into a stylish clothing store in Myeong-dong or a small vintage shop in Hongdae. Everything looks great until a shop assistant greets you in Korean. For many travelers, this moment feels stressful. The good news is that a few simple phrases can make shopping feel much more comfortable and natural.

With these essential expressions, you can browse freely, ask prices, and try on clothes without pressure. You do not need to know Hanguel yet. This guide uses Romanization to help you follow pronunciation and speak with confidence.

Before reading the breakdown, watch the short video below and listen to how the phrases sound in a real shopping situation.

1. Watch & Listen: See the Shopping Conversation

This lesson focuses on providing travelers with the practical tools they need for real world survival.

2. Full Dialogue Breakdown: Shopping At the Clothing Store

Note: Romanization is a guide to pronunciation, but the sounds of Korean are unique. Use the video to hear the most accurate pronunciation.

Clerk: What are you looking for?

Korean: 뭐 찾으세요?

Romanization: Mwo chat-eu-se-yo?

Customer: I'm just looking.

Korean: 그냥 보고 있어요.

Romanization: Geu-nyang bo-go it-eo-yo.

Clerk: Please take your time.

Korean: 천천히 둘러보세요.

Romanization: Cheon-cheon-hi dul-leo-bo-se-yo.

Customer: How much is this?

Korean: 이거 얼마예요?

Romanization: I-geo eol-ma-ye-yo?

Clerk: It's 30,000 won. It's on sale now.

Korean: 삼만 원이에요. 지금 세일하고 있어요.

Romanization: Sam-man won-i-e-yo. Ji-geum se-il-ha-go it-eo-yo.

Customer: Can I try it on?

Korean: 입어 봐도 돼요?

Romanization: Ip-eo bwa-do dwae-yo?

Clerk: Of course. Please try it on.

Korean: 그럼요. 입어 보세요.

Romanization: Geu-reom-yo. Ip-eo bo-se-yo.

Customer: Where is the fitting room?

Korean: 피팅룸은 어디예요?

Romanization: Pi-ting-rum-eun eo-di-ye-yo?

Clerk: It's over there.

Korean: 저쪽이에요.

Romanization: Jeo-jjok-i-e-yo.

Customer: I'll buy this.

Korean: 이거 살게요.

Romanization: I-geo sal-ge-yo.

Survival Tip: The most critical assets here are "그냥 보고 있어요 [Geu-nyang bo-go it-eo-yo]." and "피팅룸 [Pi-ting-rum]." Additionally, 피팅룸 [pi-ting-rum] is similar to the English "fitting room," it is the easiest survival word for you to remember and use under pressure!

4. Key Vocabulary & Expressions

Building a focused "shopping lexicon" allows you to handle variations in conversation. If you memorize these core terms, you can often communicate your needs even if you forget the full sentence structure.

Korean (Hangul)	Romanization	Meaning
이거	I-geo	This (thing)
얼마예요?	eol-ma-ye-yo?	How much?
지금	Ji-geum	Now
세일	se-il	On sale
피팅룸	pi-ting-rum	Fitting room
살게요	sal-ge-yo	I'll buy/take it
그냥	Geu-nyang	Just
천천히	Cheon-cheon-hi	Slowly
저쪽	Jeo-jjok	Over there
어디	eo-di	Where

5. Real Travel Tips: Shopping Etiquette in Korea

Successful travel is not just about what you say, but how you behave. Korean shopping culture is helpful and service oriented, but knowing these unwritten rules will help you shop like a local.

1. The "Just Looking" Culture: Korean clerks are often very attentive, which can sometimes feel like pressure to Western shoppers. If you want to browse independently, a soft "Geu-nyang bo-go it-eo-yo" accompanied by a small, polite nod is the standard way to signal that you are comfortable on your own.

2. Fitting Room Rules: Always ask "입어 봐도 돼요? [Ip-eo bwa-do dwae-yo]?" (Can I try it on?) before entering a fitting room. In many Korean clothing store provide white fabric face covers (usually for women) to prevent makeup from transferring onto light-colored or white garments.

3. Sales: If you are looking for discounted items, keep an eye out for the word 세일 (se-il). In Korea, sale means that the price is discounted. You will often see this word written in both English and Hanguel.

If you want to ask a staff member whether something is on sale, you can simply change the tone of the phrase you learned earlier and ask it as a question: “지금 세일하고 있어요? Ji-geum se-il-ha-go it-eo-yo?” You may also hear “세일해요. Se-il-hae-yo,” which is a very common and casual way to say that an item is on sale.

6. Practice: Test Your Survival Korean

Active recall is the fastest way to build the confidence required for your trip. Try these simple exercises to test your memory without needing to read the script.

1. How do you ask “How much is this?” in Korean?

2. How do you ask “Is this on sale right now?” in Korean?

3. How do you say “I’m just looking”?

a) 이거 살게요.I-geo sal-ge-yo.

b) 그냥 보고 있어요.Geu-nyang bo-go it-eo-yo.

c) 입어 봐도 돼요?Ip-eo bwa-do dwae-yo?

Answers:

1. 이거 얼마예요? I-geo eol-ma-ye-yo?

2. 지금 세일하고 있어요? Ji-geum se-il-ha-go it-eo-yo?

3. b) 그냥 보고 있어요.Geu-nyang bo-go it-eo-yo.

We hope this guide gives you the confidence to step into any clothing store and find your next favorite outfit. Keep practicing your pronunciation, and stay tuned for more Everyday Korean content to help you navigate your journey!

— Talkhey

Talkhey aims to be the go-to online platform for teens and adults worldwide who want to learn Korean, helping them confidently achieve their language goals through personalized and flexible lessons, whether they're just starting or looking to master advanced skills.