How to Type Korean on a Computer or Phone: A Beginner’s Guide

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Want to search for a restaurant in Korean, message a café, or send your teacher an assignment? Learning to type Korean makes these everyday tasks easier. You can start with the computer or phone you already own. This guide covers keyboard setup on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android. You will also learn how Korean letters join together, fix common typing problems, and practise messages you can use in Korea. 1. Understand How a Korean Keyboard Works 한글 (hangeul)—“the Korean alphabet” groups letters into syllable blocks. For example, 한 contains three letters: ㅎ, ㅏ, and ㄴ. You enter the letters in order, and the keyboard builds the block. Start with 두벌식 (dubeolsik)—“the two-set Korean keyboard layout.” Its basic consonants sit on the left and its vowels on the right. This gives you a useful starting point for practising on both computers and phones. A standard two-set keyboard uses letter positions, rather than English spellings of Korean sounds. Typing “han” will not automatica...

100 Basic Korean Words Every Beginner Should Know

You do not need thousands of Korean words before you can start communicating in Korea. A small group of useful words and short expressions can help you order food, shop, use public transportation, ask for directions, and handle simple everyday conversations.

This guide covers 100 basic Korean words and expressions that beginners are likely to hear in real life. They are grouped by situation, so you can learn the words you are most likely to use at restaurants, cafés, shops, subway stations, school, work, or while talking with Korean friends.

Some items on this list are technically short expressions rather than single dictionary words. That is intentional. Expressions such as 주세요, 괜찮아요, and 맛있어요 are much more useful to a beginner than memorizing isolated vocabulary you rarely say.

Use romanization as a temporary pronunciation guide, but try to look at the Hangul as well. The sooner you begin recognizing Korean letters, the less you will need romanization.

1. Essential Korean Greetings and Conversation Words

Start with expressions that help you be polite, respond to people, and ask for basic help. The -요 and -습니다 forms below are polite enough for most everyday situations with strangers, shop staff, older people, and people you have just met.

  1. 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) — Hello
  2. 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) — Thank you
  3. 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) — I’m sorry / Excuse me
  4. 괜찮아요 (gwaenchanayo) — It’s okay / I’m fine / No, thank you
  5. 네 (ne) — Yes
  6. 아니요 (aniyo) — No
  7. 주세요 (juseyo) — Please give me…
  8. 잠시만요 (jamsimanyo) — One moment / Excuse me
  9. 실례합니다 (sillyehamnida) — Excuse me
  10. 맞아요 (majayo) — That’s right
  11. 아니에요 (anieyo) — It isn’t / That’s not it
  12. 좋아요 (joayo) — Good / I like that
  13. 싫어요 (sireoyo) — I don’t like it
  14. 알겠어요 (algesseoyo) — I understand / Got it
  15. 몰라요 (mollayo) — I don’t know
  16. 도와주세요 (dowajuseyo) — Please help me
  17. 여기 (yeogi) — Here
  18. 저기 (jeogi) — There / Over there
  19. 뭐 (mwo) — What
  20. 왜 (wae) — Why

괜찮아요 (gwaenchanayo) is especially useful because its meaning changes slightly with the situation. It can mean “It’s okay,” “I’m fine,” or politely “No, thank you.”

A: 더 필요하세요? (Deo piryo-haseyo?) — “Do you need anything else?”

B: 괜찮아요. (Gwaenchanayo.) — “No, thank you. I’m okay.”

주세요 (juseyo) is another survival expression. Put the thing you want before it:

  • 물 주세요. (Mul juseyo.) — “Water, please.”
  • 이거 주세요. (Igeo juseyo.) — “I’ll take this one, please.”
  • 메뉴 주세요. (Menyu juseyo.) — “Menu, please.”

2. Everyday Korean Words for People, Time, and Places

These words appear constantly in daily conversations, signs, schools, workplaces, hotels, and travel situations.

  1. 사람 (saram) — Person
  2. 친구 (chingu) — Friend
  3. 가족 (gajok) — Family
  4. 이름 (ireum) — Name
  5. 오늘 (oneul) — Today
  6. 내일 (naeil) — Tomorrow
  7. 어제 (eoje) — Yesterday
  8. 지금 (jigeum) — Now
  9. 아침 (achim) — Morning / Breakfast
  10. 점심 (jeomsim) — Lunch
  11. 저녁 (jeonyeok) — Evening / Dinner
  12. 시간 (sigan) — Time
  13. 집 (jip) — Home / House
  14. 회사 (hoesa) — Company / Workplace
  15. 학교 (hakgyo) — School
  16. 화장실 (hwajangsil) — Restroom / Bathroom
  17. 길 (gil) — Road / Way
  18. 한국 (Hanguk) — Korea
  19. 한국어 (Hangugeo) — Korean language
  20. 영어 (yeongeo) — English

Travelers should remember 화장실 (hwajangsil). A very practical question is:

화장실 어디예요? (Hwajangsil eodiyeyo?)
Natural meaning: “Where is the restroom?”

아침, 점심, and 저녁 can refer to both parts of the day and meals. You may also hear Koreans ask 밥 먹었어요? or 점심 먹었어요?. Depending on the situation, these can feel less like a serious question about your diet and more like friendly small talk.

3. Korean Words for Restaurants and Cafés

Food is one of the easiest places to start using Korean. Even a few words can make ordering much easier.

  1. 물 (mul) — Water
  2. 밥 (bap) — Rice / Meal
  3. 음식 (eumsik) — Food
  4. 커피 (keopi) — Coffee
  5. 차 (cha) — Tea
  6. 맥주 (maekju) — Beer
  7. 소주 (soju) — Soju
  8. 메뉴 (menyu) — Menu
  9. 맛 (mat) — Taste / Flavor
  10. 맛있어요 (masisseoyo) — It’s delicious
  11. 매워요 (maewoyo) — It’s spicy
  12. 안 매워요 (an maewoyo) — It isn’t spicy
  13. 고기 (gogi) — Meat
  14. 채소 (chaeso) — Vegetables
  15. 김치 (gimchi) — Kimchi
  16. 빵 (ppang) — Bread
  17. 포장 (pojang) — Takeout / To go
  18. 계산 (gyesan) — Bill / Payment
  19. 카드 (kadeu) — Card
  20. 현금 (hyeongeum) — Cash

밥 (bap) literally refers to cooked rice, but in everyday Korean it can also mean a meal in general.

밥 먹었어요? (Bap meogeosseoyo?)
Natural meaning: “Have you eaten?”

Here are a few useful combinations:

  • 이거 주세요. — “I’ll have this, please.”
  • 안 매워요? — “Is it not spicy?”
  • 맛있어요. — “It’s delicious.”
  • 포장돼요? (Pojang dwaeyo?) — “Can I get this to go?”

A common beginner mistake is treating 주세요 exactly like the English word “please” and adding it anywhere. In Korean, it normally follows the item or action you are requesting. 물 주세요 and 이거 주세요 sound natural.

4. Korean Words for Shopping and Transportation

These words are worth memorizing before traveling around Korea because you will see or hear many of them in stations, shops, markets, airports, and taxis.

  1. 얼마 (eolma) — How much
  2. 원 (won) — Korean won
  3. 가게 (gage) — Store / Shop
  4. 시장 (sijang) — Market
  5. 사이즈 (saijeu) — Size
  6. 큰 (keun) — Big / Large
  7. 작은 (jageun) — Small
  8. 버스 (beoseu) — Bus
  9. 지하철 (jihacheol) — Subway
  10. 택시 (taeksi) — Taxi
  11. 기차 (gicha) — Train
  12. 공항 (gonghang) — Airport
  13. 역 (yeok) — Station
  14. 표 (pyo) — Ticket
  15. 교통카드 (gyotongkadeu) — Transit card
  16. 입구 (ipgu) — Entrance
  17. 출구 (chulgu) — Exit
  18. 왼쪽 (oenjjok) — Left
  19. 오른쪽 (oreunjjok) — Right
  20. 직진 (jikjin) — Straight ahead

When shopping, this one sentence can do a lot of work:

이거 얼마예요? (Igeo eolmayeyo?)
Natural meaning: “How much is this?”

For directions, recognizing 왼쪽, 오른쪽, 직진, and 출구 can be more important than speaking a long sentence.

You might hear:

2번 출구로 나가세요. (I-beon chulguro nagaseyo.)
“Go out through Exit 2.”

Subway exits are commonly used as location reference points in Korea, so checking the correct exit number before leaving a station can save you a lot of walking.

5. Basic Korean Verbs and Useful Action Words

Nouns help you identify things. Verbs help you actually build conversations. For beginners, learning the polite -요 form can be especially useful because that is what you will often hear in everyday speech.

  1. 가요 (gayo) — Go
  2. 와요 (wayo) — Come
  3. 먹어요 (meogeoyo) — Eat
  4. 마셔요 (masyeoyo) — Drink
  5. 봐요 (bwayo) — See / Watch
  6. 사요 (sayo) — Buy
  7. 있어요 (isseoyo) — There is / I have
  8. 없어요 (eopseoyo) — There isn’t / I don’t have
  9. 해요 (haeyo) — Do
  10. 좋아해요 (joahaeyo) — Like
  11. 필요해요 (piryohaeyo) — Need
  12. 기다려요 (gidaryeoyo) — Wait
  13. 타요 (tayo) — Ride / Take
  14. 내려요 (naeryeoyo) — Get off
  15. 열어요 (yeoreoyo) — Open
  16. 닫아요 (dadayo) — Close
  17. 더 (deo) — More
  18. 조금 (jogeum) — A little
  19. 많이 (mani) — A lot
  20. 빨리 (ppalli) — Quickly / Fast

You may see verbs listed in dictionaries as forms such as 먹다 (meokda), meaning “to eat.” In everyday polite conversation, however, you are much more likely to hear 먹어요.

  • 저녁 먹어요. — “I’m eating dinner” or “Let’s have dinner,” depending on context.
  • 커피 마셔요. — “I drink coffee” or “I’m having coffee.”

있어요 and 없어요 are particularly useful because they can talk about both existence and possession.

와이파이 있어요? (Waipai isseoyo?)
Natural meaning: “Do you have Wi-Fi?” or “Is there Wi-Fi?”

Notice that Korean often leaves out subjects such as “I,” “you,” and “it” when the meaning is obvious from context. That is one reason even very short Korean sentences can sound natural.

Quick Practice

1. Fill in the blank

You are at a café and want some water.

물 ______.

  • A. 있어요
  • B. 주세요
  • C. 맞아요

2. Choose the natural response

A restaurant employee asks whether you need anything else, but you do not.

  • A. 괜찮아요.
  • B. 왜요?
  • C. 빨리요.

3. Choose the correct sentence

You want to ask the price of something in a shop.

  • A. 이거 얼마예요?
  • B. 이거 어디 가요?
  • C. 이거 맛있어요?

Answers

1. B — 주세요
물 주세요 is a natural way to say “Water, please.”

2. A — 괜찮아요
In this situation, 괜찮아요 naturally means “I’m okay, thank you” or “No, thank you.”

3. A — 이거 얼마예요?
This is one of the most common ways to ask “How much is this?” while pointing to an item.

Conclusion

You do not need to memorize thousands of Korean words before speaking. Start with expressions you will actually use, such as 안녕하세요, 감사합니다, 주세요, 괜찮아요, 얼마예요?, and 있어요?.

Use romanization when you need it, but keep looking at the Hangul and saying the words aloud. Choose ten words from this list today and make simple sentences such as 물 주세요, 화장실 어디예요?, or 이거 얼마예요?. Small phrases like these are often enough to make your first real Korean conversations happen.

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