How to Say ‘Please’ in Korean

When speaking a foreign language, it is always best to be polite. One way to be polite is to say ‘please’. In this article, you will learn how to say ‘please’ in Korean.

Firstly, the way that ‘please’ is used in Korean is very different from how it is used in English. For starters, there are two different ways of saying please. This article focuses on the word used for making requests. The other word, which is used if you are pleading for something, is covered in the bonus section at the end of the article.

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‘Please’ in Korean

 

There isn’t a direct translation for ‘please’ in English into Korean. The politeness in ‘please’ is added into expressions and grammar by using special grammatical forms and vocabulary.

However, for simplicity, we’ll cover one of the common ways to say ‘please’ in Korean when asking for requests.

The Korean equivalent of ‘please give’ is based on the verb 주다 (ju-da) meaning ‘to give’

Using 주다 with a noun, for example saying ‘coffee please’ is simple enough. However, if you want to use it with a verb, such as ‘buy this please’ or ‘go there please’, you need to change the verb as follows:

사다 (to buy) > 사 주다 (sa juda)

가다 (to go) > 가 주다 (ga juda)

돕다 (to help) > 도와 주다 (dowa juda)

하다 (to do) > 해 주다 (hae juda)

Formal ‘Please’ in Korean

1. 주십시오 (jusipsiyo)

This is the highest level of ‘please’ you can use. You might hear this during a speech or a news report.

For example:

잠시만 기다려주십시오 (jamsiman gidaryeo jusipsiyo)

Please wait a moment

2. 주시기 바랍니다 (jusigi baramnida)

A similar phrase that you might hear (especially in announcements) is:

–시기 바랍니다 (shigi baramnida)

Its meaning is slightly different from ‘please’ in the regular sense, so be careful when using it.

Example:

안전선 뒤로 물러나 주시기 바랍니다 (anjeonseon dwiro mulleona jushigi baramnida)

Please step back behind the safety line

 

Standard ‘Please’ in Korean

 

1. 주세요 (juseyo)

This is the usual way of saying ‘please’ in Korean. You can use it in most situations, for example ordering food in a restaurant or asking a taxi driver to take you somewhere.

Examples:

돼지갈비 이인분 주세요 (dwaejigalbi i inbun juseyo)

Two portions of pork ribs please.

서울역으로 가 주세요 (seoulyeokeuro ga juseyo)

Go to Seoul Station please.

2. 주시겠어요 (jushigesseoyo)

This version is standard, but slightly more polite.

If you are speaking to somebody older than you, or meeting somebody for the first time, then you can also use this expression if you want to be more polite.

Example:

좀 도와 주시겠어요? (jom dowa jushigesseoyo)

Will you help me please?

 

Informal ‘Please’ in Korean

 

1. 줘 (jwo)

You can use this word with people who are very close to you, and who are of a similar or younger age than you.

Example:

아이스크림 사 줘 (aiseukeurim sa jwo)

Buy me ice-cream please.

 

A word of caution about Romanization

We’ve added in the Romanization for all of these words to help with pronunciation. However, we recommend that you try to move onto reading comfortably in Hangul (the Korean alphabet), as this will improve your pronunciation and your reading skills. It will also help you notice patterns in words, which will lead you to improve the rate at which you learn new Korean words and grammar points.

You can download a free guide to learn the Korean alphabet in about an hour here.

Learning vocabulary words is a great way to help you learn the basics of a language, but your language learning will only really take off one you start attempting to have conversations in Korean. Take a look at our free list of Korean phrases or our full Korean course for all the help you will need when studying Korean.

Bonus: Pleading and Begging in Korean

Another word that means ‘please’ in Korean is 제발 (jebal). It is used when pleading or begging for something.

Examples:

제발 제발 아빠한테 말하지 마세요 (jebal jebal appahante malhaji maseyo)

Please, please, don’t tell my father.

제발 날 죽이지 마! 미안해! (jebal nal jukijima! mianhae!)

Please don’t kill me! I’m sorry!

 

Now you know how to say ‘please’ in Korean, go ahead and ask for some favors. Just don’t forget to say ‘thank you’ afterwards!

 

*Want more Korean phrases? Go to our Korean Phrases Page for a complete list!

Learn to read Korean and be having simple conversations, taking taxis and ordering in Korean within a week with our FREE Hangeul Hacks series: http://www.90DayKorean.com/learn

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