A few Korean phrases can help you confirm a destination, ask about the journey and request a receipt. Keep the written address available even if you practise saying the place name.
Save the destination’s Korean name and street address before the ride. A spoken place name alone may be ambiguous; show the address and confirm it before departure.
🚕 5 Essential Taxi Phrases in Korean
| Situation | Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telling destination | ___으로 가주세요 | ___ eu-ro ga-ju-se-yo | Please take me to ___ | |
| Stopping | 여기서 세워 주세요 | yeo-gi-seo se-wo ju-se-yo | Please stop here | |
| Turning | 좌회전 / 우회전 해주세요 | jwa-hoe-jeon / u-hoe-jeon hae-ju-se-yo | Turn left / Turn right | |
| Going straight | 직진해 주세요 | jik-jin-hae ju-se-yo | Please go straight | |
| Paying | 카드로 해도 돼요? | ka-deu-ro hae-do dwae-yo? | Can I pay by card? |
💡 Rian's Tip — Grammar: ___으로 / 로
Use 으로 after most final consonants, but 로 after a vowel or final ㄹ: 명동으로, 홍대로, 서울로. 서울역 ends in ㄱ, so 서울역으로 is correct.
Booking and payment
Check the language, payment method and ride type shown in the app before booking. Foreign-card support and the method of payment depend on the service. Kakao Mobility also offers k.ride for international visitors.
Confirm the final destination and any booking fees. An estimate is not a guarantee of the final metered fare, especially when the route or journey time changes.
🌙 Late Night? Know These Phrases
After midnight, taxis can be harder to find and some drivers may refuse short trips. These phrases help:
| Korean | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| 얼마나 걸려요? | How long will it take? | |
| 빨리 가주세요 | Please hurry (can sound pressuring; do not ask for unsafe driving) |
💡 Rian's Tip — 할증이 뭐예요? (What is 할증?)
Before you get in a late-night taxi, you need to know one word: 할증 (hal-jeung) . It literally means "surcharge" — an extra charge added under specified fare rules.
There are two types of surcharges you'll encounter in Seoul:
For standard Seoul medium-sized taxis, the city lists a late-night surcharge from 22:00 to 04:00: 20% from 22:00–23:00 and 02:00–04:00, and 40% from 23:00–02:00. Other taxi categories can have different tariffs. Check the official Seoul taxi fare information for your ride type.
Seoul’s standard tariff includes an out-of-city surcharge, with route exceptions and rules for combining charges. Do not apply one percentage to every airport or intercity trip; check your route and taxi category.
Ask for a receipt if you need to review the charge: 영수증 주세요 — Please give me a receipt. App estimates, tolls and the final fare may differ.
Related posts:
→ "Where is ___?" — The Only Korean Phrase You Need at Incheon Airport
→ Ordering Food in Korea: What to Say at a Korean Restaurant