Korean Shopping Phrases You Actually Need (Online or In-Store)
The handful of Korean words and phrases that get you through checking a size, asking the price, and paying — whether you're on a Korean site or standing in a Seoul store.
You don’t need fluent Korean to shop confidently — on a Korean site or in an actual store in Seoul. A small, specific set of words covers most of what actually comes up: checking a size, asking a price, paying, and knowing when something’s out of stock. That’s this list.
The one phrase to know before any of the others
If you learn nothing else, learn 얼마예요 (eolmayeyo) — “how much is it?” It works standing at a counter pointing at something, and it works as the mental translation the moment you see a price tag written only in Korean. Everything else on this list is useful; this one is essential.
Sizes and trying things on
사이즈 (saijeu) is the word you’ll see on every clothing and shoe listing, almost always followed by a number or a letter — but Korean sizing runs differently from US/UK/EU sizing, so the number alone won’t tell you much. If you’re shopping in person, “이거 입어봐도 돼요?” (igeo ibeobwado dwaeyo?) — “can I try this on?” — is the phrase that gets you into a fitting room without any more vocabulary than that.
Prices and discounts
Beyond 얼마예요, the other word worth knowing is 할인 (harin), discount — it shows up constantly in sale banners and listing titles, usually with a percentage attached (e.g. “20% 할인” means 20% off). On Korean shopping sites, spotting 할인 in a title is usually faster than trying to parse the rest of the listing to find out if something’s actually on sale.
At the checkout
계산 (gyesan) literally means “to calculate,” but in a shop it means payment or checkout — “계산해 주세요” (gyesanhae juseyo) is simply “I’d like to pay.” If you want something bagged or gift-wrapped, ask for 포장 (pojang), packaging — “포장해 주세요” (pojanghae juseyo) covers both a simple bag and asking for something to be gift-wrapped.
If it’s sold out
품절 (pumjeol) means sold out, and it’s one of the most common words you’ll run into browsing Korean shopping sites — a listing marked 품절 isn’t gone for good, it’s just waiting on a restock, so it’s worth checking back rather than assuming the item’s discontinued.
Quick reference
Everything from this post, in one place:
- 얼마예요 (eolmayeyo) — “How much is it?”
- 사이즈 (saijeu) — Size
- 이거 입어봐도 돼요? (igeo ibeobwado dwaeyo?) — “Can I try this on?”
- 할인 (harin) — Discount
- 계산해 주세요 (gyesanhae juseyo) — “I’d like to pay” / “Check out, please”
- 포장해 주세요 (pojanghae juseyo) — “Please wrap/bag this”
- 품절 (pumjeol) — Sold out
Worth remembering
None of this requires fluency — it’s six words and two short phrases, and together they cover checking a size, asking a price, spotting a discount, paying, and knowing whether something’s actually available. That’s most of what a shopping trip actually needs.