Korean Grammar Bank

HOW TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS

How to go to school? Where is the cinema?

Today we’re teaching you how to ask and give directions in Korean!

Make sure to also check our lesson on direction particles -로 and -으로.

ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS

To ask for a direction in Korean, you first state the destination you want, and use a question form that generally follows the structure below: 

PATTERN

어느 (which) + 쪽으로 (direction) / 방향으로 (direction) / 길로 (street) + 가면될까요 (should I take)?

Let’s look at some examples:

EXAMPLE 1
동명초등학교로 가려면 어느쪽으로 가면 될까요?
dongmyeongchodeunghakgyoro garyeomyeon eoneujjogeuro gamyeon doelkkayo?
To get to Dong-Myung Elementary School which direction should I take?
EXAMPLE 2
시청에 가려면, 어느 길로 가면 될까요 ?
sicheonge garyeomyeon, eoneu gillo gamyeon doelkkayo ?
To get to the City Hall, which street should I take?

There are also ways to ask for a direction in less specific way, such as:

sicheongeun eodijjeueum issseupnikka?

시청은 어디쯔음 있습니까?

About where is the City Hall?
sicheongeneun eotteohge gamyeon doepnikka?

시청에는 어떻게 가면 됩니까?

How do I get to the City Hall?

GIVING DIRECTIONS

This chapter summarises typical words to learn and their examples used to give directions in Korean:

Let’s start with the four cardinal directions:

NORTHEASTWESTSOUTH
북쪽동쪽서쪽남쪽
Go towards the north:Go towards the east:Go towards the west:Go towards the south:
북쪽으로 가세요.   동쪽으로 가세요.   서쪽으로 가세요.  남쪽으로 가세요.

Then the most common directions:

STRAIGHTLEFTRIGHT
직진
곧장 가다
쭈욱 가다
왼쪽오른쪽
Go straight on this street:Turn left:Turn right:
이길을 따라 직진하세요. 왼쪽으로 돌으세요.
(좌회전 하세요 – typically used for driving directions)
오른쪽으로 돌으세요.
(우회전 하세요 – typically used for driving directions)
이 길을 따라 곧장 가세요. It is on your left:It is on your right:
이 길을 따라 쭈욱 가세요. 왼쪽에 있어요. 오른쪽에 있어요.

Now that the most common directions in Korean are out of the way, let’s see more specific ones:

UPDOWNTHROUGH
위쪽
위로
아래쪽
아래로
지나서
통해서
Go up by this street:Go down by this street:Go through this tunnel:
이 길 위쪽으로 가세요. 이 길 아래쪽으로 가세요. 터널을 지나서 가세요.
터널을 통해서 가세요.
이길 따라 위로 가세요. 이 길 아래로 가세요. Go through the apartment complex
(i.e., between the apartments)
아파트 단지 사이를 지나서 가세요.

More here:

ACROSSSTOPNEXT TO
건너편에
건너에
멈춤
정지
옆에
옆쪽에
The market is across from this street.Stop at this sign.The cinema is next to the market.
상점은 이 길 건너편에 있어요. 이 표시에서 멈추세요. 씨네마는 마트 옆에 있어요.
이 표시에서 정지하세요. 씨네마는 마트 옆쪽에 있어요.

Almost done!

IN FRONT OFBEHINDUNDER
앞에
앞쪽에
뒤에
뒤쪽에
밑으로
아래로
The school is in front of the hospital.The school is behind the hospital.You should go under the bridge.
학교는 병원 앞에 있어요. 학교는 병원 뒤에 있어요. 다리 밑으로 가셔야 되요.
학교는 병원 앞쪽에 있어요. 학교는 병원 뒤쪽에 있어요. 다리 아래로 가셔야 되요.

The last three directions in Korean:

BETWEENPASTINTERSECTION
사이에지나서교차로
The park is between university campus and the financial district.Keep going past the restaurant.Take a left at the intersection.
공원은 대학과 금융가 사이에 있어요. 레스토랑을 지나서 가세요. 교차로에서 왼쪽으로 가세요.

Q&A EXAMPLES

Here are a few more sentence examples in the form of questions and answers, to help you see how it works in a dialogue between two persons.

시청에는 어떻게 가면 될까요?

How do I get to the City Hall?

이 길 쭈욱 따라 가시면 씨네마가 있는데 거기서 왼쪽으로 올라가시면 되요.

If you go down this street, you will see a cinema; there, you take left and go up. 

공원은 어디쯔음 있나요?

About where is the park? 

저 다리 밑을 지나가셔서 오른쪽으로 가세요. 공원은 대학가와 금융가 사이에 있어요.

Go under that bridge and turn right. The park is located between the university campus and the financial district. 

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FAQs

How do you say Left in Korean?

Left in Korean is 왼쪽 (oenjjok).

Examples:

Turn left: 왼쪽으로 돌으세요.

(좌회전 하세요 – typically used for driving directions)

It is on your left: 왼쪽에 있어요.

How do you say Right in Korean?

Right in Korean is 오른쪽 (oreunjjok).

Examples:

Turn right: 오른쪽으로 돌으세요.

(우회전 하세요 – typically used for driving directions)

It is on your right: 오른쪽에 있어요.

How do you say Next to in Korean?

Next to in Korean is 옆에 (yeope) or 옆쪽에 (yeopjjoge).

Examples:

The cinema is next to the market.

씨네마는 마트 옆에 있어요.

씨네마는 마트 옆쪽에 있어요.

How do you say Between in Korean?

Between in Korean is 사이에 (sa i e).

Example:

공원은 대학과 금융가 사이에 있어요.

The park is between university campus and the financial district.

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