Public space in Korea runs on a closed set of about fifty-five signs, and because Hangul is phonetic you can read every one of them the week you learn the alphabet. The two that matter most on day one: 당기시오 means pull and 미시오 means push. After that come 출구 exit, 영업중 open, 계산대 the till, 환승 transfer and 셀프 get it yourself.
There is a specific small humiliation that happens on about day two in Korea. You have learned Hangul. You can read out loud — slowly, but correctly. And then you are standing at a glass door, pushing it, with two Korean words printed at eye level that you can pronounce perfectly and do not understand at all, while someone waits politely behind you.
Signage is a register of its own: compressed, verbless, one word per action. 관계자 외 출입금지 is not a sentence anyone says out loud; it is a rule welded into four blocks. Textbooks teach conversation, and doors do not converse.
The good news is the same as everywhere else: the set is small, fixed and identical nationwide. Learn these once and every shop, station and building in Korea becomes readable — permanently.
1 · Doors and directionThe two words that decide whether you look lost
| Sign | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 비상구 | bisanggu | Emergency exit — the green running-man sign |
| 화장실 | hwajangsil | Toilet |
| 남 / 여 | nam / yeo | Men / women |
| 엘리베이터 | ellibeiteo | Lift — also written 승강기 |
| 계단 | gyedan | Stairs |
| 에스컬레이터 | eseukeolleiteo | Escalator |
| 안내 | annae | Information / guidance desk |
| 분실물 | bunsilmul | Lost property |
Notice 구 appearing in 입구, 출구 and 비상구. It comes from the Sino-Korean root meaning opening, and once you spot it, unfamiliar signs ending in 구 become guessable.
2 · Is it open?Shop status
| Sign | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 영업시간 | yeongeopsigan | Opening hours — the line with the numbers |
| 정기휴무 | jeonggihyumu | Regular closing day (usually the same weekday each week) |
| 브레이크 타임 | beureikeu taim | Break time — many restaurants shut between lunch and dinner |
| 오픈 | opeun | Open. 마감 magam is closing time |
The red set
| Sign | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 관계자 외 출입금지 | gwangyeja oe churipgeumji | Staff only — literally no entry except authorised persons |
| 촬영금지 | chwaryeonggeumji | No photography |
| 주차금지 | juchageumji | No parking |
| 공사중 | gongsajung | Under construction |
| 위험 | wiheom | Danger |
| 소화기 | sohwagi | Fire extinguisher |
| 비상시 | bisangsi | In case of emergency |
Tills, takeaway and the word 셀프
| Sign | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 계산 | gyesan | Payment. 계산해 주세요 = the bill, please |
| 현금 / 카드 | hyeongeum / kadeu | Cash / card |
| 영수증 | yeongsujeung | Receipt |
| 무한리필 | muhan ripil | Unlimited refills |
| 교환 / 환불 | gyohwan / hwanbul | Exchange / refund |
| 주문 | jumun | Order. Kiosks say 주문하기, to order |
The convenience-store maths
| Sign | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 세일 | seil | Sale |
| 마감할인 | magamharin | End-of-day discount on fresh food |
| 증정 | jeungjeong | Free gift with purchase |
| 품절 | pumjeol | Sold out |
| 신상 | sinsang | New product (short for 신상품) |
1+1 is read aloud as won peulleoseu won and is a genuine institution — the second item is identical and free, and Korean convenience stores run these constantly.
6 · SubwayGates, transfers and the last train
| Sign | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 개찰구 | gaechalgu | Ticket gate |
| 환승 | hwanseung | Transfer to another line |
| 승강장 | seunggangjang | Platform |
| 충전 | chungjeon | Top up (your T-money card) |
| 막차 | makcha | Last train of the night |
| 첫차 | cheotcha | First train |
| 안전선 | anjeonseon | The safety line on the platform |
| 약냉방칸 | yangnaengbangkan | The weak air-conditioning carriage |
| 교통카드 | gyotongkadeu | Transport card |
Why this is the best-value Korean you can learn
Everything above is about fifty-five items. Set against the thousands of words in TOPIK 1 to 6, it looks like nothing. But it is the fifty-five that decide whether an ordinary Tuesday in Seoul feels effortless or exhausting — and unlike conversation, it never varies. The same words, on the same doors, in every city.
And there is something quietly encouraging in it: because Hangul is phonetic, none of this requires years. It requires the alphabet and one focused evening.
Read the sign in front of you, then keep it
Hanguljo starts with Foundation lessons that teach every consonant and vowel with stroke order and native audio, so Hangul stops being decoding and becomes reading. Point your camera at any sign or label and the on-device OCR looks the words up instantly, with images processed on your phone and never uploaded. The 7-stage SRS engine then brings each word back on the day you were about to lose it, the TOPIK 1–6 lessons carry vocabulary, grammar and particles level by level, and the conversation track adds real dialogues with play-along audio and shadowing so you can speak as well as read.
Learn Korean with Hanguljo - FreeQuick reference
- 당기시오 pull · 미시오 push. From 당기다 and 밀다.
- 입구 / 출구 / 비상구 — entrance, exit, emergency exit. The 구 means opening.
- 영업중 / 준비중 / 정기휴무 — open, not open yet, regular closing day. 중 = in progress.
- 금지 + noun = prohibited; 주의 / 조심 + hazard = caution.
- 계산대 till · 포장 takeaway · 셀프 fetch it yourself · 무한리필 unlimited refills.
- 1+1 is buy-one-get-one, read won peulleoseu won.
- 환승 transfer · 충전 top up · 막차 last train.
Frequently asked questions
What do 당기시오 and 미시오 mean?
Pull and push, from 당기다 and 밀다 with the formal written imperative -시오. Newer doors often use 당기세요 and 미세요.
What does 준비중 mean on a shop door?
Preparing — the shop will open shortly and is not closed for the day. Its opposite is 영업중, open for business.
What does 관계자 외 출입금지 mean?
Staff only: entry prohibited except for authorised persons. The reusable block is 금지, which makes a prohibition out of any noun.
What does 셀프 mean in a restaurant?
Self-service. 물은 셀프입니다 means fetch your own water — and usually cups, cutlery and side dishes too.
How much Korean do you need to read signs?
About fifty-five fixed words, all readable the week you learn Hangul, because the alphabet is phonetic and signage is a closed set that never changes.
Keep reading
How to Read a Korean Menu
찌개, 볶음, 구이, 1인분, 반찬 - the words that decode any restaurant in Korea.
The Korean Alphabet in One Sitting
All 40 letters, how syllable blocks work, and why you can read within days.
Free Korean Level Test
24 questions mapped to TOPIK 1 to 6. Find your level in five minutes.