Beginner · Travel Korean
Shopping in Korean: ask the price, choose a quantity and pay
Follow a simple shopping conversation in Korean, with price questions, counters, payment phrases and practice answers.
A small purchase, from the first question to the receipt
You have found a notebook you like, but you want to check the price before buying two. That small task gives you a useful first shopping conversation: point to an item, ask the price, say how many you want, and listen at the checkout.
Start with the complete phrases below. You do not need to master every counter or verb ending before using them. Read the Hangul, play each phrase, and practise changing one detail at a time. The prices in this lesson are invented for practice; they are not current store prices.
Ask what this item costs
| Korean | Natural English | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| 이거 얼마예요? | How much is this? | You indicate one item or product. |
| 하나에 얼마예요? | How much is one? | You need the price per item. |
| 두 개에 얼마예요? | How much is it for two? | You are checking the price for two items. |
| 전부 얼마예요? | How much is everything? | You want the total for your selection. |
이거 means “this thing” in everyday speech. Make the reference clear by pointing politely or holding up the item. 얼마예요 asks the price here. Its ending is 예요, so write 얼마예요, not 얼마에요. You may also hear 이게 얼마예요?; 이게 is a shortened form of 이것이.
하나에 asks about one unit; 두 개에 asks about two. That distinction matters when a sign lists a bundle price. A number you hear is easier to interpret if you first establish whether it is for one item or the whole selection.
Use one number system for prices and another for quantities
| Written amount | Say it in Korean | Parts to recognise |
|---|---|---|
| ₩1,000 | 천 원 | 천 = one thousand |
| ₩2,500 | 이천오백 원 | 이천 = two thousand; 오백 = five hundred |
| ₩5,000 | 오천 원 | 오천 = five thousand |
| ₩10,000 | 만 원 | 만 = ten thousand |
Prices use Sino-Korean numbers followed by 원, the Korean currency unit. For a simple item quantity with 개, use the native Korean counting forms: 한 개, 두 개, 세 개, 네 개. Compare “two items,” 두 개, with “two thousand won,” 이천 원.
개 is useful for many objects, but Korean also has more specific counters. For example, clothing can be counted with 벌 and books with 권. At this stage, keep a few complete combinations you actually need. The two number systems guide explains the wider pattern.
If you cannot catch the amount, ask 가격을 써 주세요. — “Please write the price.” Seeing the digits is a useful check, not a failure to communicate.
Choose an item or ask about another size
| Korean | Meaning | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 이거 두 개 주세요. | Two of these, please. | Name the item and quantity before 주세요. |
| 다른 색 있어요? | Do you have another colour? | 색 means colour. |
| 더 큰 사이즈 있어요? | Do you have a bigger size? | 더 큰 means bigger. |
| 입어 봐도 돼요? | May I try it on? | Ask before trying on clothing. |
| 잠깐 볼게요. | I will have a quick look. | Useful when you are still browsing. |
주세요 makes the request polite. If you change your mind about the quantity, make the correction explicit: 두 개 말고 한 개 주세요. — “One, rather than two, please.” Saying a second number on its own may leave the assistant unsure whether you are adding an item or changing the order.
입어 봐도 돼요? asks permission; it does not assume that every item can be tried on. The answer may depend on the item and shop. For more ways to ask about permitted actions, continue with -아/어도 돼요 after this lesson.
Buy two notebooks
| Speaker | Korean | English |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | 이거 얼마예요? | How much is this? |
| Assistant | 하나에 이천오백 원이에요. | It is 2,500 won each. |
| Customer | 그럼 두 개 주세요. | Then two, please. |
| Assistant | 네, 전부 오천 원이에요. | Okay, it is 5,000 won altogether. |
| Customer | 카드로 결제할 수 있어요? | Can I pay by card? |
| Assistant | 네. 봉투 필요하세요? | Yes. Do you need a bag? |
| Customer | 아니요, 괜찮아요. 영수증은 주세요. | No, thank you. I would like the receipt, though. |
This is a fictional stationery-shop exchange. 그럼 connects the price information to the decision: “then” or “in that case.” The customer asks about card payment before assuming it is available.
In the last line, 괜찮아요 answers the immediately preceding bag question. It means that a bag is not needed here. The next sentence makes the separate receipt request clear. Do not memorise 괜찮아요 as a universal “no”; elsewhere it can mean “It is okay” or “That works.”
Recognise two checkout questions
| What you may hear | What it asks | A clear reply |
|---|---|---|
| 봉투 필요하세요? | Do you need a bag? | 네, 주세요. — Yes, please. / 아니요, 괜찮아요. — No, thank you. |
| 영수증 드릴까요? | Would you like a receipt? | 네, 주세요. — Yes, please. |
봉투 is a bag or envelope; at this checkout it refers to a shopping bag. 영수증 is a receipt. Listen for that noun before answering. The assistant’s wording can vary, so these are useful examples rather than a script that every shop follows.
If you want to check whether a bag costs extra, ask 봉투는 얼마예요? — “How much is the bag?” Do not infer that it is free from the offer alone. To request a receipt without waiting for a question, say 영수증 주세요.
You may hear a fast, shortened reply. Ask 다시 말씀해 주세요. — “Please say that again.” You can also point to the amount on a screen and repeat the number as a question to confirm it.
Check the purchase from beginning to end
- Ask the price of the item you are holding.
- One item costs 2,500 won. What is the total for two in this example, and how do you say it?
- Choose 둘 개 or 두 개 for “two items.”
- You first asked for two, but now want one. Make the correction clearly.
- The assistant asks 봉투 필요하세요? You do not need one. Reply politely.
- You want a receipt. Which word do you need: 봉투 or 영수증?
- You did not understand the spoken price. Ask to see it in writing.
Check the answers and explanations
- 이거 얼마예요? Make it clear which item 이거 refers to.
- ₩5,000: 오천 원. Two at 2,500 each gives 5,000.
- 두 개. 둘 becomes 두 before the counter 개.
- 두 개 말고 한 개 주세요. The correction replaces two with one.
- 아니요, 괜찮아요. In response to this bag question, it means “No, thank you.”
- 영수증: 영수증 주세요. 봉투 is the bag or envelope.
- 가격을 써 주세요. You can then check whether the amount is per item or the total.
Practise the notebook dialogue twice. First buy one item; then buy three. Say both the quantity and the correct total. After the words become comfortable, listen to the assistant’s lines without reading the English and identify only the price, bag question, and receipt question.
A small listening check
Pronunciation help: Listen for the item being offered
First identify 영수증 or 봉투, then decide how to reply. You do not have to analyse every part of the polite service expression to understand this checkout question.
Listen and choose
Play the sound, then select the Korean you heard. The answer buttons unlock after playback. This is one short practice item, not a pronunciation assessment.
Listen before choosing.
Reference and the next useful step
- How to Study Korean: price and quantity questions — Further explanation of 얼마, 몇 with counters, and the shortened form 이게.
Reviewed September 3, 2026. Found a mistake? Send a correction.
For your next travel conversation, try asking for directions. Both tasks become easier when you ask one clear question and check the key detail in the reply.