Korean Shopping Phrases: From 구경 Browsing to Checkout
The one Korean shopping phrase to memorize first is 그냥 구경하고 있어요 ("just browsing"), which politely waves off the staff member who greets you at the door. From there you need a fitting-room script (입어 봐도 돼요?), a sizing vocabulary (커요/작아요), and a checkout script for the rapid-fire questions Korean cashiers ask about points cards and receipts.
Most Korean phrasebooks teach you 얼마예요 ("how much is it") and call the shopping chapter done. That's the easy 5% of the interaction. The hard 95% is everything around it: the staff member who greets you the second you cross the threshold, the fitting room negotiation, and the cashier who fires three rapid questions at you before you've even tapped your card. None of it is hard Korean. It's just Korean nobody teaches you until you're standing there, receipt in hand, not sure if you just agreed to a store credit card.
This is the actual script — the phrases that get you from walking in the door to walking out with the right size, the right receipt, and your dignity intact.
The browsing shield: how to say 'just looking' and mean it
Korean retail staff greet every customer, usually within two seconds of the door chime — it's trained, not personal. If you don't want help yet, you need a phrase ready before you're three steps in, or you'll end up trailed around a rack of sweaters by someone waiting for you to commit.
그냥 구경하고 있어요
geu-nyang gu-gyeong-ha-go i-sseo-yo
I'm just browsing
the default deflection — polite, closes the conversation
필요하면 부를게요
pi-ryo-ha-myeon bu-reul-ge-yo
I'll call you if I need something
add this if they linger after the first no
저기요
jeo-gi-yo
excuse me (to get staff attention)
use this later, when you actually want them
이거 얼마예요?
i-geo eol-ma-ye-yo?
how much is this?
the one everyone already knows — still useful
Fitting room and sizing: the clothes-shopping script
Korean clothing stores generally keep fitting rooms behind the counter or curtained off — you ask before you go in, not after. Sizing itself runs on Korean numbers (55, 66, 77 for women's wear; S/M/L increasingly common in younger brands), so the fit-adjustment phrases below matter more than memorizing a size chart that changes store to store.
입어 봐도 돼요?
i-beo bwa-do dwae-yo?
may I try this on?
ask before heading to the fitting room
사이즈 있어요?
sa-i-jeu i-sseo-yo?
do you have (my) size?
point at the item first — this alone is enough
좀 커요
jom keo-yo
it's a bit big
say this once you're out of the fitting room
좀 작아요
jom ja-ga-yo
it's a bit small
pairs with 다른 사이즈로 주세요 below
If something doesn't fit, don't just hand it back silently — that reads as "never mind, I don't want it." Say 다른 사이즈로 주세요 (da-reun sa-i-jeu-ro ju-se-yo, "a different size please") and staff will usually disappear into a back room and return with three more to try. This is normal service, not an imposition.
Checkout decoded: the questions that catch every beginner
The transaction itself isn't the hard part. It's the two or three automatic questions Korean cashiers ask before you've paid — asked fast, in the same breath, often while already reaching for the bag. Miss them and you'll nod along to something you didn't understand.
- 포인트 카드 있으세요? (po-in-teu ka-deu i-sseu-se-yo?) — "Do you have a points card?" A store loyalty card question, not a credit check. 없어요 (eop-seo-yo, "I don't have one") ends it instantly.
- 현금영수증 하시겠어요? (hyeon-geum-yeong-su-jeung ha-si-ge-sseo-yo?) — "Would you like a cash receipt?" Only fires if you're paying cash; it's a tax-deduction receipt tied to your phone number, and 괜찮아요 (gwaen-cha-na-yo, "I'm okay") declines it cleanly.
- 봉투 필요하세요? (bong-tu pi-ryo-ha-se-yo?) — "Do you need a bag?" Plastic bags cost extra by law almost everywhere in Korea now, so this gets asked every time.
- 교환/환불 되나요? (gyo-hwan/hwan-bul doe-na-yo?) — "Can I exchange/refund this?" Your line if you need to come back later — keep the receipt, most stores give 7 days, tags on.
어서 오세요! 뭐 찾으시는 거 있으세요?
eo-seo o-se-yo! mwo cha-jeu-si-neun geo i-sseu-se-yo?
Welcome! Are you looking for anything specific?
아니요, 그냥 구경하고 있어요!
a-ni-yo, geu-nyang gu-gyeong-ha-go i-sseo-yo!
No, just browsing!
네, 편하게 보세요~ 필요하시면 불러주세요.
ne, pyeon-ha-ge bo-se-yo~ pi-ryo-ha-si-myeon bul-leo-ju-se-yo.
Sure, take your time. Call me if you need anything.
저기요, 이거 입어 봐도 돼요?
jeo-gi-yo, i-geo i-beo bwa-do dwae-yo?
Excuse me — can I try this on?
그럼요, 사이즈 몇이세요?
geu-reom-yo, sa-i-jeu myeo-chi-se-yo?
Of course — what size are you?
Market vs. department store: where 깎아 주세요 lives and dies
This is the part that trips up learners who've only shopped in one kind of place: haggling exists in Korea, but it's zoned. The phrase 깎아 주세요 (kka-kka ju-se-yo, "please give me a discount") is a completely normal sentence at a traditional market and a genuinely awkward one at a department store, where it will get you a polite, slightly confused "죄송하지만 정가예요" (sorry, but it's fixed price).
| Department store / mall | Traditional market (시장) | |
|---|---|---|
| 깎아 주세요 (discount please) | Don't. Scanned barcode, fixed price, said with a straight face. | Fair game — especially on produce, and stronger with volume: "두 개 사면 깎아 주세요" (buy two, discount please). |
| 덤 (bonus extra) | Doesn't exist. You get exactly what's printed on the receipt. | Common — an extra garlic clove, one more rice cake, thrown in without asking. Say thank you, don't request it directly. |
| Prices | Fixed tags, no negotiation expected of you or the staff. | Often handwritten or unmarked — the number is a starting offer, not a fact. |
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'just looking' in Korean?
그냥 구경하고 있어요 (geu-nyang gu-gyeong-ha-go i-sseo-yo). It's the standard, polite way to decline help from staff who greet you at the door — completely normal in Korean retail, not a brush-off. Add 필요하면 부를게요 ("I'll call you if I need something") if they linger.
Can I bargain in Korean department stores?
No — prices are fixed and scanned, and asking 깎아 주세요 (discount please) will just get a polite "it's a fixed price" in return. Bargaining is a traditional-market thing, not a mall thing; keep the haggling script for 시장, not 백화점.
What does 포인트 카드 있으세요? mean at checkout?
"Do you have a points/loyalty card?" It's asked at nearly every register, cash or card. If you don't have one, 없어요 ("I don't have one") ends the question immediately — no follow-up needed.
How do I ask to try something on in a Korean store?
입어 봐도 돼요? (i-beo bwa-do dwae-yo?), "may I try this on?" Ask before heading toward the fitting room — many Korean stores keep them staffed or curtained off, so it's a request, not a self-serve situation.
What is 덤 in Korean shopping culture?
덤 (deom) is a small bonus item — an extra piece of fruit, one more rice cake — that traditional-market vendors throw in for free, especially for repeat customers. It's a goodwill gesture, not something you ask for; requesting it defeats the point.
How do I ask for a refund or exchange in Korean?
교환/환불 되나요? (gyo-hwan/hwan-bul doe-na-yo?), "can I exchange/get a refund on this?" Bring the receipt and keep tags attached — most Korean stores give about 7 days, and staff will ask for the 영수증 (receipt) before anything else.