Level 1 · Unit 5 · Getting Around · 7 min

Taxi

Address a taxi driver politely, tell them your destination, ask them to stop, and check the fare.

기사님: the polite way to address your driver

기사님 is how you address a taxi driver (or bus driver) — 기사 means 'driver,' and 님 is an honorific suffix Koreans attach to titles to show respect, the same way you'd hear 사장님 for a shop owner or boss. Say 기사님! to get your driver's attention, the way you'd say 'excuse me' or 'driver' in English. It's always polite, never overly formal.

기사님! gisanim! Excuse me, driver!

Use this the moment you get in the taxi, before giving your destination — it signals you're ready to talk and gets the driver's attention.

~까지 가 주세요: 'please go to [destination]'

까지 means 'up to/as far as,' and 가 주세요 means 'please go' — the same 주세요 pattern you learned for ordering food in Unit 3. Attach 까지 가 주세요 right after any place name to tell a taxi driver exactly where you want to go: 공항까지 가 주세요 ('please go to the airport'). It works for addresses, landmarks, and neighborhood names alike.

홍대까지 가 주세요. hongdaekkaji ga juseyo. Please go to Hongdae.

홍대 (Hongdae) is a popular neighborhood name, but you can swap in any destination — a landmark, a subway station, or a full address.

공항까지 가 주세요. gonghangkkaji ga juseyo. Please go to the airport.

공항 means 'airport.' This exact phrase is one of the most valuable sentences a traveler can memorize.

Ending the ride: 여기서 세워 주세요 and 얼마 나왔어요?

When you've arrived, say 여기서 세워 주세요 ('please stop here') — 세우다 means 'to stop [a vehicle],' using the same 주세요 request pattern. To find out the fare before paying, ask 얼마 나왔어요? ('how much did it come to?') — literally 'how much came out,' referring to the total on the meter.

여기서 세워 주세요. yeogiseo sewo juseyo. Please stop here.

Say this a moment before you actually want to stop, since the driver needs time to pull over safely.

얼마 나왔어요? eolma nawasseoyo? How much did it come to?

You already know 얼마예요? ('how much is it?') from Unit 2 — 얼마 나왔어요? is the version specific to a taxi meter or finished bill.

Kakao T exists, but these phrases still matter

Many people in Korea now book taxis through the Kakao T app, which handles the destination and fare automatically. But you'll still need these phrases for street-hailed taxis, for confirming your stop with the driver, or any time the app isn't working. Knowing how to talk to a 기사님 directly is a survival skill an app can't fully replace.

A full taxi ride, from getting in to paying at the end

기사님, 홍대까지 가 주세요.

gisanim, hongdaekkaji ga juseyo. — Excuse me, please go to Hongdae.

네, 알겠어요.

ne, algesseoyo. — Okay, got it.

여기서 세워 주세요.

yeogiseo sewo juseyo. — Please stop here.

네.

ne. — Okay.

얼마 나왔어요?

eolma nawasseoyo? — How much did it come to?

팔천 원이에요.

palcheon wonieyo. — It's 8,000 won.

카드 돼요?

kadeu dwaeyo? — Does card work?

네, 돼요.

ne, dwaeyo. — Yes, it does.

Say it out loud