Learn How to Ask for Things and Order Food in Korean

In Lesson 5, you learned some useful polite expressions in Korean.

You practiced expressions such as:

감사합니다. (Thank you.)
죄송합니다. (I’m sorry.)
저기요. (Excuse me.)
천천히 말해 주세요. (Please speak slowly.)
다시 한 번 말해 주세요. (Please say it again.)

Today, we will learn more about 주세요.

주세요 is one of the most useful expressions you can use in Korea.

You can use it to ask for something, order a drink or food, and ask someone to do something.

Quick Review: Lesson 5

Do you remember these expressions from Lesson 5?

천천히 말해 주세요.
Please speak slowly.

다시 한 번 말해 주세요.
Please say it again.

You already used 주세요!

Today, we will learn how to use 주세요 in more situations.

Lesson Goal, using 주세요(Juseyo)

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Understand how to use 주세요.
Ask for something politely.
Ask someone to do something politely.
Order a drink at a café.
Order food at a restaurant.
Use 잔 and 인분 when ordering.

Today’s Key Expressions

There are two useful ways to use 주세요.

1. Noun + 주세요

Use Noun + 주세요 when you want to ask for something.

Korean	English
물 주세요.	Water, please.
커피 주세요.	Coffee, please.
불고기 주세요.	Bulgogi, please.

For example:

물 주세요.
Water, please.

커피 주세요.
Coffee, please.

It’s simple!

If you know the Korean word for what you want, add 주세요.

2. Verb + 주세요

Use Verb + 주세요 when you politely ask someone to do something.

Korean	English
읽어 주세요.	Please read it.
말해 주세요.	Please say it.
기다려 주세요.	Please wait.

You already learned this expression in Lesson 5:

천천히 말해 주세요.
Please speak slowly.

Now you know that 주세요 can be used with both nouns and verbs.

Today’s Key Vocabulary

Today, we will learn some Korean numbers and two useful counters:

1. Korean Numbers

Korean has two number systems:

Pure Korean numbers
Sino-Korean numbers

We use both systems in everyday Korean.

For today, let’s learn the numbers from 1 to 10.

Number	Pure Korean	Before a Counter	Sino-Korean
1	하나	한	일
2	둘	두	이
3	셋	세	삼
4	넷	네	사
5	다섯	다섯	오
6	여섯	여섯	육
7	일곱	일곱	칠
8	여덟	여덟	팔
9	아홉	아홉	구
10	열	열	십

Look at the first four Pure Korean numbers.

When they come before a counter, they change a little.

하나 → 한
둘 → 두
셋 → 세
넷 → 네

For example:

한 잔
one cup/glass

두 잔
two cups/glasses

세 잔
three cups/glasses

네 잔
four cups/glasses

You don’t have to memorize all the numbers at once.

Start with 한, 두, 세, 네.

2. 잔

잔 is a counter used for drinks.

With 잔, we use Pure Korean numbers.

Korean	English
한 잔	one cup/glass
두 잔	two cups/glasses
세 잔	three cups/glasses
네 잔	four cups/glasses

For example:

커피 한 잔
one coffee

차 두 잔
two cups of tea

아이스 아메리카노 세 잔
three iced Americanos

Now let’s add 주세요.

커피 한 잔 주세요.
One coffee, please.

Now you can order a drink in Korean!

3. 인분

인분 is a counter used for servings of food.

You will often hear this word at Korean restaurants.

With 인분, we use Sino-Korean numbers.

Korean	English
일 인분	one serving
이 인분	two servings
삼 인분	three servings
사 인분	four servings

For example:

불고기 일 인분
one serving of bulgogi

불고기 이 인분
two servings of bulgogi

Now add 주세요.

불고기 이 인분 주세요.
Two servings of bulgogi, please.

Now you can order food in Korean too!

Speaking Tip

In Korea, 주세요 is one of the words that parents teach their young children.

After words like 엄마 (Mom), 아빠 (Dad), and 맘마 (food), children learn to say 주세요 when they want something.

Parents often teach their children to put their two hands together and say:

주세요.

They are not only teaching the word.

They are also teaching the child to ask for something politely.

Then, after receiving something, children learn another important expression:

감사합니다.
Thank you.

A simple way to remember:

주세요. → 감사합니다.

Ask politely, and say thank you after you receive it.

For Korean learners, 주세요 is also a very useful word.

Even if you don’t know many Korean words yet, you can ask for many things you need with this one expression.

If you know the word for what you want, just add:

주세요!

Maybe after Korean greetings, 주세요 is the first Korean “magic word” that you can use in real life.

Dialogue 1

At a Café

Korean	English
바리스타: 안녕하세요. 어서 오세요.	Barista: Hello. Welcome.
손님: 아아 한 잔 주세요.	Customer: One iced Americano, please.
바리스타: 네, 알겠습니다.	Barista: Sure.

Korean Culture Tip: What Is 아아?

You may hear 아아 at a Korean café.

아아 is short for:

아이스 아메리카노
Iced Americano

Koreans often shorten words when speaking.

So:

아이스 아메리카노 → 아아

If you want to order one iced Americano, you can say:

아아 한 잔 주세요.

Dialogue 2

At a Restaurant

Korean	English
식당 종업원: 어서 오세요.	Server: Welcome.
손님: 불고기 이 인분 주세요.	Customer: Two servings of bulgogi, please.
식당 종업원: 네, 조금만 기다려 주세요.	Server: Sure. Please wait a moment.
손님: 네, 감사합니다.	Customer: Okay. Thank you.

Look at the two sentences with 주세요.

불고기 이 인분 주세요.
Two servings of bulgogi, please.

Here, you are asking for something.

조금만 기다려 주세요.
Please wait a moment.

Here, you are asking someone to do something.

This is why 주세요 is so useful!

Practice 1

Complete the Order

Write the correct Korean number in the blank.

Remember:

잔 → Pure Korean numbers
인분 → Sino-Korean numbers

1.

커피 ______ 잔 주세요. (1)

2.

차 ______ 잔 주세요. (2)

3.

아이스 아메리카노 ______ 잔 주세요. (3)

4.

불고기 ______ 인분 주세요. (2)

5.

비빔밥 ______ 인분 주세요. (3)

6.

불고기 ______ 인분 주세요. (4)

After completing the sentences, read each sentence aloud.

Practice 2

Say It in Korean

Translate each sentence into Korean.

1. Water, please.

2. One coffee, please.

3. Two iced Americanos, please.

4. Two servings of bulgogi, please.

5. Please wait.

6. Please say it again.

7. Please speak slowly.

After writing your answers, read each sentence aloud.

What Can I Say Now?

Check what you can say in Korean.

☐ 물 주세요.

☐ 커피 한 잔 주세요.

☐ 아아 두 잔 주세요.

☐ 불고기 이 인분 주세요.

☐ 기다려 주세요.

☐ 천천히 말해 주세요.

☐ 다시 한 번 말해 주세요.

☐ 감사합니다.

How many could you check?

Practice them a few times out loud.

You don’t need to know a lot of Korean to start speaking Korean.

Start with the words you know and use them.

And today, don’t forget your new go-to word:

주세요!