How Do You Say Bus and Taxi in Korean?
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · Updated · How we write & review
After this page, you can pronounce 버스 (beoseu) and 택시 (taeksi) like a Korean, and see why each one gains an extra vowel.
10-second answer
How do you say bus and taxi in Korean?
Bus is 버스 (beoseu) and taxi is 택시 (taeksi) in Korean. Both are short, everyday examples of the same rule: a bare final "s" sound isn't a legal way to end a Korean syllable, so a vowel gets added right after it — 으 (eu) for bus, 이 (i) for taxi.
Quick check — did that land?
1. How do you say "bus" in Korean?
버스 타고 가요. 버스 ends with 스; 택시 splits the English x into 택 plus 시.
버스 (Bus)
버스 타고 가요.
beoseu tago gayo.
I go by bus.
타다 (to ride) is the standard verb for buses, taxis, and most vehicles.
버스 정류장이 어디예요?
beoseu jeongnyujang-i eodiyeyo?
Where is the bus stop?
택시 (Taxi)
The English "x" sound is really two sounds squeezed together ("ks") — Korean splits them apart the same way it splits other consonant clusters, landing on 택 (ending in ㄱ) + 시 (carrying the "s" plus a vowel).
택시 불러 주세요.
taeksi bulleo juseyo.
Please call a taxi for me.
택시비가 얼마예요?
taeksibiga eolmayeyo?
How much is the taxi fare?
택시비 (taxi fare) — 비 (bi) means cost/fee, attached to many expense-related words.
Same Rule, Two Short Examples
| Word | English ending | Korean fix |
|---|---|---|
| 버스 (bus) | Bare "-s" | Add 으 after it → -스 |
| 택시 (taxi) | "-x" (="ks") | Split into ㄱ batchim + 시 (si) |
Both words show up constantly in the taxi phrases and travel pages on this site — worth having down cold before you need them on the street.
Taking a bus for the first time? How to ride a bus in Seoul walks through transit cards, free transfers and the announcements you'll hear on board.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Dropping the extra vowel sound
Saying something closer to English "bus" without the trailing 으 can be harder for Korean speakers to catch — 버스 needs that final syllable.
Mistake #2 — Forgetting 타다 for "to ride"
버스를 타요 / 택시를 타요 — 타다 is the go-to verb for getting on transportation, not 가다 (go) alone.
Mini Quiz
2 short questions — about 1 minute
2. Why does "taxi" split into 택 + 시 in Korean?
3. What verb do you use with 버스/택시 for "to ride"?
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Related Knowledge
Learn Next
Taxi Korean Phrases You'll Actually Need
You know the word — now put it to use with the full set of taxi-ride phrases.
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