Taxi Korean Phrases You'll Actually Need

Full Dialogue Walkthrough

A basic ride, one with a mid-route change of plan, and a formal version for a longer trip. Use the "Practice as" toggle to hide your own lines and try saying them before revealing.

See also: 아저씨 (ajusshi) — use with caution

Getting a Taxi: Street, Taxi Stand, or App

You can flag a taxi down on the street or wait at a taxi stand (택시 승강장), but more and more people call one with an app instead — Korean apps like Kakao T (카카오택시), or foreign ones like Uber.

For visitors, the app is the easy route. The payment method you set up in advance — usually a credit card — is charged automatically, and the driver already knows where you're going. The whole conversation can shrink to a greeting at the start and a thank-you at the end, which takes most of the pressure off if your Korean is still shaky.

About 기사님: it's the right word when you need to call the driver something, but you don't have to address the driver at all. Plenty of passengers just say 안녕하세요, give the destination, and say 감사합니다 on the way out.

Fares are set by each city, so taxis outside Seoul differ slightly. On the bus instead? See how to ride a bus in Seoul.

If the formal thank-you feels stiff, 감사합니다 (kamsahamnida) explains when a lighter 고마워요 is fine.

The same Kakao T app also rents electric bikes, but for visitors the city's own bikes are cheaper — see how to rent a 따릉이.

International Taxi, Big Taxis and "Uber Taxi"

Seoul also runs a taxi service for visitors who'd rather not deal with Korean at all: 인터내셔널 택시 (International Taxi), started in 2009. Drivers speak English, Japanese or Chinese, and you can book by phone at 1644-2255 or online (online bookings at least 24 hours ahead). It costs more — in the city it's the meter fare plus 20% — and trips between Seoul and Incheon Airport have fixed fares by zone, about 70,000–95,000 won for a standard car. Some cars are larger vehicles and SUVs, handy if you have a lot of luggage.

Regular taxis don't all look alike. Seoul chose a signature color for taxis in 2009 and began putting it on new cabs in 2010 — 꽃담황토색, an orange-ocher known as the 해치택시 color after the city's symbol — and since January 2021 new company taxis may also be white or silver. The silver cab above is a 개인택시 (look for the 서울 개인 mark on the door). So the roof light is a better guide than the color.

Look at the license plate, too. Regular private cars have white plates, but 영업용 (yeongeopyong) vehicles, the ones that earn money on the road such as taxis, have yellow plates. Private electric cars have blue plates, yet an electric taxi like the one above still wears yellow, because it's a working car first.

If there are several of you or you have a lot of luggage, you can call a larger van-type taxi through an app like 카카오 T (kakao T) instead of hoping one passes on the street.

You may also see 우버 택시 (ubeo taeksi, Uber Taxi) on the side of a cab. It's a regular licensed taxi, not a ride-share car. Korean law bans carrying paying passengers in private cars, so the ride-sharing service you might know from home isn't available in Korea — the Uber app here calls taxis.

Giving Your Destination

Addressing the Driver

기사님 (gisanim, "driver" + honorific 님) is the standard, respectful way to address a taxi driver — far more natural than 아저씨, which that page covers as a riskier default.

Paying and Wrapping Up

Common Mistakes

Free Printable: Travel Phrase Cards

• 22 cut-out cards with the Korean line in big type, romanization and English: taxi, shopping, convenience store, directions and emergencies.
• A card with the emergency numbers 119, 112 and 1330 as listed on our emergency-numbers guide.
• Print, cut along the lines and keep a few in your phone case — or just show the Korean line to the driver or cashier.

Related Knowledge

• 아저씨 (ajusshi) — use with caution
• 수고했어 (sugohaesseo) — good work today
• Ordering Food in Korean
• Post office phrases