4 Useful Korean Phrases Helping You in Grocery Checkout

Photo by Jack Sparrow, Pexels

---

APPETIZER

PROLOGUE

 

WHY ARE THIS KOREAN PHRASES USEFUL

First, you would feel less awkward, and finish grocery shopping much faster (Koreans like fast checkout). Second, you need groceries for survival. Tonight, for example, you could run to a supermarket to buy toilet papers in a rush. Third, the cashiers in grocery won’t release you without your interactions about a couple questions. For these reasons, grocery phrases are a must-learn.

 

KOREAN PHRASES for BEGINNERS

Staying in foreign country means you are facing clumsy and awkward moments everyday. Even few trivial questions that cashiers throw in supermarket could depress you.
Even so, grocery checkout can be compared to a “tutorial map” novice gamers do. It could be the most primary place you would master simple binary Korean questions answering “Yes/No”, and get items at the end. Cheers for all Korean learners !!

 

 

 

---

INGREDIENTS

KEY VOCABULARY

Let's get right down to the point. You already know “common questions” given to you in relation to “grocery checkout”. Something like receipt, plastic (or paper) bag, membership and parking might come across your mind. To mention once again, receipt, plastic bag, membership and parking are them.

1. Receipt
2. Plastic bag (paper bag)
3. Membership (number)
4. Parking

Like you see, askable questions in grocery checkout are obvious. First two - receipt & plastic bag - would be asked about surely, while last two - membership & parking - are dependant on situation.
Let me show you Korean words refer four of those words below.

 

1. Yeongsujeung (영수증)
2. Bongtoo (봉투)
3. Point beonho (포인트 번호)
4. Jucha (주차)

 

Four Key Korean Words for Grocery Checkout ⓒkoreanvibe.kr

위 음원은 CLOVA Dubbing으로 제작한 AI 보이스입니다.

 

 

Yeongsujeung(receipt), Bongtoo(plastic bag), Point beonho(membership), Jucha(parking). As long as you can catch these words in listening, what's left is dumping "yes" or "no" simply . 

 

 

---

HEADS UP QUIZ

 

Q. Here, two Korean words are written phonetically borrowing english alphabets. Guess wich one is “receipt”?

1. Yeong-su-jeung

2. Bong-too

Let me give you a little hint...

Q. Well, which one is “receipt” again? 😏

1. Yeong-su-jeung

2. Bondg-too

 

 

 

---

BREAD SPREAD

CULTURAL REVIEW

 

PAID SHOPPING BAG

Plastic bag is not allowed to be given for free to reduce environmental burden in accordance with regulation. In the obeyance to this policy, stores charge for plastic bag. Small stores like Seven-eleven sells normal plastic bag for several ten cents, while big supermarkets provide paid paper bag for 100won, or “general garbage bag” which you need to use for general garbage disposal actually. In the case of 20 liter-big general garbage bag, the price is about 500won ~ 700won each (varies depends on area). Unless you ask for specific type of bag, big mart would get you general garbage bag with a big chance.

THREE TYPES OF DISPOSAL SHOPPING BAG
- Normal plastic bag
- General garbage bag
- Paper bag

 

FYI
Like you noticed, “specific type of bag” is needed for general garbage disposal in Korea, and they are available in any supermarkets.

 

MEMBERSHIP NUMBER

Supermarkets are implementing a membership system these days. For members, they reward points as the amount of one's purchase, and one can redeem cash voucher when the point exceeded certain level.

In Korea, supermarket clerks usually ask like "Do you have a point number?". In this case, the word "number" refers to the mobile phone number which is registered for sign-up. Also, a question asking for this point number (mobile phone number) may take these form:

THREE SAME QUESTIONS ASKING ABOUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP (PHONE) NUMBER
- pointeu beonho iss-euseyo?
- hoewon beonho iss-euseyo?
- (jeonhwa) beonhoga eotteoke doeseyo?

I would say key words you must catch for this question is "point(pointeu)" and/or "beon-ho". "point" is the English word point. "beon-ho" means number, for instance, phone number, card numbe" or account number. Supermarket workers have no other reasons to ask about certain numner to you. "beon-ho" represents your mobile phone number registered in their membership database. Put all your focus on listening to "point" or "beon-ho" during checkout. 

 

GETTING FREE PARKING

Large Korean stores such as department sotres, grocery marts tend to have their own "parking building" which is free only for their customers. Once you park there, you can prove the validity of activities by following their parking system. The system could follow one of describtions below.

HOW YOU CAN GET FREE PARKING
1. Show your receipts issued by any shop in the building on the same day
2. Register your car plate number at the shop you do purchase
3. Getting a specific parking ticket at entrance (a kiosk issues it automatically) and get a "parking stamp" on it from the stores you visit

 

 

 

---

COOKING PROTEIN

MEMORIZING

 

This 39 seconds video is created to help your memorizing. Hope you mind is led to vivid imaginary watching picture and word together on vocabulary picture cards.   

 

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/0SeqNYwKv3M?feature=share 

 

 

---

LAYERING SANDWICH

BEING SITUATED

With your imagination, let us practice supermarket checkout at this step. If not familiar with how to say yes/no in Korean yet, check out the article linked below.

 

How Native Koreans Say YES or No in Korean

 

 

To review real quick, you may say "ne" for "yes", "aniyo" for "no"

 

 

We are going to be asked about (1) receipt (2) plastic bag (3) point number (4) parking in order. 

GROCERY CHECKOUT QUESTION PHRASES 

Would you like a receipt?	Yeongsujeung drillkayo?
Do you need a plastic bag?	Bongtoo pillyohaseyo?
Do you have point number?	Pointeu beonho isseuseyo?
Did you park?	Jucha hasyeossoyo?

 

Read question phrase first, and speak out your answers in Korean. When you are ready...

 

 

Yeong-su-jeung drillkayo?
영수증 드릴까요?

 

Your answer: 

 

Bong-too pill-yo-ha-se-yo?
봉투 필요하세요?

Your answer: 

 

Pointeu beonho iss-euseyo?
포인트 번호 있으세요?

Your answer: 

 

Ju-cha ha-syeo-ss-eoyo ?
주차하셨어요?

Your answer: 

 

 

 

 

---

SUMMARY QUIZ

 

Q1. How would say "receipt" in Korean?

A.

 

Q2. How would say "plastic bag" in Korean?

A.

 

Q3. How would say "membership number" in Korean?

A.

 

Q4. How would say "parking" in Korean?

A.

 

Q5. What does following phrase mean in Korean?

Yeong-su-jeung drillkayo?
영수증 드릴까요?

a. Would you like a receipt?
b. Do you need a plastic bag?
c. Do you have point number?
d. Did you park?

 

 

---

 

RELEVANT ARTICLES

You Can Now Order Any Food in Korea with ONLY ONE phrase

 

Ordering Coffee in Korean | Why google translate MAY NOT work

 

Mastering Korean Money Counting