Hello there~ Today, we’ll learn about the way to say “please” in Korean. “Please” is probably one of the most important words. As I talked about in the previous article about ways to say dad or mom, it’s always best to be too polite than not enough.
“Please” in Korean and in English are quite different, and we will go over the differences and ways to say please or request something politely in Korean.
Note : The romanization will be written in this article, but I highly recommend you learn Hangul if you haven’t already! Please read the article to learn about reasons why it’s important not to rely on romanization too much if you’re serious about learning Korean.
Table of Contents
How to say Please in Korean
Saying “please” in Korean doesn’t go the same way as you would in English. There is no direct translation for the word “please” from English to Korean.
제발 is not “Please”
As you may already know, there is the word 제발 (je-bal) that is often indicated as a direct translation of the word please. We will see later in the article that they are very different.
And since there is no direct translation of the word please to use in usual sentences, you might be wondering : how do I say please, then ?
Well, in Korean, “please” is implied in expressions and grammar usage. Since Korean has various levels of politeness in the language, the sense of “please” is easily implied without needing more.
To make it easier for you, we will cover the simplest ways to say “please” in Korean in this article.
Using 주다 to say Please
The simplest way to request something politely in Korean (and implying “please”) is to use the verb 주다 (ju-da – to give). The most common form of it that you probably have heard a lot already is “주세요”(ju-se-yo), but many others exist, and you can use them too!
Noun + 주다
- 주스 주세요 (ju-seu ju-se-yo) = (Give me) Juice, please
- 하나 주세요 (ha-na ju-se-yo) = (Give me) One, please
아/어 + 주다
You can also use 주다 (ju-da) with a verb to say things like “Please open the door”, “Please show me”.
- 보여 주세요 (Bo-yeo ju-se-yo) – Please show me.
- 보여 줘요 (Bo-yeo jweo-yo) – Show me, please.
- 보여 주시겠어요? (Bo-yeo ju-si-ge-sseo-yo?) – Would you please show me?
- 문 열어 주세요 (Mun yeo-reo ju-se-yo) – Please open the door.
- 문 열어 줘요 (Mun yeo-reo jweo-yo) – Open the door, please.
- 문 열어 주시겠어요? (Mun yeo-reo ju-si-ge-sseo-yo?) – Would you please open the door?
As you an see, you have conjugate 주다 to the level of politeness required. But let’s see the most common ones together!
Formal Korean for “Please”
주십시오 (ju-sip-sio)
This form is a very formal ending in Korean. You won’t use it with your friends and people you’ve known for a while, but you can frequently see it in written Korean.
- 조용히 해주십시오 (jo-yong-hi hae-ju-sib-sio) = Please be quiet
Note : Talking about formal Korean for Please, there is also the form “주시기 바랍니다” that you can hear often in announcements (for example in the subway station). This form is also requesting you politely to do something.
Standard Korean for “Please”
주세요 (juseyo)
This is the usual and most often used way to say “please” in Korean. You will use it a lot when you speak Korean, so remember it well!
You can use it in the taxi, in the bus, in the restaurant, and in many other situations.
Note : Adding -세요(se-yo) to a verb stem is a way to make a command. When you don’t include 주다(ju-da) , you’re simply telling somebody to do something. By adding 주다(ju-da) , you ask for a service.
- 문 열어 주세요 (mun yeo-leo ju-se-yo) = Open the door, please
- 이 주소로 가주세요 (i ju-so-lo ka-ju-se-yo) = Go to this address please (showing a paper)
- 좀 도와주세요 (jom do-wa-ju-se-yo) = Please help me.
주시겠어요 (jusigesseoyo)
This version is more polite than 주세요 (ju-se-yo), but you’ll also hear it often. If you want to be more polite in any situation, you can safely use 주시겠어요 (ju-si-gess-eo-yo).
- 문을 열어 주시겠어요? (mun-eul yeo-reo ju-si-gess-eo-yo?) = Would you open the door?
- 사진을 찍어 주시겠어요? (sa-jin-eul jjig-eo ju-si-gess-eo-yo?) = Could you take a photo?
Casual Korean for “Please”
줘 / 줘요
You can use 줘 (casual) or 줘요 (casual polite) with people who are close to you. 줘 is the most casual way.
- 고기 사 줘 (go-gi sa-jweo) = Please buy me meat~
Softening a request with 좀
좀 (jom) is a word that is often used when you make requests in Korean (but not only).
It’s the shortened version of 조금(jo-geum), that you can use in spoken language to mean “a little”. But you can also use it to soften your request.
제발 = Please ?
Okay so what does 제발(je-bal) mean exactly ? As we saw in the introduction of this article, another word to say “please” in Korean would be 제발(je-bal). But this one is used in specific situations.
You’ll use it when you’re desperate, making a strong request, or begging for something.
- 제발 믿어 주세요. (je-bal mid-eo ju-se-yo) – Please believe me.
- 제발 조금만 기다려 주세요. (je-bal jo-geum-man gi-da-ryeo ju-se-yo) – Please wait just a little bit.
- 제발 이러지 마요. (je-bal i-reo-ji ma-yo) = Please don’t do that.
Usually, it’s used in rather negative situations, so you shouldn’t use it as a casual way to say “please”, because it is not.
Wrap Up
So that is it for now! Mastering the art of saying “please” in Korean involves understanding the cultural nuances and linguistic expressions that convey politeness and respect. And I hope I could give you some understanding of how to say Please in Korean!
Happy learning~~
