Korean Location Expressions: Talking About Where Things Are
In this post we’ll cover Korean location expressions. That is, we’ll talk about essential grammar and vocabulary that you’ll need to say where things are. First, we’ll start with an introduction to give you a general idea of the topic. Second, we’ll go right to some very practical applications of this grammar: talking about where you live. After that we’ll turn to some common everyday expressions that involve talking about places and location. Finally, we’ll wrap up with a list of the most common location phrases that you should know as a student of Korean.
Introduction to Korean Location Expressions and Key Grammar
Talking about location in Korean works somewhat differently than in English. Before we jump into the examples, let’s cover some basic concepts you’ll need to know.
Particles
Rather than relying mainly on prepositions such as in, at, and on, Korean uses particles, sometimes combining them with locationwords. Two especially important particles are:
- 에 e (at, in, on, to)
- 에서 eseo (at, in when an action takes place there)
A pair of examples with help show the difference between these two particles. In the first example below, I’m simply at home, so I use the basic or static location particle –에 -e. I’m just talking about my location there, and I’m not referring to any action happening at home. But in the second, I’m talking about an action (watching TV) happening at home, so I use the dynamic location particle –에서 -eseo.
- 저는 집에 있어요.
jeoneun jib-e isseoyo.
I’m home. - 저는 집에서 텔레비전을 봐요.
jeoneun jib-eseo tellebijeoneul bwayo.
I’m watching TV at home.
Particles Combined with Location Words
If you want to be specific about a location (inside, on, next to, etc.), you can combine the particles with location words such as:
- 안 an (inside)
- 위 wi (on, above)
- 아래 arae (under, below)
- 옆 yeop (next to)
- 근처 geuncheo (near, vicinity)
- 뒤 dwi (behind)
- 앞 ap (in front of)
- 왼쪽 oenjjok (left)
- 오른쪽 (oreunjjok) (right)
These location words normally come after the noun they relate to, which is the opposite of English. And then they combine with one of the location particles – –에 –e or –에서 –eseo – depending on the kind of location, static or dynamic. So the structure is:
[noun] + [location word] + –에 –e / –에서 –eseo
- 호텔 앞에 있어요.
hotel ap-e isseoyo.
I’m in front of the hotel. - 호텔 앞에서 기다려요.
hotel ap-eseo gidaryeoyo.
I’m waiting in front of the hotel.
Special Verbs for Location
To say where something is in Korean, you use the verb 있다 itda / 있어요 (isseoyo) / 있습니다 isseumnida (to exist, to be located).
- 책이 책상 위에 있어요.
chaegi chaeksang wi-e isseoyo.
The book is on the desk. - 고양이가 의자 아래에 있어요.
goyangiga uija arae-e isseoyo.
The cat is under the chair.
There is a special negative verb 없다 eopda/ 없어요 eopseoyo / 없습니다 eopseumnida (not to exist, not to be located) that you use in negatives.
- 책이 책상 위에 없어요.
chaegi chaeksang wi-e eopseoyo.
The book isn’t on the desk. - 고양이가 의자 아래에 없어요.
goyangiga uija arae-e eopseoyo.
The cat is under the chair.
Korean Location Expressions for Talking About Where You Live: Countries and Cities
Now that you’ve learned the basic grammar you need to know about Korean location expressions, let’s see some typical contexts where you’d use them. The verb 살다 salda (to live) usually takes cities or countries with the location particle –에 -e. Notice that you add-에 -e to 어디 eodi (where), although this is often optional in casual conversation.
- 어디에 살아요?
eodi-e sarayo?
Where do you live? - 저는 서울에 살아요.
jeoneun seour-e sarayo.
I live in Seoul. - 저는 뉴욕에 살아요.
jeoneun nyuyog-e sarayo.
I live in New York. - 민수는 부산에 살아요.
minsuneun busan-e sarayo.
Minsu lives in Busan.
The same pattern is used with countries.
- 저는 미국에 살아요.
jeoneun migug-e sarayo.
I live in the United States. - 친구가 한국에 살아요.
chinguga hangug-e sarayo.
My friend lives in Korea. - 제 언니는 일본에 살아요.
je eonnineun ilbon-e sarayo.
My older sister lives in Japan. - 우리는 프랑스에 살아요.
urineun peurangseue sarayo.
We live in France.
에 for destinations
Remember that에 is also used with destinations, so it can mean to as well as in or at.
- 저는 서울에 가요.
jeoneun seour-e gayo.
I’m going to Seoul. - 다음 주에 한국에 가요.
daeum jue hangug-e gayo.
I’m going to Korea next week. - 친구가 일본에 갔어요.
chinguga ilbon-e gasseoyo.
My friend went to Japan.
To learn more about the range of meanings of the particle 에, check out this post. https://thelanguagegarage.com/korean-particles/
Korean Location Expressions for Daily Life
Now let’s turn to some other typical situations that call for Korean location expressions in daily life. Remember that Korean uses the verb 있다 itda / 있어요 (isseoyo) / 있습니다 isseumnida (to exist, to be located) to say where someone or something is. The negative is 없다 eopda/ 없어요 eopseoyo / 없습니다 eopseumnida (not to exist, not to be located). These verbs are typically used with the static location particle –에 –e, although this may be dropped in casual speech in some common expressions.
At Home: 집에
집 (jip) means house or home, so adding the location particle means at home. Remember to use the dynamic location particle –에서 -eseo to talk about something that you’re doing at home.
- 저는 집에 있어요.
jeoneun jib-e isseoyo.
I’m at home. - 지금 집에 있어요?
jigeum jib-e isseoyo?
Are you at home now? - 아이들이 집에 있어요.
aideuri jib-e isseoyo.
The children are at home. - 우리는 집에서 영화를 스트리밍해요.
urineun jib-eseo yeonghwareul seuteuriminghaeyo.
We’re streaming a movie at home.
At work: 직장에 / 회사에
There are several ways to talk about being at work. 직장 (jikjang) means workplace, while 회사 (hoesa) means company/office and is very common for office workers.
- 저는 직장에 있어요.
jeoneun jikjang-e isseoyo.
I’m at work. - 남편은 회사에 있어요.
nampyeoneun hoesa-e isseoyo.
My husband is at work / at the office. - 지금 회사에 있어요.
jigeum hoesa-e isseoyo.
I’m at the office now. - 저는 직장에서 발표해요.
jeoneun jikjang-eseo balpyohaeyo.
I’m giving a presentation at work. - 저는 회사에서 발표해요.
jeoneun hoesa-eseo balpyohaeyo.
I’m giving a presentation at work / at the office.
At school: 학교에
The noun학교 hakgyo means school.
- 학생들이 학교에 있어요.
haksaengdeuri hakgyo-e isseoyo.
The students are at school. - 지금 학교에 있어요.
jigeum hakgyo-e isseoyo.
I’m at school now. - 학생들이 학교에서 공부해요.
haksaengdeuri hakgyo-eseo gongbuhaeyo.
The students study at school. - 민수가 학교에 있어요.
minsuga hakgyo-e isseoyo.
Minsu is at school. - 민수가 학교에서 공부해요.
minsuga hakgyo-eseo gongbuhaeyo.
Minsu studies at school.
At a restaurant: 식당에
The noun 식당 shikdang means restaurant.
- 우리는 식당에 있어요.
urineun shikdang-e isseoyo.
We’re at a restaurant. - 우리는 식당에서 먹어요.
urineun shikdang-eseo meogeoyo.
We eat at a restaurant. - 친구들이 식당에서 점심을 먹어요.
chingudeuri shikdang-eseo jeomsimeul meogeoyo.
My friends are eating lunch at a restaurant.
At a café: 카페에
카페 kape means café or coffee shop.
- 수진은 카페에 있어요.
sujineun kape-e isseoyo.
Sujin is at a café. - 수진은 카페에서 커피를 마셔요.
sujineun kape-eseo keopireul masyeoyo.
Sujin drinks coffee at a café. - 카페에서 만나요.
kape-eseo mannayo.
Let’s meet at the café.
In the car: 차 안에
To specifically say that someone or something is inside the car, use 차 안에 (cha ane). 차 cha means car, and 안an means the inside.
- 아이들이 차 안에 있어요.
aideuri cha an-e isseoyo.
The children are in the car. - 가방이 차 안에 있어요.
gabangi cha an-e isseoyo.
The bag is in the car. - 우리는 차 안에서 잤어요.
urineun cha an-eseo jasseoyo.
We slept in the car.
Essential Korean Location Expressions: Location Words and Particles
Earlier you saw that you can combine the particles –에 –e or –에서 –eseo with location words such as 안 an (inside), 위 wi (on, above), 옆 yeop (next to), and so on in the structure:
[noun] + [location word] + 에 / 에서
- 테이블 위에
teibeul wi-e
on/above the table - 집 앞에
jip ap-e
in front of the house - 은행 옆에
eunhaeng yeop-e
next to the bank
In this section we’ll look at each one and give a few examples to help you practice.
In / Inside: 안에
안 means inside. With 에, 안에 means in or inside.
- 열쇠가 가방 안에 있어요.
yeolsoega gabang an-e isseoyo.
The keys are in the bag. - 우유가 냉장고 안에 있어요.
uyuga naengjanggo an-e isseoyo.
The milk is in the refrigerator. - 고양이가 집 안에 있어요.
goyangiga jip an-e isseoyo.
The cat is inside the house. - 집 안에서 공을 던지지 마세요!
jip aneseo gongeul deonjiji maseyo!
Don’t throw a ball inside the house!
In many situations, 안 can be omitted when the meaning is obvious. Adding 안에 emphasizes that something is physically inside.
- 우유가 냉장고에 있어요.
uyuga naengjanggo-e isseoyo.
The milk is in the refrigerator.
On / Above: 위에
위 means top or upper part. Therefore, 위에 can mean on or above, depending on the context.
- 책이 테이블 위에 있어요.
chaegi teibeul wi-e isseoyo.
The book is on the table. - 전화기가 책상 위에 있어요.
jeonhwagiga chaeksang wi-e isseoyo.
The phone is on the desk. - 램프가 테이블 위에 있어요.
raempeuga teibeul wi-e isseoyo.
The lamp is above the table. - 고양이가 테이블 위에서 자고 있어요.
goyangiga teibeul wi-eseo jago isseoyo.
The cat is sleeping on the table.
Under / Below: 아래에, 밑에
아래 arae means below or lower part. 밑 mit means bottom/underside and is also very common for under.
- 고양이가 테이블 아래에 있어요.
goyangiga teibeul arae-e isseoyo.
The cat is under the table. - 차고가 아파트 아래에 있어요.
chagoga apateu arae-e isseoyo.
The garage is below the apartment. - 아기가 테이블 아래에서 기어 다녀요.
agiga teibeul ara-eseo gieo danyeoyo.
The baby is crawling under the table. - 신발이 침대 밑에 있어요.
sinbari chimdae mit-e isseoyo.
The shoes are under the bed.
Next to: 옆에
옆 means side, so 옆에 means beside or next to.
- 약국이 은행 옆에 있어요.
yakgugi eunhaeng yeop-e isseoyo.
The pharmacy is next to the bank. - 제가 민수 옆에 앉아요.
jega minsu yeop-e anjayo.
I sit next to Minsu. - 전화기가 컴퓨터 옆에 있어요.
jeonhwagiga keompyuteo yeop-e isseoyo.
The phone is next to the computer. - 그들은 분수 옆에서 이야기하고 있어요.
geudeureun bunsu yeop-eseo iyagihago isseoyo.
They are talking next to the fountain.
Near: 근처에
근처 means vicinity or nearby area. The structure is often [place] 근처에. You will also encounter 가까이에 gakkaie, nearby/close by.
- 저는 역 근처에 살아요.
jeoneun yeok geuncheo-e sarayo.
I live near the station. - 호텔 근처에 카페가 있어요.
hotel geuncheo-e kapega isseoyo.
There’s a café near the hotel. - 학교 근처에 식당이 많아요.
hakgyo geuncheo-e shikdangi manayo.
There are many restaurants near the school. - 은행이 가까이에 있어요.
eunhaengi gakkaie isseoyo.
The bank is nearby.
Behind: 뒤에
뒤 means back or behind.
- 차가 집 뒤에 있어요.
chaga jip dwi-e isseoyo.
The car is behind the house. - 정원이 호텔 뒤에 있어요.
jeongwoni hotel dwi-e isseoyo.
The garden is behind the hotel. - 민수가 제 뒤에 있어요.
minsuga je dwi-e isseoyo.
Minsu is behind me. - 아이들이 집 뒤에서 놀고 있어요.
aideuri jip dwi-eseo nolgo isseoyo.
The kids are playing behind the house.
In Front of: 앞에
앞 means front, so 앞에 means in front of.
- 택시가 호텔 앞에 있어요.
taeksiga hotel ap-e isseoyo.
The taxi is in front of the hotel. - 집 앞에 나무가 있어요.
jip ap-e namuga isseoyo.
There’s a tree in front of the house. - 친구가 식당 앞에서 기다려요.
chinguga shikdang ap-eseo gidaryeoyo.
My friend is waiting in front of the restaurant.
To the Left of: 왼쪽에
왼쪽 means left side.
- 은행이 우체국 왼쪽에 있어요.
eunhaengi ucheguk oenjjoge isseoyo.
The bank is to the left of the post office. - 화장실이 침실 왼쪽에 있어요.
hwajangsiri chimsil oenjjoge isseoyo.
The bathroom is to the left of the bedroom. - 식당이 호텔 왼쪽에 있어요.
sikdangi hotel oenjjoge isseoyo.
The restaurant is to the left of the hotel.
To the Right of: 오른쪽에
오른쪽 means right side.
- 카페가 은행 오른쪽에 있어요.
kapega eunhaeng oreunjjoge isseoyo.
The café is to the right of the bank. - 부엌이 거실 오른쪽에 있어요.
bueogi geosil oreunjjoge isseoyo.
The kitchen is to the right of the living room. - 엘리베이터가 계단 오른쪽에 있어요.
ellibeiteoga gyedan oreunjjoge isseoyo.
The elevator is to the right of the stairs.
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