[Learn][Korean] At the Store in Korea – How to Ask Where Things Are in Korean

at the store in korea how to ask where things are in korean

When visiting a supermarket (마트) or convenience store (편의점) in Korea, you might not always find what you’re looking for right away.
Instead of wandering around or giving up, it’s super helpful to know how to ask for the location of an item in Korean.

In this blog post, let’s go over useful Korean phrases you can use to ask store staff where something is, and how to use them in real-life situations.

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1. Basic Structure of the Question

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The most common and polite way to ask where something is:

[item] 어디에 있어요?
([item] eodie isseoyo?)
“Where is [item]?”

It’s simple, polite, and works in most situations. Let’s look at some examples.

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2. Useful Vocabulary for Common Items

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Here are some common items you might look for in a store:

English	Korean (Hangul)	Romanization
Water	생수	saengsu
Milk	우유	uyu
Toothpaste	치약	chiyak
Toilet paper	휴지	hyuji
Battery	건전지	geonjeonji
Snacks	과자	gwaja
Ramen	라면	ramyeon
Beer	맥주	maekju
Ice cream	아이스크림	aiseukeurim
Instant rice	즉석밥	jeukseokbap

 

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3. Example Sentences to Ask Where Something Is

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• 생수 어디에 있어요?
  (Saengsu eodie isseoyo?)
  Where is the bottled water?
• 우유 어디 있어요?
  (Uyu eodi isseoyo?)
  Where’s the milk?
• 휴지 어디에 있나요? (more polite)
  (Hyuji eodie innayo?)
  Where can I find toilet paper?
• 라면 코너 어디예요?
  (Ramyeon koneo eodiyeyo?)
  Where’s the ramen section?
• 이거 어디에 있어요? (while pointing at a picture or your phone)
  (Igeo eodie isseoyo?)
  Where can I find this?

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4. Responses You Might Hear

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Here are some common responses you may get from staff:

• 저쪽이에요.
  (Jeojjok-ieyo.)
  It’s over there.
• 2번 통로에 있어요.
  (I-beon tongno-e isseoyo.)
  It’s in aisle 2.
• 냉장고 안에 있어요.
  (Naengjanggo ane isseoyo.)
  It’s inside the fridge.
• 계산대 옆에 있어요.
  (Gyesandae yeope isseoyo.)
  It’s next to the counter.
• 잠시만요, 같이 가드릴게요.
  (Jamsimanyo, gachi gadeurilgeyo.)
  One moment, I’ll take you there.

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5. Bonus Expressions

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• 이거 있어요?
  (Igeo isseoyo?)
  Do you have this?
• 품절이에요.
  (Pumjeol-ieyo.)
  It’s sold out.
• 오늘은 안 들어왔어요.
  (Oneul-eun an deureowasseoyo.)
  It didn’t come in today.
• 더 큰 사이즈 있어요?
  (Deo keun saijeu isseoyo?)
  Do you have a bigger size? (for clothes or containers)

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Final Tips

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• If you’re shy, you can always show a picture of the item and ask:
  “이거 어디 있어요?” – “Where is this?”
• In convenience stores, most things are in plain sight—but don’t hesitate to ask!
• Use polite language (~요) to sound respectful and friendly.

Next time you’re in a Korean store and can’t find something, just remember:
“[Item] 어디에 있어요?”
It’s one simple sentence that can save you time—and help you practice your Korean in real life!