How To Say ‘Shop’ In Korean

Today you’ll learn how to say shop in Korean. Read on for its meanings, examples and useful associations to remember it. Or just get the 80/20 below!

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The 80/20* of How to Say ‘Shop’ in Korean

Vocabulary:

가게 – gage | shop

매장 – maejang | store branch

~점 – ~jeom | ~type of store

 

How to remember (association):

“All shops in Korea sell gauges.” (가게 | gage)

*80/20 Pareto Principle – The 20% you should learn that will give you 80% of the results.

 

 

‘Shop’ in Korean

There are two words for how to say shop in Korean. The first word for shop in Korean is 가게 (gage). You can use this word when referring to any type of a shop, simply by adding the type of the shop in front of the ‘shop’ word. For example, a clothing shop would be 옷가게 (otgage). Though each type of a shop usually has their own separate words, this is a good word to add into your vocabulary just in case you find it difficult to remember all those words and need a way to describe it.

Another word for shop in Korean is 매장 (maejang). However, this is more commonly used to refer to a store or a branch of a franchise (whether it’s a supermarket, drug store, or a restaurant).

Additionally, while 점 (jeom) on its own does not mean much, if you add it after another word, much like in the case of 가게, it will become a particle describing a type of a shop. More specifically, it either describes what the shop specializes in, or it describes the branch location of a chain of shops.

To remember how to say ‘shop’ in Korean, we’ll create an association in English to remember it better. Associations could be words or images, whatever helps you remember it best.

For example, 가게 (gage) looks similar to gauge in English (although it sounds more like “gaw-gae,” just remember this for your association). Using the image of some type of gauge and association it with shops.

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Association:

All shops in Korea sell gauges. (가게 | gage)

You can also imagine that the exterior is shaped like a gauge (the more ridiculous the image, the easier it is to remember). 

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Try it for yourself and see what kinds of associations you can think of. Let us know about your creations in the comments below!

 

A word of caution about Romanization

While it is possible for you to study the words in this article simply by reading their romanized versions, it will come in handy for you to be able to read Hangeul if you ever wish to come to Korea. Hangeul is the Korean alphabet, and not difficult to learn. In fact, you can learn it in just 90 minutes.

After you’ve familiarized yourself with Hangeul, life in Korea will suddenly seem so much easier and the country won’t appear so foreign for you. So, if you’re serious about learning Korean, why not learn Hangeul today?

 

Sample Sentences

Formal:

가게를 운영하는 것이 어느정도 힘드세요?

(gagereul unyeonghaneun geosi eoneujeongdo himdeuseyo?)

How hard is it to operate a shop?

Standard:

그 가게는 몇시에 문을 닫아요?

(geu gageneun myeotsie muneul dadayo?)

What time does that shop close?

Informal:

내일 가게문을 열릴거야?

(naeil gagemuneul yeollilgeoya?)

Will the shop’s doors be opened tomorrow?

소식을 들었어? 내일부터 우리 제일 좋아하는 옷가게가 고객을 위해 배달서비스를 시작할거래. (sosigeul deureosseo? naeilbuteo uri jeil joahaneun otgagega gogaegeul wihae baedalseobiseureul sijakalgeorae.)

Did you hear the news? Our favorite clothing shop will start home delivery for its customers from tomorrow.

What new vocabulary would you like to learn? Let us know and maybe our next article will cover that!

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto