I think everyone's experience is different. Most store employees, hotel employees, and taxi drivers will know some english and you'll likely be able to communicate, maybe with some difficulty. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-35359880', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Tokyo. I will be using the Limo Bus service from ICN to Myeongdong, would the bus driver likely converse in English as well as Korean, or will I need my phrase book straight away? But once I left a popular Myeongdong restaurant after 5 minutes, because it had no picture, I could not figure it out and I could tell what they are on the next tables. I managed to order something so spicy I was only able to eat 2-3 bites. It works. In the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the national and official language is Korean. FWIW, I will also be in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? In addition to the native language, most people below 40 years of age use English which means over 58% of Koreans speak English frequently. I did really enjoy eating from all the street food off the carts, so make sure you leave some room for this!

If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Anyhow, most people speak some English, but most are afraid to try and often run away when asked questions by foreigners. IP 5 minutes walk is too far, factor No.1 is always location, which means when I step out there should be many people, shops and restaurants right there, ZERO MINUTE, not 5 minutes or 15 minutes away.

with senior citizens. How to get from Seoul to Everland Theme Park?

So at the worse case, if you can't find someone who speaks English at least you'll have a bit of an adventure. We've detected that you are using AdBlock Plus or some other adblocking software which is preventing the page from fully loading. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-35465360', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Hamilton Hotel! We will have 2 nights in Tea Tree Hotel to experience Kangnam area. Add NationMaster content to your website. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Copy code below and paste it into your website. Shopping in the major department stores was fine. Talking is way over-rated, I don't read manual, I don't ask for direction, I certainly don't use phrase book, I always find what I want to find, eventually. They are more likely to try to help. In fact, I have repeatedly advised against the Hamilton Hotel. I found it was a bit of a hit and miss. Past interactions of Korea with invading countries and colonists played a significant role in shaping the linguistic landscape of Korea. Thus one can experience the neighborhood to the fullest in the shortest possible time, you cannot do that in Westin or Hyatt. People are helpful even without the language. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-35465738', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Itaewon to check, he said area is fun.

A Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese speaking community are found all over Korea. I plan to show the taxi driver the Hangul word of my destination, but apart from that I will be a mute passenger. SOURCES:

Based on what westinhan said in another post, I canceled my Plaza hotel reservation and changed to Hamilton hotel in Itaewon, I hope he knows what he is talking about. He could be kidnappping me for all I know lol. In Shanghai TA forum, you said you will stay in Pudong, let me caution you, your Pudong hotel is in a very boring far away area with nothing nearby, you will waste a lot of time and energy traveling to and from downtown. more. I think the fun part for me about Korean restaurants is that you speak English to the waiter, and they speak to you in Korean and the food you want still gets served on your table!!! Koreans are super sharp business people, they know where the money is and where it will be coming from in the next 20 years. Not every sales clerk knew English but at least they were able to find us someone who did speak some. I ordered all. Nice Ski and Hot Spring Resort near Seoul. you buy, you pay, you go. Related: What are the most popular tours in Seoul? One of the most prominent minority languages in South Korea is Chinese, which is spoken by over 1.2 million residents. Another option is to use the voice memo feature and have the concierge at your hotel say where you need to go. Get answers to your questions about Seoul. Things like the subway are tourist friendly and easy to use and if you get lost just show someone your station and they will show you the way.

I went into loads of stores, especially to buy snacks and never felt a need to get into an intellectual conversation over a mars bar. During the occupation of Korea in the Middle Ages, the Chinese introduced their characters that were incorporated in Korean writing which came to be known as Hanja. Linguistic diversity … To say hello one has to say “Annyeonhhaseyo”, pleased to meet you in Korean will be “Mannaseo bangawoyo.” My name is… in On my one trip a bit further afield and using buses they wrote down everything I needed in Korean for me. Usage implies agreement with terms. Ten million foreign tourists visit (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Your best bet is to target college students. When is the best time to go in terms of weather? This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018, All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2017 graphicmaps.com, Korean, English (widely taught in junior high and high school), Protestant 19.7%, Buddhist 15.5%, Catholic 7.9%, none 56.9% (2015 est.

If you are a tourist looking for the sites and you can afford it, go with the Chosun Westin Hotel. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-35418651', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Seoul visit few years ago, first day, first taxi ride, I told driver to go to Namdaemon, he didn't get it, so I said it 7 more times, even with Korean accent, he got it on my 8th try. The Lotte Hotel is also great, but it is too big and impersonal.

In addition to the native language, most people below 40 years of age use English which means over 58% of Koreans speak English frequently. I noticed on the last trip, many shops and companies have Chinese speaking employees, I was told most of them are Koreans returned from schools in China. You can walk to most tourist sites in nice weather (up to 20-30 minute walk to even places like Insadong and about 5 minutes for Myeongdong). The Plaza Hotel is newly renovated and it has a great location in downtown Seoul. Its major imports include crude oil, natural gas, coal, and steel. There are about 80 million people around the world who can speak Korean. Subway 5-10 minutes walk is too far, should be under the hotel. There's a list of stops on the window of the bus if you want to follow. Learn to pronounce words correctly at the minimum, and you'd be surprised how far you can get even if you don't speak in sentences. CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011; Wikipedia: Linguistic diversity index (Rankings by country) (UNESCO World Report – Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue); British Broadcasting Corporation 2014. I would like to try and use my phrase book to good effect, but at the same time it is very intimidating for a solo traveller who has never been to a non-English speaking country before. You will have no problems whatsoever. One night I had to get off the metro before my stop due to some unforseen problem and some lovely lady without a word of english took me under her wing to get me to my destination. Don't worry, you'll be fine! Try learning to recongnize a read a few hangul characters, they are not hard and very useful when you go into small restaurants without english menu. They don't fight it, they go with the flow before the trend. What other things can I do in Seoul or should know about? Although still debatable, it is thought that Korean language belongs to the Altaic family a macro-family that also includes the Tungusic, Mongolian, and the Turkic families. Try your best with your phrase book first. It is only one night, day time is for business elsewhere, time is a luxury we do not have. Its major export partners are China, the United States, and Hong Kong. It is a bit rundown and the price is too high considering its quality.

It's easier than writing it down as the concierge can speak whole sentences and elaborate on your destination a bit better. Later on, with the invasion and control of the Japanese, the script was changed to include Japanese characters and was called Hangul. So I think there should not be any probs if you are staying n eating in Myeongdong. A few restaurants we went to (perhaps more casual), we had to order at the front counter and pay at the front counter, one time we spent about 30 mintues waiting for a server at our table until we clued in.

Marriott Autograph Collection Hotels in Seoul. English is the primary natively spoken language in several countries and territories. It's always great to see that! We need money to operate the site, and almost all of it comes from our online advertising. I already spent 4 weeks in 2011 in Hyatt and Hilton hotels, I don’t need to do that in Seoul, this is our chance to have fun in small hotels. Shopping at the markets was pretty simple, most vendors knew the phrase "how much".

Temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters, Mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south, With approximately 70% of the country considered mountainous, the country's population is primarily concentrated in the lowland areas, where density is quite high; Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the capital and contains Incheon, is the most densely populated province; Gangwon in the northeast is the least populated. This gives 97.8% English-speaking, 2.2% non-English-speaking (3,673,679 and 81,936 divided by 3,755,565) Crystal (2003), p. 109, gives figures of 3,700,000 native speakers and 150,000 second language speakers. On our first Seoul visit few years ago, first day, first taxi ride, I told driver to go to Namdaemon, he didn't get it, so I said it 7 more times, even with Korean accent, he got it on my 8th try.

And what about buses and taxis? but there is an automatic announcement made on board at every stop, however if you're sitting pass the middle of the bus it's hard to hear. I'm guessing that was the only word she knew... anyhow, we ended up with 3 plates of chicken!

It's only considerate and polite to at least try to communicate in the host's language and they'll appreciate it.