5 Korean Phrases for Your First Day at Work

You don't need fluent Korean to get through your first day — you need a small set of phrases you can use with confidence. Here are five that consistently come up in the first hours on a new job in Korea.

안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) — hello. It works for almost any first meeting, at almost any time of day.

잘 부탁드립니다 (jal butakdeurimnida) — a set phrase said after introducing yourself, roughly meaning 'I look forward to working with you.' Korean coworkers will recognize it immediately and appreciate the effort.

이거 좀 도와주세요 (igeo jom dowajuseyo) — 'please help me with this.' Useful the moment a task isn't clear.

천천히 말씀해 주세요 (cheoncheonhi malsseumhae juseyo) — 'please speak slowly.' Nobody expects you to catch every word immediately, and asking for this is completely normal.

다시 한번 말씀해 주세요 (dasi hanbeon malsseumhae juseyo) — 'please say that one more time.' Pairs well with the phrase above and will get you through most confusing moments.