Café culture is relatively new in Korea, but the country is packed with great coffee shops.
With cafés on nearly every corner, you’ll have plenty of options for your caffeine fix.
Whether you’re grabbing a quick morning pick-me-up or looking for a cozy café to hang out in, Korea has it all.
Here’s a guide to help you understand the menu and order like a local!
Quick Summary
- The easiest way to order coffee at a Korean café is by saying “____ hanayo,” like “Americano hanayo” for “One Americano, please.”
- Drink sizes in Korean are Small (smol), Medium (midieom) or Regular (regyulleo), and Large (laji).
- To specify hot or iced, it’s tteugeoun for hot and aiseu for iced.
What Are Some Common Coffee Drinks in Korea?
Most Korean cafés offer a variety of coffee drinks, similar to those found in Western cafés.
Here are some popular options:
- Americano: Espresso diluted with hot water.
- Café Latte: Espresso with steamed milk.
- Cappuccino: Similar to a latte but with more foam.
- Caramel Macchiato: A sweet coffee drink made with espresso, steamed milk, and caramel syrup. (Different from the European version!)
- Café Mocha: A latte with chocolate syrup.
- Vanilla Latte: A latte with vanilla syrup for a sweet twist.
- Einspänner: A Vienna-style coffee topped with thick whipped cream, popular in Korean cafés.
How to Sound Korean at a Café
Pronunciation can make your order sound more natural.
Here’s how Koreans say common coffee-related words:
- Coffee: Koreans pronounce coffee as keopi. The “f” sound is replaced with a “p” sound.
- Iced Americano: It’s pronounced aiseu amerikano. We often shorten it to “ah-ah”.
- Vanilla Latte: Pronounced banilla latte. Koreans replace “v” with “b.”
- Java Chip Frappuccino: It’s jaba chip peurapuchino. No “v” and “f” sounds in Korean.
- Whipped cream: It’s hwiping keurim.
- Decaf: Koreans say de-caffeine, but pronounce it as dikapein.
- Tall/Grande/Venti: These are tol, geurande, and benti in Korean.
How to Say Different Sizes and Customizations at a Korean Café
- Size: Most cafés offer Small (smol), Medium (midi-eom) or Regular (regyulleo), and Large (laji).
- Hot/Iced: To specify, you can say tteugeoun for hot and aiseu for iced.
- Customizations:
- An extra shot of espresso: syat chuga (샷 추가)
- More syrup: sireop chuga (시럽 추가)
- No syrup: sireop bbae juseyo (시럽 빼주세요)
- No whipped cream: hwiping keurim bbae juseyo (휘핑크림 빼주세요)
- Less ice: eoreum jeokge juseyo (얼음 적게 주세요)
- Less sweet: dul dalge haejuseyo (덜 달게 해주세요)
How to Order in Korean
When ordering, you can follow this simple structure:
- Greet the barista: Say “Annyeonghaseyo!”
- Barista asks if you’re ready to order: “Jumun hashigesseoyo?” (Are you ready to order?)
- Order your drink:
- Example: “Aiseu Banilla Latte, Laji Saijeu Hanayo.” (One large Iced Vanilla Latte, please.)
- Barista asks if it’s for here: “Deushigo gaseyo?” (Is it for here?)
- Answer: “Neh” (Yes) or “Aniyo” (No).
- For takeaway: “Teikeu aushiyo” (To go, please.)
- Barista asks how you’ll pay: “Gyeoljeneun eotteoke hashigesseoyo?” (How would you like to pay?)
- Pay by card: “Kadeuro gyeoljehalgeyo.” (I’ll pay by card.)
- Pay by cash: “Hyungeumeuro gyeoljehalgeyo.” (I’ll pay with cash.)
- Finish by saying thank you: “Gamsahamnida!”
When You Want To Order More Than One Drink
When you want to order more than one item, you can say:
- “____ hanarang, ____ hana juseyo.” (One ____ and one ____, please.)
- “____ hana, ____ hana yo.” (A shorter, more casual way to say it.)
Ordering coffee at a Korean café is easy once you know the basics.
And now you’re ready to order like a local!
Next time you visit a Korean café, don’t hesitate to try out these phrases and enjoy your coffee!
Feel free to ask a question in the comments about your customized drink!
