Words
22 Korean words you will actually hear at night
The words on the menu, on the sign, and at the next table. Knowing what they mean makes the whole night easier.
You do not need to learn Korean. But these twenty-two are printed on the menu, the sign and the bill, and not knowing them costs you money or puts you in the wrong room.
Drinking
안주
an-ju
The dish you order alongside drinks. Effectively mandatory, ₩18,000–23,000.
기본안주
gi-bon-an-ju
The small plate that arrives unasked. Free, and refills usually are too.
소맥
so-maek
Soju plus beer. The default Korean mixed drink.
건배
geon-bae
Cheers. The safe default toast.
원샷
won-syat
Drink it in one. You are allowed to laugh this off.
술이 약해요
sul-i yak-hae-yo
I am a lightweight — the softest way to decline.
Places
포차
po-cha
Pojangmacha. Cheap, loud, food-led drinking.
헌팅포차
heon-ting-po-cha
A pocha built for meeting strangers. Staff move people between tables.
나이트클럽
na-i-teu-keul-leop
Not a club. Waiters, live band, 부킹 — and it opens at 19:00.
룸
rum
A private room. Charged separately at nightclubs and noraebang.
노래방
no-rae-bang
Karaoke room. A standard stop for 2차 or 3차.
코인노래방
ko-in-no-rae-bang
Pay-per-song booths. Going alone is completely normal.
Rounds
차수
cha-su
How a night is counted. One per venue you move to.
1차
il-cha
Round one. Usually dinner and soju.
2차
i-cha
Round two. Bar or pocha. This is where the real conversation happens.
3차
sam-cha
Round three. Club or noraebang. Step in and you are out until morning.
2차 어디?
i-cha eo-di
"Where is round two?" — meaning the night is not over.
After
해장
hae-jang
Curing the hangover — the whole ritual.
해장국
hae-jang-guk
Hangover soup. The 04:00–07:00 final course.
막차
mak-cha
Last train. 23:50–00:50 on weekdays, an hour earlier on Saturdays.
첫차
cheot-cha
First train. Around 05:30 — the way to dodge the taxi surcharge.
계산이요
gye-san-i-yo
The bill, please — works anywhere.
What you will see on signs
- 영업중 — open right now.
- 준비중 — not open yet, but will be.
- 휴무 — closed today.
- 24시 — open 24 hours.
- 입장료 — cover charge. The number next to it is what you pay at the door.
- 1인 1메뉴 — one item per person, and it is enforced.
Somewhere to use them
What is anju?
Anju is food ordered to go with drinks. At a Korean bar you do not order drinks alone — the table orders a shared dish, typically ₩18,000–23,000.
What do 1차, 2차 and 3차 mean?
They count the venues you move through in one night: 1차 is usually dinner and soju, 2차 a bar or pocha, 3차 a club or noraebang, 4차 hangover soup. Convention is that a different person pays for each round.
What is somaek?
Soju mixed with beer — the most common Korean mixed drink. Usually one person makes them for the whole table.