The first week in a Korean flat is not made of grand events. It is made of small errands that each need three sentences you do not have yet: the broker who wants to know when you are moving in, the desk at the community centre, the parcel that did not arrive, the bin bag you bought in the wrong size. We, the haeyo teachers, think of these as the real first lesson. This article is that lesson written down: the Korean for eight errands, a few sentences for each with an English line, and the apps and offices behind them.
1. At the real-estate office (부동산)
You will meet the broker (중개사) before you meet the landlord. Our cover story, Choosing a district to live in, explains what the numbers mean; here is the language for the visit. Bring your phone with the listing open, and start with the three numbers: deposit, rent and management fee. Do not be afraid to ask the same question twice. Asking is normal, and a good broker would rather you understood.
| Korean | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 보증금이 얼마예요? | bojeunggeumi eolmayeyo? | How much is the deposit? |
| 월세는 얼마예요? 관리비도 따로 있어요? | wolseneun eolmayeyo? gwallibido ttaro isseoyo? | How much is the rent? Is the management fee separate? |
| 관리비에 인터넷이랑 수도 포함이에요? | gwallibie inteonesirang sudo pohamieyo? | Does the management fee include internet and water? |
| 보증금을 조금 깎을 수 있어요? | bojeunggeumeul jogeum kkakkeul su isseoyo? | Can the deposit come down a little? |
| 등기부등본을 볼 수 있어요? | deungibu deungbon-eul bol su isseoyo? | Can I see the registry extract? |
| 전입신고와 확정일자는 언제 해요? | jeonip singo-wa hwakjeong ilja-neun eonje haeyo? | When do I do the address registration and the dated stamp? |
Our own wording for learners. Registry, address registration and the stamp are explained in the cover story.
Ask for the registry extract before you pay anything, and check that the owner's name is the name on the contract. A reported rule says that the dated stamp comes with the lease if you report it within 30 days of signing; ask the broker or the community centre whether that is still true this year.
2. Address registration at the community centre (전입신고, 주민센터)
Within the stated period after you move, you register your new address at the 주민센터, the neighbourhood community centre. It matters because, together with the dated stamp, it protects your deposit. Someone behind the counter will ask for your contract, your ID and the new address; people on forums add that the household head may be asked to confirm. We found only blog accounts of the online route on 정부24 (the government's civil-service portal), and we could not confirm whether foreigners can use it, so go in person for the first time and ask.
| Korean | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 전입신고하러 왔어요. | jeonip singo-hareo wasseoyo. | I have come to register my new address. |
| 확정일자도 받고 싶어요. | hwakjeong ilja-do batgo sipeoyo. | I would also like the dated stamp. |
| 계약서하고 외국인등록증 여기 있어요. | gyeyakseohago oegugin deungnokjeung yeogi isseoyo. | Here are the contract and my alien registration card. |
| 더 필요한 서류가 있어요? | deo piryohan seoryuga isseoyo? | Do I need any other documents? |
Our own wording for learners.
3. Parcels (택배)
Parcels in Korea tend to arrive at your door, or at a building's parcel room, or with the 경비실 (the guard's room) in apartment blocks. We could not find a source we could open on delivery rules for foreigners, so we offer language only. If the courier phones, you will hear 택배인데요, which means 'It's your parcel.' Reply slowly and calmly and add a place.
| Korean | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 문 앞에 놓아 주세요. | mun ape noa juseyo. | Please leave it in front of the door. |
| 경비실에 맡겨 주세요. | gyeongbisire matgyeo juseyo. | Please leave it with the guard's room. |
| 택배가 아직 안 왔어요. | taekbaega ajik an wasseoyo. | My parcel has not come yet. |
| 배송 조회는 어떻게 해요? | baesong johoeneun eotteoke haeyo? | How do I track the delivery? |
| 주소가 틀렸어요. 다시 보내 주세요. | jusoga teullyeosseoyo. dasi bonae juseyo. | The address was wrong. Please send it again. |
4. Sorting the rubbish (분리수거)
This is the errand foreigners get wrong most often, and it is one of the few where we have real numbers. In most Seoul districts the general waste bag (종량제 봉투, jongnyangje bongtu) costs 490 won for 20 litres. Dongdaemun lists the price as of 1 January 2026, and Seocho and Gangdong list the same. You must use the bag for your own district, bought at a convenience store or supermarket. Food waste is billed by volume as well: 100 won for a 1-litre bag, 190 to 200 won for 2 litres depending on the district, 300 won for 3 litres, 500 for 5 and 1,000 won for 10.
District details vary. In Eunpyeong a different size of bag is listed at 760 won, a point we read in a district description, and we could not confirm the official 20-litre price in Mapo or Gwanak, so if you live there check the district website. Gwanak is putting RFID food-waste bins in dense areas of one-person homes, one for every 60 households.
Seoul has published standard rules for about 60 items: empty and rinse containers, and separate by material. Broken glass goes in the general waste, vinyl goes in a transparent bag, and dirty polystyrene goes in the general bag. Collection days and times differ by district and by building, so ask the 관리사무소 (the building office) or your landlord. Jongno plans to hand out a recycling leaflet in Korean, English and Chinese from 26 October 2026, if you live there.
| Korean | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 쓰레기는 언제 버려요? | sseuregineun eonje beoryeoyo? | When do I put out the rubbish? |
| 어디에 버려요? | eodie beoryeoyo? | Where do I throw it out? |
| 종량제 봉투 20리터 주세요. | jongnyangje bongtu isip liteo juseyo. | A 20-litre waste bag, please. |
| 음식물 쓰레기는 따로 버려요? | eumsingmul sseuregineun ttaro beoryeoyo? | Is food waste thrown out separately? |
| 이건 재활용이에요, 일반 쓰레기예요? | igeon jaehwaryongieyo, ilban sseuregiyeyo? | Is this recycling or general waste? |
5. The dry cleaner (세탁소)
The 세탁소 is where you take a coat, a suit or a blanket that will not go in the machine. We have nothing sourced on prices, so we keep to words. You say what it is, say what is wrong with it, and ask when it will be ready. The most useful word is 얼룩 (a stain).
| Korean | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 이 코트 드라이클리닝 해 주세요. | i koteu deuraikeullining hae juseyo. | Please dry-clean this coat. |
| 여기에 얼룩이 있어요. | yeogie eollugi isseoyo. | There is a stain here. |
| 언제까지 돼요? | eonjekkaji dwaeyo? | By when will it be ready? |
| 이건 물세탁해도 돼요? | igeon mulsetak-haedo dwaeyo? | Can this be machine-washed? |
6. The clinic and the pharmacy (병원 접수, 약국)
A visit to a clinic starts at 접수, the reception desk, where you say why you have come and hand over your insurance or ID. A pharmacy (약국) is the next stop, and the pharmacist will ask how often to take the pills. We have no source on how clinics treat students' insurance, so ask your school. The only official fact we can offer is a narrow one: Seoul runs a free-care programme for foreign workers (up to 3 million won per person, mainly for hospitalisation and surgery, tel. 02-2133-9244); whether it extends to students we could not confirm, so check before you rely on it. The city's foreigner portal was rebuilt as MY SEOUL+ on 1 September 2026, with a menu for health and for students.
| Korean | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 접수하고 싶어요. 처음 왔어요. | jeopsu-hago sipeoyo. cheoeum wasseoyo. | I would like to register. It is my first visit. |
| 어제부터 머리가 아파요. | eojebuteo meoriga apayo. | My head has hurt since yesterday. |
| 열이 나고 목이 아파요. | yeori nago mogi apayo. | I have a fever and a sore throat. |
| 하루에 몇 번 먹어요? | harue myeot beon meogeoyo? | How many times a day do I take it? |
| 식사 전에 먹어요, 후에 먹어요? | siksa jeone meogeoyo, hue meogeoyo? | Before or after meals? |
| 알레르기가 있어요. | allereugiga isseoyo. | I have an allergy. |
A reservation is often made in an app, and the Naver app has a reservation feature that many shops and some clinics use. We could not open a source on which clinics accept foreigners' bookings, so we give it as something to try, not as a promise.
7. The bank (은행)
Community posts say you often need a Korean phone number to open a bank account, which is one reason the phone comes first. The counter vocabulary is short. You say that you want to open an account (계좌를 만들고 싶어요), hand over your alien registration card and ask what you need. Which bank will accept you depends on your status, and we found no source that sets it out, so we leave it.
| Korean | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 계좌를 만들고 싶어요. | gyejwareul mandeulgo sipeoyo. | I would like to open an account. |
| 외국인등록증이랑 여권 여기 있어요. | oegugin deungnokjeungirang yeogwon yeogi isseoyo. | Here are my alien registration card and passport. |
| 체크카드도 만들 수 있어요? | chekeu kadeudo mandeul su isseoyo? | Can I also get a debit card? |
| 해외 송금하고 싶어요. | haeoe songeum-hago sipeoyo. | I would like to send money abroad. |
8. Getting a phone number (휴대폰 개통)
Community sources agree on a few points, all labelled community and none confirmed by a carrier. Long-stay students activate a plan with the physical alien registration card. A prepaid SIM bought with a passport often fails the identity checks that Korean apps use, such as PASS. If your stay is due to expire within 60 days, a monthly-bill plan may be refused. Bring your card and ask the carrier shop in advance.
| Korean | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 휴대폰을 개통하고 싶어요. | hyudaeponeul gaetong-hago sipeoyo. | I would like to activate a phone line. |
| 선불 유심 말고 요금제로 하고 싶어요. | seonbul yusim malgo yogeumjero hago sipeoyo. | I want a regular plan, not a prepaid SIM. |
| 외국인등록증으로 할 수 있어요? | oegugin deungnokjeungeuro hal su isseoyo? | Can I do it with an alien registration card? |
| 한 달에 얼마예요? | han dare eolmayeyo? | How much is it per month? |
Three apps and one habit
정부24 (gov.kr)
The government's civil-service portal. We found only blog accounts of how foreigners use it for address registration, and no official rule on who may log in, so treat it as something to check with the community centre.
네이버 예약 (Naver booking)
A reservation tool inside the Naver app, used by many shops. We could not confirm which clinics or offices accept foreigners, so we call it a try-it item, not a rule.
MY SEOUL+
Seoul's foreigner portal, rebuilt on 1 September 2026. It covers immigration, housing, work, health and education, with a menu for international students.
The habit
Write the sentence you need before you walk in, and keep the translation app for the numbers. A short sentence said slowly works better than a long one.
The best way to learn these sentences is to use them. Pick one errand this week, write your three sentences on your phone, go to the counter and say them out loud, however badly. Counters in Korea are patient places, and every clerk has heard worse. The word you need and have is 조금만 천천히 (jogeumman cheoncheonhi), which means 'a little slower, please'.