How to Say “Excuse me” in Korean: 여기요! (yeogiyo!)

여기요!

yeogiyo!

Situation: Dining out & orderingLevel: Starter (just learning Hangul)

Meaning

Excuse me! (calling the staff)

The standard way to call a staff member. In Korea it is normal to raise a hand and say this.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 3 · Words: 1

It is pronounced just as it is written.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
여	ㅇ+ㅕ	yeo
기	ㄱ+ㅣ	gi
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Exclamation

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “여기요!” mean?

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Answer: Excuse me! (calling the staff)

Question 2 How do you say “Excuse me! (calling the staff)” in Korean?

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Answer: 여기요! yeogiyo!

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