☕ What to Say at a Korean Café – Beginner Level (TOPIK 1–2)
☕ What to Say at a Korean Café — Beginner Level (TOPIK 1–2)
Planning “café hopping” in Korea? In this beginner lesson, you’ll learn how to say your drink, size, hot/iced, milk options, for here or to-go, and how to pay politely.
이 글에서는 한국 카페(서울·부산·제주 등)에서 바로 쓸 수 있는 주문 기본 표현을 초급 수준으로 정리했어요. 한글 + 로마자 + 영어 해석을 함께 보면서 연습해 보세요.
🎯 Learning Goal
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Order drinks at a Korean café using Item + 주세요.
- Say hot / iced / size / milk options clearly in Korean.
- Choose between for here (여기서) and to-go (포장) naturally.
- Use polite payment phrases with card or cash.
📑 Table of Contents
- Key Café Vocabulary
- Essential Café Phrases (Hot/Iced · For here/To-go)
- Order Flow Template (One-Line Model)
- Practice Dialogues (For Here · To-go · Milk Options)
- Quick Check Quiz
- Teacher’s Tips
- “Say What?” Similar Words
- Did You Know? — Korean Café Culture
- It’s Your Turn
- Take a Lesson with Me
- Stay Connected
🧃 Key Café Vocabulary
These are the words you’ll see on menus from Gangnam and Hongdae in Seoul to Haeundae in Busan and cafés in Jeju.
| English | Korean | Romanization (RR) |
|---|---|---|
| Americano | 아메리카노 | amerikano |
| Latte | 라떼 | ratte |
| Green tea | 녹차 | nokcha |
| Hot / Iced | 따뜻한 / 아이스 | ttatteutan / aiseu |
| For here / To-go | 여기서 마실게요 / 포장 | yeogiseo masilgeyo / pojang |
| Decaf | 디카페인 | dikapein |
| Oat / Almond milk | 오트 / 아몬드 우유 | oteu / amondeu uyu |
| Less sweet | 덜 달게 | deol dalge |
| Receipt | 영수증 | yeongsujeung |
📋 Essential Café Phrases
Use these lines at any café in Korea — just change the drink name.
-
아메리카노 하나 주세요.
amerikano hana juseyo
— One Americano, please. -
라떼 아이스로 주세요.
ratte aiseuro juseyo
— Latte, iced, please. -
따뜻한 거요.
ttatteutan geoyo
— Hot, please. -
여기서 마실게요.
yeogiseo masilgeyo
— I’ll drink it here. (For here.) -
포장해 주세요.
pojanghae juseyo
— To-go, please. -
오트 밀크로 가능할까요?
oteu milkeuro ganeunghalkkayo?
— Is oat milk possible? -
시럽은 빼 주세요.
sireobeun bbae juseyo
— Please skip the syrup. -
디카페인으로 해 주세요.
dikapeineuro hae juseyo
— Please make it decaf. -
카드로 결제할게요. 영수증 부탁드려요.
kadeuro gyeoljehalgeyo. yeongsujeung butakdeuryeoyo
— I’ll pay by card. A receipt, please.
🧾 Order Flow Template (One-Line Model)
Basic order flow in Korean cafés:
인사 → 음료(+수량) → 온도(따뜻/아이스) → 사이즈/우유/옵션 → 매장/포장 → 결제
안녕하세요. 라떼 아이스로 톨 사이즈 하나 주세요. 포장이요.
annyeonghaseyo. ratte aiseuro tol saijeu hana juseyo. pojang-iyo.
— Hi. One iced latte, tall size, please. To-go.
안녕하세요. 디카페인 아메리카노 따뜻한 거, 여기서 마실게요.
annyeonghaseyo. dikapein amerikano ttatteutan geo, yeogiseo masilgeyo.
— Hello. One hot decaf Americano, for here.
🎭 Practice Dialogues (For Here · To-go · Milk Options)
Dialogue 1 — Simple “for here” order
A (Staff): 어서 오세요.
eoseo oseyo
— Welcome.
B (Customer): 아메리카노 하나 주세요.
amerikano hana juseyo
— One Americano, please.
A: 따뜻한 거요, 아이스요?
ttatteutan geoyo, aiseuyo?
— Hot or iced?
B: 따뜻한 거요. 여기서 마실게요.
ttatteutan geoyo. yeogiseo masilgeyo.
— Hot, please. I’ll drink it here.
Dialogue 2 — To-go and milk option
B: 라떼 아이스로 포장해 주세요.
ratte aiseuro pojanghae juseyo
— Iced latte to-go, please.
A: 우유는 어떻게 드릴까요?
uyuneun eotteoke deurilkkayo?
— Which milk would you like?
B: 오트 밀크로 부탁드려요. 시럽은 빼 주세요.
oteu milkeuro butakdeuryeoyo. sireobeun bbae juseyo
— Oat milk, please. Skip the syrup.
Dialogue 3 — Mobile order & pickup
B: 모바일로 주문했어요. 픽업 가능할까요?
mobail-ro jumunhaesseoyo. pikeop ganeunghalkkayo?
— I ordered on mobile. Can I pick it up?
A: 네, 잠시만요. 이름이 어떻게 되세요?
ne, jamsimanyo. ireumi eotteoke doeseyo?
— Sure, just a moment. What’s your name?
📝 Quick Check Quiz
Click to check your answers.
1) How do you say “to-go, please”?
포장해 주세요.
pojanghae juseyo
2) You want less sweet. What can you say?
덜 달게 해 주세요.
deol dalge hae juseyo
3) Make this order in Korean: “One hot decaf Americano, for here.”
디카페인 아메리카노 따뜻한 거 하나 주세요. 여기서 마실게요.
dikapein amerikano ttatteutan geo hana juseyo. yeogiseo masilgeyo.
4) How do you ask politely: “Can I pay by card?”
카드로 결제해도 될까요?
kadeuro gyeoljehaedo doelkkayo?
👩🏫 Teacher’s Tips
- Use the menu: Point to the menu and say “이거 하나 주세요.” (igeo hana juseyo — This one, please.) if the name is hard.
- Keep the pattern: “라떼 아이스로, 포장해 주세요.” — drink → temperature → for here/to-go. Staff quickly understand this pattern.
- Practice your real order: Think about what you actually drink in your country and create your personal Korean line using today’s phrases.
- 연습할 때는 실제 가고 싶은 카페 이름과 메뉴를 떠올리면서 말해 보세요. 여행할 때 바로 쓸 수 있어요.
🌀 “Say What?” — Similar but Confusing Words
여기서 마실게요 vs 포장해 주세요
- 여기서 마실게요 — I’ll drink it here. (For here, stay in the café.)
- 포장해 주세요 — Please pack it to-go (take out).
따뜻한 vs 아이스
- 따뜻한 (ttatteutan) — hot
- 아이스 (aiseu) — iced (cold with ice)
조금 달게 vs 덜 달게
- 조금 달게 해 주세요 — Make it a little sweet.
- 덜 달게 해 주세요 — Make it less sweet.
🌀 Did You Know? — Korean Café Culture
South Korea is sometimes called a “café heaven.” In big cities like Seoul and Busan, you can find cafés on almost every corner — from big chains to tiny dessert cafés and photo-friendly spots in alleys.
한국은 “카페 천국”이라고 불릴 정도로 카페가 정말 많아요. 서울·부산 같은 대도시에서는 길마다 프랜차이즈 카페, 디저트 카페, 포토존 카페를 쉽게 찾을 수 있습니다.
Many students and office workers use cafés as study rooms and meeting spaces. In some areas, you’ll see people with laptops for hours, especially in the evening and on weekends.
학생·직장인들은 카페를 스터디 공간이나 모임 장소로 자주 사용해요. 특히 주말 저녁에는 노트북을 펼쳐 놓고 공부하거나 일하는 사람들을 쉽게 볼 수 있습니다.
📝 It’s Your Turn
Now make the lesson yours:
- Write your real order (drink + hot/iced + for here/to-go) in Korean and say it three times out loud.
- Create two custom lines using a milk option (oat/almond) or decaf.
- Imagine you are in Seoul, Busan, or Jeju. Describe your dream café and what you’ll order — first in your language, then using at least two Korean phrases from this lesson.
👨🏫 Take a Lesson with Me
Want to practice your own “signature order” for your next trip to Korea?
Bring a real café menu (photo or screenshot) from Seoul, Busan, or Jeju, and we’ll build natural Korean orders together — plus polite small talk with the barista.
Practice Café Korean on italki💬 Stay Connected
Did these café phrases make ordering in Korea feel a bit easier? ☕😊
- Bookmark this page for your next trip to Seoul, Busan, or Jeju.
- Share it with a friend who loves Korean cafés and K-drama coffee scenes.
- Write your own Korean café order in the comments, and if I can, I’ll leave feedback or a small correction.
💬 Stay connected for new updates: more Travel Korean, Beginner phrases, and real café and restaurant situations are coming soon.
