Location & Direction

Asking for and giving directions in Korea is a high-value early skill because Korean addresses follow a different logic than Western addresses. You will rarely give a Korean address as a street name and number — instead, Koreans navigate by landmark and area. The key vocabulary covers basic directions (왼쪽 left, 오른쪽 right, 앞 front, 뒤 back, 위 up, 아래 down) and key locations (지하철역 subway station, 편의점 convenience store, 은행 bank, 카페 café).

The particle system is essential here: 에 marks destination ('가다 + 에서 + 학교 + 에 + 가요' is wrong; '학교에 가요' is correct, meaning 'I'm going to school'). 에서 marks the location of an action ('학교에서 공부해요' = 'I study at school'). The distinction between 에 and 에서 is one of the most common particle errors at this level — 에 for being or going to a place, 에서 for doing an action at a place. Practice the contrast deliberately because it carries through every later lesson.