Bank & Currency Exchange
Handle everyday banking tasks and currency exchange in Korean.
Korean banking has digitalised aggressively — most domestic banking happens in mobile apps with biometric authentication. However, currency exchange and account opening still require in-person visits, and ATM operation in Korean is essential. Key vocabulary: 환전 (currency exchange), 통장 (account passbook), 카드 (card), 출금 (withdrawal), 입금 (deposit), 송금 (transfer).
For currency exchange at a bank: 환전하고 싶어요. 달러를 원으로 바꿔 주세요 (I'd like to exchange currency. Please change dollars to won.). For ATMs, the menus support English on most machines but Korean is faster if you know the terms. Note that Korean ATMs typically have separate menus for cards (카드 거래) and passbooks (통장 거래), and many bank-specific ATMs only work for that bank's customers — look for 공용 ATM (shared ATM) at convenience stores for universal access. Most ATMs in Korea operate 24/7 and are heavily integrated into convenience stores.
-고 싶어요 vs. -아/어 주세요 — Wanting vs. Requesting
-고 싶어요 expresses what you want to do (first person only). -아/어 주세요 asks someone else to do something. In banking, you'll use both: '환전하고 싶어요' (I want to exchange) vs. '확인해 주세요' (please check).
N으로/로 바꿔 주세요 — Exchange into ~
To ask for currency exchange, use 'currency + (으)로 바꿔 주세요'. The particle (으)로 marks the target. After a consonant: 으로, after a vowel or ㄹ: 로.