9 Korean Phrases for Asking Where to Get Off the Bus or Subway

Quick answer: To check a bus goes where you want, say 이 버스 강남역 가요? ("Does this bus go to Gangnam Station?"). To ask where to get off, say 어디서 내려요? (eodiseo naeryeoyo) — "Where do I get off?" Both are 해요체, polite enough for a driver or a stranger, and short enough to say over engine noise.

Transit in Korea runs smoothly right up until it doesn't. You tap in, you sit down, and then you realise you don't know whether this is the bus that loops the other way. The phrases below are the ones that rescue that moment. Here's how it usually sounds:

저: 기사님, 이 버스 서울역 가요? — Driver, does this bus go to Seoul Station? 기사님: 네, 가요. — Yes, it does. 저: 몇 정거장 더 가야 돼요? — How many more stops? 기사님: 세 정거장 남았어요. — Three stops left.

That's the whole exchange. Four short lines, and you can relax for ten minutes. Each phrase below stands alone — learn even two and you'll use them the week you land.

1. 기사님, 이 버스 강남역 가요?

기사님, 이 버스 강남역 가요? — Driver, does this bus go to Gangnam Station?

This is the single most useful sentence at a bus stop. Notice there's no particle — Koreans drop 에 here and just say 강남역 가요?. 기사님 is the right way to address a driver; it's the job word 기사 plus the respectful -님, and it lands as polite and normal. Calling the driver 아저씨 is not rude exactly, but 기사님 is what a careful adult says.

2. 이거 반대편에서 타야 돼요?

이거 반대편에서 타야 돼요? — Do I have to take this from the other side?

The answer to phrase 1 is often 아니요 — same bus number, wrong direction. 반대편 means "the opposite side," and -아/어야 되다 means "have to." If you're underground, the same sentence works for platforms: 반대편으로 가세요 ("Go to the other side") is what you'll hear back. For the words you'll see and hear in the station itself — 환승, 갈아타다, 막차 — the subway vocabulary list covers them.

3. 시청 가려면 어디서 내려요?

시청 가려면 어디서 내려요? — If I want to go to City Hall, where do I get off?

This is the phrase to memorise word for word. -(으)려면 means "if you intend to," and 내리다 is "to get off." Swap in any destination at the front: 경복궁 가려면 어디서 내려요? Koreans ask each other this constantly — it does not sound like broken foreigner Korean, it sounds like a normal commuter who doesn't know this route.

4. 다음 역이 시청역 맞아요?

다음 역이 시청역 맞아요? — The next station is City Hall Station, right?

Use this when you're fairly sure and just want confirmation. 맞아요? at the end of a statement turns it into "right?" and it's warmer than a flat question. On a bus, say 다음이 ○○ 맞아요? since bus stops are 정류장, not 역. The answer you'll get is usually just 네 or 아니요, 한 정거장 더 가세요 ("No, go one more stop").

5. 몇 정거장 더 가야 돼요?

몇 정거장 더 가야 돼요? — How many more stops do I have to go?

정거장 is the counter for stops, on both bus and subway; the physical bus stop is 버스 정류장. 더 means "more," so this asks for the count remaining rather than the total. A shorter version you'll hear is 몇 정거장 남았어요? ("How many stops are left?") — both are completely natural, and the second one is easier to say when the bus is loud.

6. 내릴 때 좀 알려 주세요.

내릴 때 좀 알려 주세요. — Please let me know when it's time to get off.

Say this to the driver after you've told them where you're going, or to a kind-looking passenger. 좀 is the little softener that makes a request sound like a favour instead of an order — without it the sentence is still correct, but blunter. If you want to be extra polite, 내릴 때 좀 알려 주시겠어요? ("Would you let me know when to get off?") is lovely and never wrong.

7. 잠시만요, 저 내릴게요.

잠시만요, 저 내릴게요. — Excuse me, I'm getting off.

The rush-hour emergency phrase. 잠시만요 (or 잠깐만요) means "just a moment" and is the standard "excuse me, let me through." 내릴게요 announces your own intention — "I'm going to get off" — which is exactly why people move. In a real crush, one loud 내려요! works too, and nobody will think you were rude. More of these doorway-and-seat situations are in the subway and bus etiquette phrases.

8. 카드가 안 찍혔어요.

카드가 안 찍혔어요. — My card didn't tap / didn't register.

찍다 is the verb for tapping a card on the reader, and 안 찍혔어요 is the past of "it didn't get read." Say it to the driver and they'll usually just say 다시 찍어 보세요 ("Try tapping it again"). If your balance is empty, the machine announces 잔액이 부족합니다 — "the balance is insufficient" — and then you need 충전 (topping up) at a convenience store. If 안 versus 못 still feels slippery, see the ways to say "not" in Korean.

9. 한 정거장 지나쳤어요.

한 정거장 지나쳤어요. — I went one stop too far.

지나치다 means to pass something by without stopping, and it's the exact word for a missed stop. Follow it with 어떻게 가야 돼요? ("How should I go?") and most Koreans will happily point. On the subway you'll also hear 잘못 탔어요 — "I got on the wrong one" — which is the sentence for discovering you're on an express train sailing past your station.

One small habit that makes all of this easier

Put 저기요 or 죄송한데요 in front of any of these when you're talking to a stranger rather than the driver: 죄송한데요, 시청 가려면 어디서 내려요? That one word of warning gives the other person half a second to turn toward you, and it's the difference between sounding abrupt and sounding like someone who knows how to behave on public transport.

FAQ

How do you ask "does this bus go to" in Korean?

Say 이 버스 + place + 가요? — for example 이 버스 서울역 가요? ("Does this bus go to Seoul Station?"). You don't need a particle after the place name in speech. Add 기사님 at the front when you're asking the driver directly.

How do you say "where do I get off" in Korean?

어디서 내려요? is the core question. To include your destination, use 가려면: 명동 가려면 어디서 내려요? ("Where do I get off for Myeongdong?"). The verb 내리다 covers getting off a bus, subway, train or taxi.

What do you say when you miss your stop in Korean?

한 정거장 지나쳤어요 means "I went one stop past." If you boarded the wrong vehicle entirely, say 잘못 탔어요 ("I took the wrong one"). Either way, 어떻게 가야 돼요? — "How should I get there?" — is the natural follow-up.

Practice

Say these in Korean.

1. Driver, does this bus go to Hongdae? (홍대)
2. If I want to go to Gyeongbokgung, where do I get off? (경복궁)
3. How many more stops do I have to go?
4. Please let me know when it's time to get off.
5. My card didn't tap.