9 Korean Phrases for Subway and Bus Etiquette

Quick answer: The one phrase you need on a Korean subway or bus is 잠시만요 (jamsimanyo) — "excuse me, one second" — said as you move toward the door through a crowd. Add 내리세요? ("Are you getting off?") to the person blocking the door, and 죄송합니다 when you bump someone, and you can ride anywhere in Korea politely.

Korean public transport is quiet, fast and surprisingly polite, and almost all of the politeness happens in three or four words. Nobody makes a speech. People say one short phrase, half a second long, and keep moving. If you stay silent and just push, that reads as rude — not because pushing is unusual at rush hour, but because the tiny verbal signal is what turns a shove into a normal human interaction.

Here are the nine phrases that cover almost everything, plus a few unwritten rules at the end. All of these are 해요체 or 합쇼체 — polite forms you can say to any stranger.

The phrases

1. 잠시만요. — Excuse me / one moment.

This is the workhorse. You say it when you need to get past someone, when you're moving toward the door, when someone is standing between you and the exit. 잠깐만요 means the same thing and is equally common. Say it at normal volume as you start moving — Koreans say it while stepping, not before.

2. 내리세요? — Are you getting off?

Asked to the person standing in front of the door as the train slows. It's not nosy; it's practical — if they say 네, you stay behind them, and if they say 아니요, they'll shift aside so you can get out. The polite full version is 혹시 내리세요? ("Are you getting off, by any chance?"), and 혹시 softens it nicely.

3. 저 여기서 내려요. — I'm getting off here.

Use this when you're wedged in the middle of a packed car and need people to make a path. You can also say 저 내릴게요 with the same effect. Said with 잠시만요 right before it, it's the standard crowd-parting combo: 잠시만요, 저 내려요.

4. 좀 지나갈게요. — I'm just going to squeeze past.

Slightly more explanatory than 잠시만요 — you use it when you have to physically pass between two people, or step over someone's bag. The 좀 here isn't "a little"; it's a softener that makes a request sound gentle. Without it, 지나갈게요 sounds a bit flat.

5. 죄송합니다. — I'm sorry.

For stepping on a foot, elbowing a shoulder, or your backpack swinging into someone. 죄송합니다 is the safe formal choice with strangers; 죄송해요 is slightly softer and also fine. Say it immediately — a late apology is stranger than no apology.

6. 벨 좀 눌러 주세요. — Could you press the stop bell, please?

On a bus, if you're sitting or standing far from a bell and your stop is coming, you ask the person nearest it. This is a completely normal request and people do it constantly. It's built on the -아/어 주다 pattern for asking someone to do something for you, which is the backbone of every polite request in Korean.

7. 기사님, 뒷문 좀 열어 주세요. — Driver, could you open the back door, please?

If the bus starts to pull away before you're off, call this out clearly toward the front. 기사님 is how you address a bus or taxi driver — never by name, always by role. A shorter shout of 뒷문이요! works too, and drivers hear it all day.

8. 저 지금 지하철이에요. 이따 전화할게요. — I'm on the subway right now. I'll call you later.

This is less a phrase you aim at a stranger and more the thing Koreans actually say into the phone. Long, loud calls on the subway get you quiet stares. If you must answer, keep your voice low and get off the call fast — this sentence is the exit line everyone uses.

9. 여기 노약자석이에요. — This is a priority seat.

노약자석 (seats for elderly and less able passengers) sit at both ends of each subway car, and 임산부 배려석 (pink seats for pregnant passengers) are marked within the regular seating rows in the middle of the car. Most people leave both kinds empty even when the car is full. If you're sitting in a regular seat and someone who needs it is standing, the phrase you want is 여기 앉으세요 — said while standing up, not before.

What the announcement is telling you

You'll hear the same two lines in every subway car, so they're worth recognizing even if you never say them:

이번 역은 ○○역입니다. — This stop is ○○ Station.

내리실 문은 오른쪽입니다. — The doors on the right side will open.

오른쪽 is right, 왼쪽 is left. On buses you'll hear 이번 정류장 (this stop) and 다음 정류장 (next stop) instead of 역. If the station names go by too fast, that's normal — the core subway vocabulary makes the announcements click much faster than general listening practice does.

Three unwritten rules

• Backpacks come off in a crowd. People take them off and hold them at their feet or in front of their body. Nobody will tell you to do it; they'll just lean away from you.
• No eating, and drinks stay closed. Coffee with a lid is tolerated; a snack is not.
• Volume stays low. Two friends talking quietly is fine. A group laughing loudly is the thing that makes a carful of people glance up.

The pattern underneath all of this: Korean transport politeness is about not imposing on the people pressed against you. Short words, low voice, quick apology. Get those three right and nobody will ever notice you — which, on a packed line at 8 a.m., is exactly the goal.

FAQ

What does 잠시만요 mean in Korean?

잠시만요 means "just a moment" or "excuse me." On public transport it's what you say to get someone to move aside so you can pass or reach the door. It's polite, neutral and usable with any stranger, and 잠깐만요 means exactly the same thing.

How do you say "excuse me, I'm getting off" on the Korean subway?

Say 잠시만요, 저 내릴게요 — "excuse me, I'm getting off." You can also ask the person in front of you 내리세요? ("Are you getting off?"), which tells them to either move through the door or step aside. Both are completely standard at rush hour.

Is it rude to talk on the phone on the subway in Korea?

A short, quiet call is tolerated; a long or loud one is not. Most Koreans answer with something like 저 지금 지하철이에요 ("I'm on the subway right now") and promise to call back. Texting is the default — which is why Korean subway cars are so quiet.

Practice

Say these in Korean.

1. You're in the middle of a packed car and your stop is next. What two short things do you say?
2. Someone is standing in the doorway. Ask whether they're getting off.
3. You're sitting on a bus and the bell is out of reach. Ask the person next to you to press it.
4. Your bag knocked into someone's shoulder. What do you say?
5. The bus door is closing and you're still on board. Call out to the driver.