10 Korean Words for Riding the Subway: 환승, 갈아타다, 막차

Quick answer: The subway is 지하철 (jihacheol), "transfer" is 환승 (hwanseung), and the verb you'll actually say out loud is 갈아타다 — 여기서 갈아타요? ("Do I transfer here?"). Add 몇 번 출구 ("which exit") and 막차 ("last train") and you can get almost anywhere in Korea without saying anything else.

The Korean subway is the easiest part of daily life here to use and the easiest part to feel lost in. Everything is signposted, the trains come constantly — and then someone behind you says something quick and quiet and you don't know whether they want to get past you or want your seat. Here are the ten words and lines that cover ninety percent of what happens underground: what you say, what you hear, and how each one lands on a Korean ear.

1. 교통카드 — transit card

교통카드 충전해 주세요. — "Please top up my transit card."

You say this at a convenience store counter or at a machine in the station. 충전 literally means "charge," the same word used for charging a phone battery, so it's "charge my card." Add the amount in front if you like: 만 원 충전해 주세요 ("Top it up by 10,000 won, please"). The 해 주세요 part is the standard polite way to ask someone to do something for you — more on that pattern in asking people to do things with -아/어 주다.

2. 찍다 — to tap (your card)

카드 찍고 들어가세요. — "Tap your card and go in."

찍다 is the everyday verb for tapping a card on a reader. Nobody says 태그하다 in normal speech; it's 찍다, every time. The thing visitors forget is the second tap: 내릴 때도 꼭 찍으세요 ("Make sure you tap when you get off too"). Without it, the fare doesn't close out properly and your transfer discount disappears.

3. 환승 — transfer

여기서 환승하면 돼요. — "You can transfer here."

환승 is the sign word. You'll see it on orange arrows in the station and hear it in announcements. In actual speech, though, people usually use the verb 갈아타다 instead, so both are worth knowing — 환승 for reading, 갈아타다 for talking.

4. 갈아타다 — to change trains

어디서 갈아타요? — "Where do I change trains?"

This is the single most useful sentence in this article. Ask it to a station worker or to the person next to you, and the answer will usually be something like 2호선으로 갈아타세요 ("Transfer to Line 2"). If you want to check your own plan instead of asking an open question: 여기서 갈아타야 돼요? — "Do I have to change here?"

5. 몇 호선 — which line number

몇 호선 타야 돼요? — "Which line do I need to take?"

Korean subway lines are numbered with Sino-Korean numbers plus 호선: 1호선, 2호선, 4호선. Lines with names rather than numbers are just read as names. A typical answer: 4호선 타고 한 정거장만 가면 돼요 ("Take Line 4 and go just one stop"). 정거장 is the counter for stops along the way, and 역 is the station itself.

6. 이번 역 / 다음 역 — this stop / the next stop

이번 역은 ○○역입니다. 내리실 문은 오른쪽입니다. — "This stop is ○○ Station. The doors will open on the right."

That's the shape of the announcement in every car: station name, then which side the doors open. 내리실 is 내리다 ("to get off") with the honorific -(으)시- attached, because the announcement is speaking respectfully about you, the passenger. Train your ear for 오른쪽 (right) and 왼쪽 (left) and you'll always know which way to face.

7. 저 내려요 — "I'm getting off"

저 내려요! 잠시만요. — "I'm getting off! Excuse me a second."

In a packed car, this is how you move. 잠시만요 on its own is enough — it means "just a moment" and functions as "let me through." Koreans say it softly and briskly, not apologetically, and people shift without even looking up. If you're not getting off, the polite reply is to step out onto the platform, let people pass, and get back on.

8. 몇 번 출구 — which exit number

몇 번 출구로 나가야 돼요? — "Which exit should I go out of?"

Korean stations can have a dozen numbered exits, and getting the wrong one can mean a long walk around a block. This is why Koreans give directions by exit number rather than by street: 3번 출구에서 만나요 ("Let's meet at Exit 3"). If you come up and still can't find the place, the follow-up questions are in how to ask for directions in Korean.

9. 급행 — express train

이거 급행이에요? — "Is this the express?"

Some lines run both 급행 (express) and 일반 (regular) trains, and the express skips stations. Before you board, this three-word question saves you a long backtrack. If you hear 급행은 이 역에 안 서요 ("The express doesn't stop at this station"), that's 서다 — "to stop" — and it means wait for the next regular train.

10. 막차 — the last train

막차 몇 시예요? — "What time is the last train?"

막차 is literally "last vehicle" and covers the last subway or bus of the night. It's a word you hear constantly in evening conversation: 나 막차 타야 돼 ("I have to catch the last train," 반말 to a friend), or the morning-after confession 어제 막차 놓쳤어요 ("I missed the last train yesterday"). The opposite, 첫차, is the first train of the day.

Bonus: 노약자석 and 임산부 배려석

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

노약자석 is the seat section at the ends of each car for elderly and less-able passengers; 임산부 배려석 is the pink seat reserved for pregnant passengers. Koreans leave these empty even in a crowd, and sitting in one when you obviously don't need it reads as genuinely rude rather than merely careless. If you do want to give up a regular seat, the phrasing is in how to offer your seat in Korean.

FAQ

How do you say "transfer" on the Korean subway?

The noun is 환승, which is what you'll see on signs, but in speech most people use the verb 갈아타다. "Where do I transfer?" is 어디서 갈아타요? and "Transfer to Line 2" is 2호선으로 갈아타세요. Both are polite 해요체 and fine with strangers or station staff.

What does 막차 mean in Korean?

막차 means the last train or bus of the night. People use it constantly in evening plans — 막차 몇 시예요? ("What time is the last train?") or 막차 놓쳤어요 ("I missed the last train"). The first train of the morning is 첫차.

What do Korean subway announcements say?

Each stop you hear the station name followed by which side the doors open: 이번 역은 ○○역입니다, 내리실 문은 오른쪽입니다 — "This stop is ○○ Station; the doors will open on the right." Listen for 오른쪽 (right) and 왼쪽 (left). Transfer stations add 환승역 so you know a change is possible there.

Practice

Say these in Korean.

1. "Please top up my transit card."
2. "Where do I change trains?"
3. "Which exit should I go out of?"
4. "Is this the express?"
5. "What time is the last train?"