Korean Phrases at a Copy Center in Korea
Korean phrases at a copy center in Korea lean on Pattern 23 from the SULSUL workbook — verb stem plus 아/어 주세요 (a/eo juseyo), "please do this for me." Hand over your papers and say 흑백으로 복사해 주세요 (heukbaek-euro boksahae juseyo), "Please copy in black and white," or 컬러로 복사해 주세요 (keolleo-ro boksahae juseyo), "Please copy in color." Pattern 22 — 천천히 말해 주세요 (cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo), "Please speak slowly" — saves you when the clerk lists options fast.
- Black-and-white copy: 흑백으로 복사해 주세요 (heukbaek-euro boksahae juseyo), "Please copy in black and white."
- Color copy: 컬러로 복사해 주세요 (keolleo-ro boksahae juseyo), "Please copy in color."
- Ask the price: 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?), "How much is it?"
- Slow down: 천천히 말해 주세요 (cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo), "Please speak slowly."
- Scan to email: 스캔해서 보내 주세요 (sekaenhaeseo bonae juseyo), "Please scan and send it."
How do you order copies at a Korean print shop?
복사점 (boksajeom, copy shop) counters sit inside university areas, subway stations, and office districts. Many also 인쇄 (inswae, print) PDFs and 스캔 (sekaen, scan) passports for visa forms. Start with Pattern 23 and name the format you need.
You: 안녕하세요. 이거 흑백으로 복사해 주세요. — annyeonghaseyo. igeo heukbaek-euro boksahae juseyo. — "Hello. Please copy this in black and white."
Them: 몇 장이요? — myeot jang-iyo? — "How many sheets?"
You: 세 장이요. 얼마예요? — se jang-iyo. eolmayeyo? — "Three sheets. How much is it?"
| Situation | Say this |
|---|---|
| Black-and-white copy | 흑백으로 복사해 주세요 (heukbaek-euro boksahae juseyo) |
| Color copy | 컬러로 복사해 주세요 (keolleo-ro boksahae juseyo) |
| Ask the total | 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?) |
| Speak slowly | 천천히 말해 주세요 (cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo) |
| Scan and send | 스캔해서 보내 주세요 (sekaenhaeseo bonae juseyo) |
Practice this out loud with SULSUL — the app says it, you repeat it →
What do you say when you need printing or scanning?
For visa paperwork or a rental contract, clerks often ask about paper size and binding. Listen for A4 and 양면 (yangmyeon, double-sided). If the question comes too fast, Pattern 22 is your reset button.
You: 컬러로 인쇄해 주세요. — keolleo-ro inswaehae juseyo. — "Please print in color."
Them: 양면으로 할까요? — yangmyeon-euro halkkayo? — "Double-sided?"
You: 네, 양면으로 해 주세요. — ne, yangmyeon-euro hae juseyo. — "Yes, double-sided, please."
The 얼마예요? line from exchanging currency at a bank in Korea works the same way at the copy counter when you want the total before you pay.
What usually goes wrong at a Korean copy shop?
Travelers often say 복사 (boksah, copy) but forget to name 흑백 (heukbaek, black and white) or 컬러 (keolleo, color) — the clerk defaults to color and the bill jumps. Add the format every time: 흑백으로 복사해 주세요.
A second mistake is handing over a passport page without saying how many copies you need. Count first and answer 두 장이요 (du jang-iyo), "Two sheets," when they ask 몇 장이요? so you are not charged for extras.
Say it out loud, not just in your head
Reading 흑백으로 복사해 주세요 on your phone is not the same as saying it across a busy counter while a line forms behind you.
SULSUL is a speaking gym for exactly that moment: pick a survival pattern, say it out loud, get an instant fix from the AI pronunciation coach, then run the real situation as a mission. The 100-pattern PDF workbook comes along as a bonus.
