Korean Phrases for Taking Your Pet to the Vet in Korea
A 동물병원 (dongmulbyeongwon, animal hospital) is the one appointment where you have to describe symptoms for a patient who cannot describe them — and you have to do it in Korean, at a counter, with a nervous animal in your arms. Two patterns from the SULSUL workbook carry the whole visit. Pattern 08 — the past tense -았/었어요 — is how you report what already happened: 어제부터 밥을 안 먹었어요 (eojebuteo babeul an meogeosseoyo), "It hasn't eaten since yesterday." Pattern 52 — -ㄴ/은/는 것 같아요 — is how you offer a guess without claiming to be the vet: 어디가 아픈 것 같아요 (eodiga apeun geot gatayo), "Something seems to hurt."
- Check in: 예약했는데요 (yeyakhaenneundeyo), "I have an appointment."
- Say what happened: 어제부터 밥을 안 먹었어요 (eojebuteo babeul an meogeosseoyo), "It hasn't eaten since yesterday."
- Offer a guess: 어디가 아픈 것 같아요 (eodiga apeun geot gatayo), "Something seems to hurt."
- Ask about the medicine: 약은 어떻게 먹여요? (yageun eotteoke meogyeoyo?), "How do I give the medicine?"
- Ask about a follow-up: 언제 다시 와야 해요? (eonje dasi waya haeyo?), "When do I come back?"
How do you check in at a Korean vet clinic?
The front desk asks for three things: whether you booked, what animal, and what is wrong in one line. Answer all three before they finish asking and the rest of the visit is calm.
Them: 어떻게 오셨어요? — eotteoke osyeosseoyo? — "What brings you in?"
You: 예약했는데요. 강아지가 밥을 안 먹어요. — yeyakhaenneundeyo. gangajiga babeul an meogeoyo. — "I have an appointment. My dog isn't eating."
Them: 네, 잠시만 기다려 주세요. — ne, jamsiman gidaryeo juseyo. — "Okay, one moment please."
강아지 (gangaji) is a dog, 고양이 (goyangi) is a cat, and cats are expected to arrive in an 이동장 (idongjang, carrier) rather than in your arms. If you have no booking, 예약 안 했는데 진료 돼요? (yeyak an haenneunde jillyo dwaeyo?), "I didn't book — can you still see us?" is the walk-in line. Bring the 접종 수첩 (jeopjong sucheop), the vaccination booklet, if the clinic has given you one; 접종 수첩 여기 있어요 (jeopjong sucheop yeogi isseoyo) saves a whole conversation.
| Situation | Say this |
|---|---|
| Check in | 예약했는데요 (yeyakhaenneundeyo) |
| Say what happened | 어제부터 밥을 안 먹었어요 (eojebuteo babeul an meogeosseoyo) |
| Offer a guess | 어디가 아픈 것 같아요 (eodiga apeun geot gatayo) |
| Ask about the medicine | 약은 어떻게 먹여요? (yageun eotteoke meogyeoyo?) |
| Ask about a follow-up | 언제 다시 와야 해요? (eonje dasi waya haeyo?) |
Practice this out loud with SULSUL — the app says it, you repeat it →
How do you describe what is wrong?
Vets ask two questions in every language: what is happening, and since when. Pattern 08 answers both at once, because Korean puts the "since when" in front and the past tense at the end.
Them: 언제부터 그랬어요? — eonjebuteo geuraesseoyo? — "Since when has it been like this?"
You: 어제 저녁부터 그랬어요. 두 번 토했어요. — eoje jeonyeokbuteo geuraesseoyo. du beon tohaesseoyo. — "Since last night. It vomited twice."
Them: 설사도 했어요? — seolsado haesseoyo? — "Any diarrhoea as well?"
You: 네, 오늘 아침에 했어요. — ne, oneul achime haesseoyo. — "Yes, this morning."
The handful of symptom verbs is short enough to memorise in one sitting: 토했어요 (tohaesseoyo), "vomited"; 설사해요 (seolsahaeyo), "has diarrhoea"; 기운이 없어요 (giuni eopseoyo), "has no energy"; 다리를 절어요 (darireul jeoreoyo), "is limping"; 자꾸 긁어요 (jakku geulgeoyo), "keeps scratching." Then Pattern 52 lets you add what you suspect without overstating it — 뭘 잘못 먹은 것 같아요 (mwol jalmot meogeun geot gatayo), "I think it ate something it shouldn't have," or 좀 아픈 것 같아요 (jom apeun geot gatayo), "it seems a bit unwell." That softness is the point: 아파요 is a diagnosis, 아픈 것 같아요 is an observation, and the second is what a vet actually wants from you. The same two patterns run your own doctor's appointment, which how to see a doctor in Korea covers end to end.
What usually goes wrong at the 동물병원?
The first thing is walking out without understanding the instructions. Medicine for animals comes with a dose and a schedule, and the sentence to ask is 약은 어떻게 먹여요? (yageun eotteoke meogyeoyo?) — note 먹여요 (meogyeoyo), "feed it," not 먹어요, which would mean you are taking it. Follow with 하루에 몇 번이에요? (harue myeot beonieyo?), "How many times a day?" If the answer moves too fast, 다시 말해 주세요 (dasi malhae juseyo) is always allowed, and what to say when Korean is too fast has the rest of that toolkit. Anything you then pick up at a human pharmacy runs on the phrasing in Korean phrases for the pharmacy in Korea.
The second is missing the follow-up. Vaccinations and treatments in Korea are usually scheduled in rounds, so end every visit with 언제 다시 와야 해요? (eonje dasi waya haeyo?) and write the date down at the counter. 예방접종 하러 왔어요 (yebangjeopjong hareo wasseoyo), "I came for a vaccination," is the opening line for those return trips.
The third is paperwork you did not know about. Dogs in Korea are registered with a microchip or tag under 동물등록 (dongmul deungnok), and any clinic will tell you where you stand if you ask 동물등록 여기서 돼요? (dongmul deungnok yeogiseo dwaeyo?), "Can I do the pet registration here?" Registration details are tied to your address, so it belongs on the same list as the errands in Korean phrases for the community service center in Korea and Korean phrases at the apartment management office in Korea. When you are unsure of any of it, the openers in how to politely ask for help in Korean get a staff member to slow down and start over with you.
Say it out loud, not just in your head
어디가 아픈 것 같아요 is a sentence you cannot look up mid-sentence — the vet is already reaching for your dog and waiting to hear what you noticed.
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.
