Bank & Currency Exchange
Handle everyday banking tasks and currency exchange in Korean.
Korean banking has digitalised aggressively — most domestic banking happens in mobile apps with biometric authentication. However, currency exchange and account opening still require in-person visits, and ATM operation in Korean is essential. Key vocabulary: 환전 (currency exchange), 통장 (account passbook), 카드 (card), 출금 (withdrawal), 입금 (deposit), 송금 (transfer).
For currency exchange at a bank: 환전하고 싶어요. 달러를 원으로 바꿔 주세요 (I'd like to exchange currency. Please change dollars to won.). For ATMs, the menus support English on most machines but Korean is faster if you know the terms. Note that Korean ATMs typically have separate menus for cards (카드 거래) and passbooks (통장 거래), and many bank-specific ATMs only work for that bank's customers — look for 공용 ATM (shared ATM) at convenience stores for universal access. Most ATMs in Korea operate 24/7 and are heavily integrated into convenience stores.
-고 싶어요 vs. -아/어 주세요 — Wanting vs. Requesting
-고 싶어요 expresses what you want to do (first person only). -아/어 주세요 asks someone else to do something. In banking, you'll use both: '환전하고 싶어요' (I want to exchange) vs. '확인해 주세요' (please check).
N으로/로 바꿔 주세요 — Exchange into ~
To ask for currency exchange, use 'currency + (으)로 바꿔 주세요'. The particle (으)로 marks the target. After a consonant: 으로, after a vowel or ㄹ: 로.
How It Works
This lesson pairs two patterns you already know and contrasts them by who performs the action. -고 싶어요 states what you want to do yourself: 환전하고 싶어요 means you want to exchange money. -아/어 주세요 asks someone else to act: 확인해 주세요 asks them to check.
Banking conversations alternate between these constantly, because a transaction involves your intention and their action in sequence. Stating your intention first and then making specific requests mirrors how the interaction actually unfolds, and it is a useful way to organise what you plan to say before you reach the counter.
N(으)로 바꿔 주세요 returns from the hotel lesson with a different meaning. Here (으)로 marks the currency you want to end up with: 엔화를 원으로 바꿔 주세요 exchanges yen into won. The object particle 을/를 marks what you are giving and (으)로 marks what you want back, so the two particles carry the direction of the exchange.
The same construction covers breaking large notes: 큰 돈을 작은 돈으로 바꿔 주세요. This is genuinely useful in Korea because market stalls and older taxis sometimes struggle with 오만 원 notes.
Where You'll Hear It
Currency exchange in Korea happens at banks, at dedicated exchange booths in areas like Myeongdong, and at airports. Rates differ noticeably between them, and 환율이 어떻게 돼요? asks what rate is being offered.
수수료 is the word that matters most in practice. Many exchange points advertise a good 환율 but charge a 수수료, so 수수료 있어요? is worth asking before committing.
Opening an account as a foreign resident requires a 외국인등록증 (alien registration card) and often a phone number registered in Korea. 계좌를 개설하고 싶어요 opens the conversation, but expect to be asked for documentation.
ATMs are widespread and many offer an English interface, but the Korean labels are worth recognising: 출금 for withdrawal, 입금 for deposit, 이체 for transfer, 잔액 for balance. Note that some ATMs stop operating late at night or charge fees outside banking hours.
이체 is used heavily in daily life because Korean bank transfers between individuals are fast and common — splitting a restaurant bill by transfer is routine, and 계좌번호 알려 주세요 ('tell me your account number') is a normal thing to hear after a meal.
Cultural & Language Note
Korean banking is heavily digital, and most routine transactions happen through apps rather than at counters. Foreign residents opening an account will still need in-person visits and an alien registration card. Currency exchange rates at licensed downtown booths in areas like Myeongdong are typically better than at airports or banks.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
으로/로 바꿔 주세요 is the exchange pattern, and the particle alternates: 원으로 after a consonant, 엔으로 likewise, but 유로로 after a vowel. Learners also confuse 고 싶어요 with 아/어 주세요 — the first states what you want, the second asks the other person to act. Telling a teller 환전하고 싶어요 is fine, but a direct request needs 주세요.
How to Practice This Lesson
Organise your practice around the transaction rather than the grammar. Write the sequence you would actually follow: state your purpose, ask about the rate, ask about fees, hand over the money, confirm. Then fill in the Korean for each step.
Drill the two patterns as a contrasting pair, since the whole lesson turns on who acts. Write five things you want to do (-고 싶어요) and five things you want done for you (-아/어 주세요), and check that you have not mixed them up.
Learn the four ATM words by sight rather than by translation: 출금, 입금, 이체, 잔액. You will read them on a screen under mild time pressure, so recognition speed is what matters.
Finally, practise saying your own account details and phone number aloud. As with Lesson 4-4, these are things you will be asked for, and fluency with your own information removes a surprising amount of friction.