Location & Direction
Ask for and describe simple locations and directions.
Asking for and giving directions in Korea is a high-value early skill because Korean addresses follow a different logic than Western addresses. You will rarely give a Korean address as a street name and number — instead, Koreans navigate by landmark and area. The key vocabulary covers basic directions (왼쪽 left, 오른쪽 right, 앞 front, 뒤 back, 위 up, 아래 down) and key locations (지하철역 subway station, 편의점 convenience store, 은행 bank, 카페 café).
The particle system is essential here: 에 marks destination ('가다 + 에서 + 학교 + 에 + 가요' is wrong; '학교에 가요' is correct, meaning 'I'm going to school'). 에서 marks the location of an action ('학교에서 공부해요' = 'I study at school'). The distinction between 에 and 에서 is one of the most common particle errors at this level — 에 for being or going to a place, 에서 for doing an action at a place. Practice the contrast deliberately because it carries through every later lesson.
에/에서 (Location)
Use 에 to show existence/location. Use 에서 to show action location.
으로/로 (Direction)
Use 으로/로 after nouns to indicate direction or movement.
Cultural & Language Note
Korean distinguishes 여기, 거기, and 저기 on a three-way system that matches Japanese ここ, そこ, あそこ almost exactly: near me, near you, away from both. English collapses this into 'here' and 'there', so English speakers routinely under-specify. Japanese speakers get this for free and only need to learn the new words.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
에 marks where something is or where you are going; 에서 marks where an action takes place. 집에 있어요 (I am at home) but 집에서 공부해요 (I study at home). Learners who default to one or the other produce sentences that are understandable but clearly off. The direction particle also alternates by ending: 으로 after a consonant, 로 after a vowel or ㄹ.