Reading Signs & Menus

Reading Korean signs and menus is the first practical step out of the textbook and into real Korean. Common sign categories: warning signs (위험 danger, 출입 금지 no entry, 주의 caution), directional signs (입구 entrance, 출구 exit, 화장실 restroom), and business signs (영업중 open, 휴무 closed). Menus follow predictable layouts: category headers, item names with prices in won (₩ or 원), and often small Korean-only commentary on spice level or specialty status.

The biggest reading-speed gain at this level comes from learning to skim rather than parse every character. Korean uses spaces between word groups, so train your eye to grab a whole word-group at a glance rather than reading character-by-character. Restaurant menus are excellent practice material because the vocabulary is narrow and the structure is predictable — you'll see the same dozen patterns hundreds of times.