Finding a place when you cannot read the name
한글을 몰라도 가게를 찾는 법
The workflow visitors describe is usually the same. Find something in English on a blog or a video. Get the Korean name of the place. Paste that Korean name into a Korean map app to see where it is and, where the listing has them, its hours. Then walk there.
The paste trick, in detail
Search in English first. Copy the Korean shop name exactly, including any branch name, since a brand can have many branches and that part is what separates them. Paste it into the Korean map app rather than typing a romanised spelling, because romanised spellings vary and a search on one can miss.
Why visitors use the domestic app
In a government study of how foreign visitors use travel apps, more of them used the domestic map app than the global one for getting around, and visitors who chose Korean apps said they were convenient, accurate and up to date. Many people run both: the global map for reading names in an alphabet they know, the domestic one for finding the door.
Reading a sign you cannot read
A translation app that reads text through the camera handles menus, notices and opening hours posted on a door. Learning to recognise a handful of words helps more than it sounds: the words for closed, break time, and the days of the week will explain many locked doors.
What we do differently
We carry both names for every venue and let you search either, and we date what we know. Where we have not confirmed something, we say so instead of guessing.
Sources
- Korea.net, MCST and KTO study of travel app use by foreign visitors (while in Korea, 56.2% used the domestic map app and 33.9% the global one for routes; those who chose Korean apps called them convenient, accurate and up to date)
- Korea Tourism Organization, Helpful Apps and Resources (translation app that reads text from images; domestic map app shows business hours when available)