How to Say "Please wait" in Korean | Korean Expression

Quick Answer: "Please wait" in Korean is "기다려 주세요." (gidaryeo juseyo.). Level: A1.

The Korean sentence "기다려 주세요." is a beautiful way to say "Please wait". Its gentle tone captures the warmth of Korean storytelling.

Category: 인사

What does "Please wait" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "기다려 주세요." translates to "Please wait." in English. The sentence "기다려 주세요." is at the sweet spot for language learners: simple enough to parse, rich enough to be useful. It means "please wait" and uses vocabulary you will encounter again and again.

Pronunciation guide: gidaryeo juseyo.

Korean Sentence Structure Breakdown

Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which is different from English (SVO). In "기다려 주세요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 기다려 (gidaryeo) • 주세요 (juseyo)

Korean has no articles (a, an, the). Instead, context and particles tell you whether something is specific or general.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

The expression sounds genuinely Korean because it uses topic and subject markers correctly. These small particles (은/는, 이/가) are invisible in English but essential for natural Korean.

Cultural Insight

한국에서는 인사할 때 고개를 숙이는 정도로 존경의 깊이를 표현해요. 가벼운 목례부터 깊은 절까지 상황에 따라 달라집니다.

Examples

기다려 주세요. — gidaryeo juseyo. — Please wait.

기다려 주세요? — gidaryeo juseyo? — Please wait?

오늘도 기다려 주세요. — oneuldo gidaryeo juseyo. — Today too, please wait.

Quiz

How do you say "Please wait" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "기다려 주세요.". gidaryeo juseyo.

Fill in the blank: 기다려 ___

The correct ending is "주세요". The polite -요 form is essential for everyday Korean conversation.