Korean Transportation Vocabulary Flashcards: 28 Cards with Audio

Korean Transportation Vocabulary Flashcards: Study the 28 Cards

Getting around by bus, subway and taxi is one of the first jobs Korean does for a visitor. The lesson behind this deck is Korean transportation vocabulary, so read it first if a card is new.

How Do I Use These Flashcards?

Use the deck above in four steps. It works with tap, click or keyboard, and nothing plays until you press an audio button.

1. Choose a mode. Start with recognition (Hangul to meaning). Switch to recall (meaning to Hangul) or listening (audio to meaning) once recognition feels easy.
2. Show the answer. Think of the answer first, then press Show answer (or Space). Say the word aloud before you reveal it, and try a short phrase such as 버스를 타요 for the vehicle cards. Turn on the romanization toggle only if you need it; the 28-card table below always shows it.
3. Grade yourself. Press Got it if you answered correctly without help, or Not yet if you hesitated or guessed.
4. Finish the session. A session holds up to 20 cards (you can set 10, 20 or 40). With 28 cards, a first-time learner can split the deck over three days, using the default limit of 10 new cards a day.

The Three Study Modes

Recognition shows the Hangul and asks for the meaning, which trains reading. Recall shows the meaning and asks for the Hangul, which trains remembering; you may type the answer with your Hangul keyboard or just recall it in your head. Listening plays a clip and hides the letters, which trains the ear. Listening mode only uses a card once its audio is approved, and cards without approved audio are skipped in that mode with a note.

Got It and Not Yet

Got it moves a card up one Leitner box, so it comes back later. Not yet sends the card back to box 1, so it returns in the same session or within 10 minutes. The grades are your own judgement; the deck does not score you or claim fluency.

Deck Scope: What Is and Is Not Covered

The deck covers 28 words in six groups: vehicles (cards 1 to 10), stations and signs (역, 정류장, 승강장, 노선, 호선, 출구), tickets and fares (교통카드, 요금, 표, 환승), the three motion verbs (갈아타다, 타다, 내리다), the timing words 막차 and 첫차, and people and services (기사님, 고속버스, 대중교통). Verbs appear in their dictionary form. The deck stops at single words and does not teach full directions.

What Is Left out of This Deck?

Airports, flights and border words are in the Korean travel vocabulary flashcards. Shops, banks and other places you travel to are in the Korean city vocabulary flashcards. Fare discounts, taxi apps and the rest of the 45 words on the lesson page are left to Korean transportation vocabulary.

All 28 Cards in One Table

All 28 cards appear below in deck order. The table is plain HTML, so you can use it as a drill without the deck: cover the Meaning column, say each entry aloud, then uncover it.

Reading the Table

Hangul is the word. Revised Romanization (RR) is a learning aid, so read the Hangul first and check RR afterwards. RR follows the sound of the word, which is why 정류장 is written jeongnyujang even though it is said [정뉴장]. The Meaning column gives the English gloss, and the Note column gives a use or sound hint. The last column lists the audio assetId; a second ID marks a slow clip. Cards 20 to 22 are the three motion verbs.

Usage Notes for These Cards

타다 takes the vehicle as its object. You ride a bus, a taxi, a subway or a bicycle, and the vehicle gets the particle 을/를: 버스를 타요 (I take the bus), 택시를 타요 (I take a taxi), 지하철을 타요 (I take the subway), 자전거를 타요 (I ride a bicycle). The verb 가다 means to go and never takes the vehicle as an object.

내리다 marks the place with 에서. When you leave a vehicle, the stop or station takes 에서: 서울역에서 내려요 (I get off at Seoul Station).

Transfers use 갈아타다, and the line takes 으로. The noun 환승 names the transfer, and the verb 갈아타다 does it: 이호선으로 갈아타세요 (Please transfer to line 2). Lines are numbered with 호선 after a Sino-Korean number, so line 2 is 이호선.

Means of transport take 로 or 으로. 로 means by or with: 버스로 가요 (I go by bus), 지하철로 가요 (I go by subway). To go on foot, say 걸어서 가요.

Bus routes use the counter 번. Ask 몇 번 버스예요? (Which number bus is it?) and answer with a Sino-Korean number, such as 오 번 버스예요.

Which Sounds Do Not Match the Spelling?

정류장 is said [정뉴장]. After the final ㅇ of 정, the ㄹ of 류 is read as ㄴ. Say jeong-nyu-jang.

갈아타다 is said [가라타다]. The final ㄹ of 갈 links to the vowel of 아 (liaison), so the word sounds like ga-ra-ta-da.

고속버스 is said [고속뻐스]. The ㅂ after the final ㄱ of 속 is pronounced as tense ㅃ.

첫차 is said [첟차]. The final ㅅ of 첫 is pronounced as [ㄷ] when a consonant follows.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Transportation?

• Using 가다 for riding, such as 버스를 가요. Say 버스를 타요.
• Using 에 with 내리다 for the stop. 역에 내려요 is heard, but 역에서 내려요 is the safer form for where you get off.
• Using 번 for subway lines. Lines take 호선, as in 이호선, while buses take 번, as in 오 번 버스.
• Mixing up 기차 and 지하철. 기차 runs between cities, and 지하철 runs inside a city.

The verbs cause most of the slips, so give cards 20 to 22 extra passes in recall mode.

How Does the Review Schedule Work?

The deck uses a simplified Leitner system with five boxes. A new card starts in box 1. Each Got it moves it up one box, and each Not yet returns it to box 1. The box sets how long the card waits before it is due again.

Each session shows due cards first, oldest due first, and then up to 10 new cards a day by default. A deck of 28 cards is introduced over three days at the default of 10 new cards a day, and the later boxes bring each card back at longer gaps. Progress is saved only in this browser, so clearing site data deletes it. Use the export button to save a small JSON file with card IDs, boxes and due dates, and import it on another device. No account is needed.

Cultural and Practical Context

In Seoul and other large cities one transit card works for buses and subways, so 교통카드 is often the first thing a visitor buys. Evening plans are shaped by the timetable, which is why 막차 (the last train or bus) and 첫차 (the first) are everyday words.

Limits of This Deck

The deck holds 28 cards and teaches single words, so it does not cover whole directions, announcements or fare rules. The transfer and transit-card remarks are general and should be checked against the current rules in your city. All Korean text is generated and was reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026. The audio is generated with text-to-speech and is checked by a Korean teacher before publication, and listening mode uses only cards whose clips are approved.

Next Steps after This Deck

After this deck, move on to the Korean travel vocabulary flashcards for airport and border words, or the Korean city vocabulary flashcards for the places you travel to. Write the words by hand with the Korean places vocabulary worksheet, and revisit the Korean transportation vocabulary lesson for the 45-word list. The Korean vocabulary flashcards page lists every other deck, and the Korean flashcards hub lists all topics.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Difference between 기차 and 지하철?

기차 is an intercity train, such as the high-speed KTX between cities. 지하철 is the urban subway inside a city, which runs underground and above ground. You say 기차를 타요 for a trip to another city and 지하철을 타요 for a ride across town.

How Do I Ask How to Get to a Station?

Say the station name plus 어떻게 가요? For example, 서울역에 어떻게 가요? means How do I get to Seoul Station? The particle 에 marks the destination of 가다. Add 실례합니다 (excuse me) first if you are asking a stranger.

Is 차 a Car?

Yes. 차 is the everyday word for car or vehicle, and 자동차 (card 8) is the formal written word. The same spelling 차 also means tea, so context decides: 차를 타요 is I ride in a car, and 차를 마셔요 is I drink tea.

What Is 환승?

환승 means a transfer between lines or between a bus and a subway. Many cities discount a transfer made with the same transit card within a set time, but the rules differ by city, so check the current rules before you rely on them.

Is My Progress Saved If I Close the Page?

Yes, in the same browser on the same device. Card boxes and due dates are stored locally and nothing is sent to a server. Clearing site data, using a private window or switching browsers removes them, so use the export button to keep a backup file. No account is needed.