How to Say Please Take a Photo in Korean (사진 찍어 주세요)

What you'll learn

• Say 사진 찍어 주세요 aloud and hand your phone to a stranger.
• Choose between 사진 찍어 주세요, 사진 찍어도 돼요?, 같이 찍어요 and 하나 둘 셋.
• Explain why 찍어 is pronounced [찌거] and why the ㅉ is tense.
• Ask permission before you photograph people, shops or temple halls.

Before you start: knowing excuse me in Korean helps, because you start by getting a stranger's attention. Time: about 10 minutes. Audio plays only when you press a button.

How Do You Say Please Take a Photo in Korean?

The standard way to say please take a photo in Korean is 사진 찍어 주세요. The verb 찍다 (jjikda) means to stamp or snap, and it is the verb Koreans use for photos. The ending -아/어 주세요 means "do it for me", so the phrase asks the other person to press the button for you. If you want the photo taken of the whole group, say 다 같이 찍어 주세요 (da gachi jjigeo juseyo, please take one of all of us).

Most forms are polite, so you can use them safely with almost anyone. The next section takes the four most useful ones one by one.

What Are the Polite and Casual Ways to Say Please Take a Photo?

Please take a photo follows the Korean speech levels, explained in the guide to Korean speech levels. The politeness is mostly in the ending 요, so the choices below are about what you want: a favor, permission, company or a count.

Polite: 사진 찍어 주세요 (sajin jjigeo juseyo)

사진 찍어 주세요 is the request to a stranger. Hand over your phone, say 실례합니다 (excuse me) and then the phrase. Add 좀 (jom, a bit) to soften it, and name the place if you want a certain background, such as 여기서 (yeogiseo, here).

Polite: 사진 찍어도 돼요? (sajin jjigeodo dwaeyo)

-아/어도 돼요? asks "is it all right if I do it?". Use it when you are the photographer and want to shoot a person, a shop display or an exhibit. It is a yes/no question, so the voice rises at the end. A cheerful 네, 괜찮아요 (it's fine) is the usual answer.

Polite: 같이 찍어요 (gachi jjigeoyo)

같이 (gachi) means together, and the ending -어요 here works as a friendly suggestion, "let's". Use it to invite a guide, a new friend or a shop owner into the frame. Put 우리 (uri, we) in front for a warmer tone.

Casual: 하나 둘 셋 (hana dul set)

하나 둘 셋 is the count before the shot, and it uses the native Korean numbers one, two and three. Many people then call out 김치 (gimchi, kimchi), the Korean equivalent of "cheese", because the vowel ㅣ spreads the lips into a smile.

Some of these forms depend on tense sounds, so the pronunciation comes next.

How Do You Pronounce 사진 찍어 주세요?

사진 찍어 주세요 is written with seven syllables and pronounced [사진 찌거 주세요], sajin jjigeo juseyo. Say 사진, 찍어 and 주세요 as three short words. The seven syllables sound like this.

1. 사 (sa): "sah".
2. 진 (jin): "jeen", with a soft j and a clear n at the end.
3. 찍 (jjik): a tense "jj" and "ee"; the final ㄱ moves on to the next syllable.
4. 어 (eo): an open "uh", which picks up the ㄱ and sounds like "geo".
5. 주 (ju): a soft j and "oo".
6. 세 (se): "seh".
7. 요 (yo): "yoh".

Sound Changes to Listen For

Four details from the National Institute of Korean Language Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법) matter in these phrases.

• Linking in 찍어. A final consonant moves to the next syllable when that syllable starts with the silent ㅇ. So 찍어 is [찌거], 찍어도 is [찌거도] and 찍어요 is [찌거요]. Saying "jjik-eo" with a hard stop sounds foreign.
• The tense ㅉ is part of the letter. The double letter ㅉ is a tense consonant: the throat is tight and no puff of air follows. This is different from a sound change, and you can read more in Korean tensification. Say "jji" with a short, hard start.
• Palatalization in 같이. The ㅌ before 이 changes to [ㅊ], so 같이 is [가치] and the romanization is gachi.
• ㅓ is open. In 어 and 거, the vowel ㅓ is an unrounded "uh", not the rounded "oh" of ㅗ.

With the sounds clear, the next question is where and when to ask.

When Should You Use 사진 찍어 주세요, and When Should You Not?

Use 사진 찍어 주세요 when you need someone else to press the button. Use 사진 찍어도 돼요? when you hold the camera and want permission. Use 같이 찍어요 when you want to be in the picture with someone.

Situations Where It Fits

• A famous gate or palace. 여기서 사진 찍어 주세요. (Please take a photo here.)
• A shop display or café. 사진 찍어도 돼요? (May I take a photo?)
• A guide or new friend. 같이 찍어요. (Let's take one together.)
• A group photo. 하나 둘 셋 before the shot.

Situations to Avoid

• Photographing strangers without asking. Ask 사진 찍어도 돼요? first, especially with children and people at work.
• Where signs forbid it. A sign with 촬영 금지 (chwaryeong geumji, no photography) means do not shoot, even if you ask.
• Using 사진 찍어 줘 with strangers. The casual 줘 sounds rude outside close friendships.
• Using 하나 둘 셋 as a request. It is only the count before the shot.

Short scenes show how the phrases work together.

What Does Please Take a Photo Sound Like in a Real Conversation?

A photo request has a greeting, the request and a thank-you. Each scene below keeps the polite ending 요.

What to notice: the stranger's question ends with a rise, because it is a yes/no question.

What to notice: 안 돼요 means "not allowed" here, while the earlier 돼요 in the question asked about permission.

What to notice: the count 하나, 둘, 셋 comes right before the shot, and 김치 gets everyone smiling.

What Should You Know about the Culture behind Please Take a Photo?

Taking photos is a normal part of a trip in Korea, and people are usually happy to help.

• Marked photo spots. Many attractions and cafés have a 포토존 (potojon, photo zone), a spot set up for pictures, and passers-by will usually take a group photo if you ask politely.
• Restrictions exist. Some museums, exhibits and temple halls restrict photography or flash. A sign usually says so, and staff can answer 사진 찍어도 돼요?
• Ask before shooting people. Asking first is polite with strangers, shop staff and anyone working.
• A thank-you finishes it. 감사합니다 after the photo is expected, and checking the picture together is normal.

An expert insight: English speakers often say "take a picture" and translate it word by word. Korean uses 찍다 (to snap) for photos and also for stamps and dots, and the object comes first, 사진 찍어. If you learn only one verb for this job, learn 찍다. The mistakes below show where learners slip.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Please Take a Photo in Korean?

Most mistakes with please take a photo come from the verb choice and from the missing ending.

Learners often assume that 주세요 only means "please give". Actually, after a verb, -아/어 주세요 means "please do it for me", so 사진 찍어 주세요 asks someone to take a photo on your behalf.

Is It the Same as Take a Photo?

The short answers below cover the other ways people search for this phrase.

• Take a photo in Korean: 사진 찍다 is the verb. 사진 찍어요 is "I take a photo", and 사진 찍어 주세요 is the request.
• Photo please in Korean: 사진 좀 부탁드려요 (sajin jom butakdeuryeoyo) is a short, polite ask, and 사진 찍어 주세요 is the full sentence.
• Can I take a photo in Korean: 사진 찍어도 돼요?
• Take a picture in Korean: the same verb, and 촬영 (chwaryeong) is the formal word for shooting that you see on signs.

The related pages below continue the travel vocabulary.

Related Phrases to Learn Next

Please take a photo sits beside the other lines you use while exploring.

• Excuse me in Korean: 실례합니다 or 저기요 to get a stranger's attention.
• Thank you in Korean: the usual finish after the photo.
• Korean tensification: how tense sounds work.

This guide belongs to the Korean travel phrases collection. What this page does not cover: using a photo booth, drone rules and photographing in shops with signs. Hand over your phone, say 사진 찍어 주세요, and you can say please take a photo in Korean anywhere.

Practice: Say It Aloud

Play the slow clip of 사진 찍어 주세요 and repeat it three times, then try 사진 찍어도 돼요? and 같이 찍어요. Then choose the phrase for each case. Answers follow.

1. You want a stranger to photograph you at a palace gate.
2. You want to photograph a window display.
3. You want a photo with your tour guide.
4. You are about to press the button for a group.

Answers

1. 실례합니다, 사진 찍어 주세요.
2. 사진 찍어도 돼요?
3. 같이 찍어요.
4. 하나 둘 셋.

The phrase flashcards drill the four requests with audio.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say please take a photo in Korean?

Say 사진 찍어 주세요 (sajin jjigeo juseyo). It is polite and works with strangers, guides and shop staff. Add 좀 to soften it and 여기서 to say where. To ask permission as the photographer, say 사진 찍어도 돼요? instead.

How do you pronounce 사진 찍어 주세요?

Pronounce it [사진 찌거 주세요]. It has seven syllables. The final ㄱ of 찍 moves to 어, so you hear "jji-geo", and the ㅉ is tense with no puff of air. The Revised Romanization is sajin jjigeo juseyo.

What is the difference between 사진 찍어 주세요 and 사진 찍어도 돼요?

사진 찍어 주세요 asks someone to take a photo for you. 사진 찍어도 돼요? asks permission to take a photo yourself. The first is a request, and the second is a yes/no question that rises at the end.

Is 사진 찍어 주세요 formal or casual?

It is polite, in the 해요체 style, so it is neither formal nor casual. It suits almost every situation with strangers. The casual version, 사진 찍어 줘, is only for close friends and family.

Can I use 사진 찍어 주세요 with friends, elders and strangers?

Yes with strangers and elders, because it is polite. With close friends you may say 사진 찍어 줘. With an older person, you can raise the respect by adding 좀 and a bow, or by saying 사진 좀 부탁드려요.

What is the most common mistake with please take a photo in Korean?

The most common mistake is using a verb other than 찍다, such as 사진 가져요 or 사진 해요, which do not mean taking a photo. A second mistake is dropping 주세요, which turns the request into an order. Use 사진 찍어 주세요.

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