Korean Store Hours Signs: Words, Rules and Examples

What you will learn

• Read a shop sign and state the opening hours, break time and closed day.
• Tell 영업 중 (open) from 준비 중 (not open yet).
• Read times written as 10:00 ~ 22:00 and say them aloud.

Before you start: you should read Hangul blocks, as covered in how to read Hangul. Time: about 30 minutes. Audio plays only when you press a button.

Key Facts

• 영업 중 means open, 준비 중 means getting ready (not open yet) and 휴무 means closed.
• Hours are written as 10:00 ~ 22:00, and the tilde means "to".
• Break time is 브레이크 타임, and last order is 라스트 오더 or 주문 마감.
• Weekly closing is written 매주 월요일 휴무 (closed every Monday).
• 24시간 means open 24 hours and is usually read 이십사 시간.

*Last updated: 2026-10-09. The Korean text, romanization and audio scripts on this page are AI-assisted drafts.

What Are Korean Store Hours Signs?

Korean store hours signs are the short notices on doors, windows and menus that give a shop's status and schedule. A sign may say that the shop is open right now (영업 중), list the hours (영업시간), name a rest day (휴무) and mark a gap in the middle of the day (브레이크 타임). Together, these lines answer one question: can I go in?

Most of the text is nouns and numbers, not sentences. The words are mostly Sino-Korean, built from Chinese-origin syllables, with a few English loanwords such as 브레이크 타임 (break time) and 라스트 오더 (last order). The numbers are clock times, which link to telling time in Korean.

The status words are the first thing to read, because they decide whether the rest matters. First, why the signs trip up learners.

Why Do English Speakers Struggle with Korean Store Hours Signs?

English speakers struggle because one word looks like its opposite, and because a middle-of-the-day closure is not part of the usual hours format. In English, "preparing" does not suggest that a shop is shut. In Korean, 준비 sounds like "ready", but 준비 중 means the shop is still getting ready and is not open. Meanwhile, a sign that reads 10:00 ~ 22:00 looks like a shop that is open all day, even if a break time line says otherwise.

The cure is to read the lines in a fixed order: status first, then the closed day, the hours, the break and the last order. The status words come next.

Which Words Say Open or Closed?

A small set of status words covers nearly every shop door. The pair to learn first is 영업 중 and 준비 중, often printed on opposite sides of a hanging sign.

The syllable 중 means "in the middle of" an action. 영업 중 is "in the middle of doing business", and 준비 중 is "in the middle of preparing". That is why 준비 중 means the shop is not ready yet. 영업 중 is spoken [영업쭝], because the ㅈ turns tense after the ㅂ. 준비 중 is spoken as it is written.

Many doors carry a two-sided sign. One face reads 영업 중 and the other reads 준비 중 or 영업 종료, and the staff turn it around. Read the face that is turned toward you. A sign that says 휴업 or 폐업 is more serious: 휴업 is a pause in business, and 폐업 means the shop has closed for good.

24시간 영업 is usually read 이십사 시간 영업, spoken [이십싸시간 영업]. When people count a length of time, they use the native number instead (스물네 시간), but the shop phrase uses the Sino-Korean 이십사.

Next, how the hours are written.

How Are Hours Written?

Hours are written as two clock times joined by a tilde: 10:00 ~ 22:00. The tilde (~) means "from ... to", so the shop opens at 10:00 and closes at 22:00. The line is often headed by 영업시간 (business hours), and many signs use 오픈 (open) and 마감 (closing) for the two times, as in 오픈 10:00 / 마감 22:00.

Signs often use the 24-hour clock, but people say the time in 12-hour form with 오전 (a.m.) or 오후 (p.m.) and native numbers. The tilde is read 부터 ... 까지 (from ... until).

For a late-night time, a sign may say 새벽 2시, where 새벽 means the hours before dawn. Minutes are read with Sino-Korean numbers and 분, so 10:30 is 열 시 삼십 분 or 열 시 반 (half past). The telling time in Korean lesson covers clocks in full, and the Korean punctuation lesson covers the tilde and other marks. A sign may also split the week: 평일 (weekdays) 10:00 ~ 21:00 and 주말 (weekend) 11:00 ~ 20:00.

To ask by voice, use the question below. 몇 시까지 해요? means "until what time are you open?" It is a wh-question, so it does not end with a sharp rise.

몇 시 is spoken [멷씨]: the ㅊ is said as ㄷ, and the ㅅ is tense. Another useful question is 몇 시에 열어요? ("what time do you open?"). The next gap in the day is the break.

What Is Break Time?

Break time is a gap in the middle of the day when a restaurant or cafe is closed to customers. It is written 브레이크 타임 (beureikeu taim), usually with a time range: 브레이크 타임 15:00 ~ 17:00. During that range, the staff rest or prepare for dinner, and the door may be locked even though the main hours seem to include it.

A second time often follows it: 라스트 오더 (raseuteu odeo), the last order, or its short form L.O. A sign may also say 주문 마감, which means "orders close". The last order is earlier than the closing time, because the kitchen needs time to finish.

Here is a full sign, read as a puzzle.

매주 월요일 휴무 영업시간 10:00 ~ 22:00 브레이크 타임 15:00 ~ 17:00 라스트 오더 21:00

Can you eat here on a Tuesday at 16:00? No, because 16:00 falls inside the break. Can you order at 21:30 on a Wednesday? No, because the last order was at 21:00, even though the shop stays open to 22:00. Can you come on a Monday? No, because of 휴무. The last question leads to weekly closures.

How Do Weekly Closures Work?

Weekly closures name the day of the week that a shop rests, followed by 휴무. The pattern is 매주 (every week) + the day + 휴무, as in 매주 월요일 휴무 ("closed every Monday"). The days of the week all end in 요일: 월요일 (Monday), 화요일, 수요일, 목요일, 금요일, 토요일 and 일요일 (Sunday). 월요일 is spoken [워료일], because the ㄹ links to the next syllable.

Some large stores close on set Sundays each month, and the days differ from city to city and can change over time. Always read the days on the sign. The ordinals in the table are 첫째 (first), 둘째 (second), 셋째 (third) and 넷째 (fourth). Dates on notices, such as 5월 5일, are covered in dates in Korean.

Notices for a holiday closing often give a date range with a tilde as well, for example 9/28 ~ 10/1 휴무, which means "closed from 28 September to 1 October". Use the dates lesson to read the month and day.

The ordinary hours are only part of the story. The next section works through one sign from start to finish.

Worked Example: 영업 중

The worked example reads a two-sided door sign. The side facing you says 영업 중.

1. Look at the sign. It has two words, 영업 and 중, in large type.
2. Sound out the letters. 영 is ㅇ + ㅕ + ㅇ, 업 is ㅇ + ㅓ + ㅂ and 중 is ㅈ + ㅜ + ㅇ. Spoken, it is [영업쭝].
3. Split the meaning. 영업 means business and 중 means in progress. The shop is in business.
4. Compare the other side. If the sign were turned over, it might read 준비 중. That would mean "getting ready", and you would wait.
5. Check the hours. Look for a line with 영업시간 and confirm that the time now falls inside it and outside any break.
6. Ask if you are unsure. The sentence below asks the staff.

A yes/no question like this usually ends with a rise. The staff might answer 네, 영업 중이에요 ("yes, we are open") or 아직 준비 중이에요 ("we are still getting ready").

You will know it worked when you can say what the door sign means and whether to go in. The same six steps work for 휴무 and 브레이크 타임. A few mistakes catch learners out.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Korean Store Hours Signs?

The most common mistakes are reading 준비 중 as open, ignoring the break time and treating the last order as the closing time.

• Learners often assume 준비 중 means "ready". Actually it means the shop is getting ready and is not open, because 중 marks something still in progress.
• Learners often assume that the hours line is the whole story. Actually a break time or a closed day may override it, so read every line, because the shop can be shut at 16:00 even when the hours say 10:00 ~ 22:00.
• Learners often assume 라스트 오더 is the closing time. Actually it is earlier, so arrive well before it, because the kitchen stops taking orders first.
• Learners often assume 휴무 means a holiday sale. Actually it means closed, so check for the word before you travel, because a 휴무 day is a day off.
• Learners often read the tilde as "about". Actually on a sign it means "from ... to", so read 10:00 ~ 22:00 as ten to ten, because "about" is written with 약 or 쯤.
• Learners often say 22:00 as "twenty-two o'clock" in Korean. Actually people say 오후 열 시, because the 12-hour form with native numbers is the everyday spoken style.

Test these in the practice set next.

Practice and Answer Key

Answer each question, then check the key.

1. What does 영업 중 mean?
2. What does 준비 중 mean on a shop door?
3. How do you say 10:00 and 22:00 in everyday Korean?
4. How would a sign say "closed every Monday"?
5. A sign says 브레이크 타임 15:00 ~ 17:00. Can you order at 16:00?
6. What does 연중무휴 mean?
7. A sign says 라스트 오더 21:30 and 영업시간 ~ 22:00. When is the last order?
8. How do you read 24시간 영업?
9. What does 공휴일 휴무 mean?
10. A sign says 매월 둘째 · 넷째 일요일 휴무. Which Sundays is the shop closed?

Answer key:

1. Open (in business).
2. Getting ready, so not open yet.
3. 오전 열 시 and 오후 열 시.
4. 매주 월요일 휴무.
5. No, because 16:00 is inside the break.
6. Open all year with no days off.
7. At 21:30.
8. 이십사 시간 영업, which means open 24 hours.
9. Closed on public holidays.
10. The second and the fourth Sunday of each month.

For a speaking task, point to each line of the sample sign and say what it means in Korean, then ask 몇 시까지 해요? aloud.

Where to Go Next

This lesson covers the status words, hours, break time, last order and closing days on Korean shop signs. It does not cover opening hours of public offices, transport timetables or online booking pages, and the signs here are typical layouts, not photographs of particular shops. Real signs vary by shop, and hours can change for holidays or events, so confirm with the shop when it matters.

Next: Korean convenience store labels, which reads tags, dates and cashier questions. Before this lesson, Korean price tags and receipts covers the other half of a shop visit. To return to the other lessons, see Korean signs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if a Korean shop is open? Look for 영업 중 (open) or 준비 중 (not open yet) on the door, then check the hours, break time and closed day on the sign. A shop is open only if the time falls inside the hours, outside any 브레이크 타임, and not on a 휴무 day. You can also ask 지금 영업 중이에요?

What is 브레이크 타임? 브레이크 타임 means break time, a gap in the middle of the day when a restaurant or cafe is closed to customers while staff rest or prepare. It is written like 브레이크 타임 15:00 ~ 17:00. The shop is closed in that gap even though the main hours would include it.

What does 휴무 mean? 휴무 means a day off, so a shop with 휴무 on its sign is closed. 매주 월요일 휴무 means closed every Monday, 공휴일 휴무 means closed on public holidays, and 정기 휴무 means a regular closing day. Do not read it as a holiday opening.

What is 24시간? 24시간 means 24 hours, and on a shop sign 24시간 영업 means open around the clock. It is usually read with the Sino-Korean 이십사, as 이십사 시간 영업, spoken [이십싸시간]. When people count a length of time, they normally use the native number instead: 스물네 시간.

What does 준비 중 mean on a shop door? 준비 중 means "in preparation", so the shop is getting ready and is not open to customers yet. It sounds like "ready" to English ears, but it means the opposite of 영업 중. Many doors have a two-sided sign with 영업 중 on one face and 준비 중 on the other.

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