Key Facts
- Hangul: 주소; Revised Romanization: juso
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 住所 (住 live + 所 place)
- Register: neutral, used in speech and writing; polite question: 주소가 어떻게 되세요?
Address in Korean: What Does 주소 Mean?
주소 is a noun meaning a street, home or email address. It is neutral and appears in both speech and writing. To ask politely, say 주소가 어떻게 되세요?, which uses the honorific ending 세요 and literally asks what your address "comes to".
How Do You Pronounce It?
Two syllables, ju-so. Both vowels are rounded: ju has the u of "June" and so has a pure o, without the glide of English "so". There are no sound changes to learn.
Example Sentences with 주소
주소가 어떻게 돼요?
Jusoga eotteoke dwaeyo?
What is your address?
A polite everyday question. For extra respect with strangers or elders, use 어떻게 되세요 instead of 어떻게 돼요.
제 주소를 알려 드릴게요.
Je jusoreul allyeo deurilgeyo.
I will tell you my address.
알려 드릴게요 means "I will let you know", with the humble 드릴게요 showing respect to the listener. 제 is the humble form of "my".
이메일 주소를 써 주세요.
Imeil jusoreul sseo juseyo.
Please write your email address.
Same noun, different kind of address: 이메일 주소 attaches the loanword for email in front. 써 주세요 means "please write".
Common Phrases and Collocations
집 주소 is a home address, 이메일 주소 an email address, and 주소를 적다 is "to write down an address" (적다 means to note or record).
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 집 주소 | home address |
| 이메일 주소 | email address |
| 주소를 적다 | to write down an address |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners use the object particle in a "what is" question.
Wrong: 주소를 뭐예요?
Correct: 주소가 뭐예요? The ending 예요 (is) takes a subject, so 주소 needs the subject particle 가, not 를.
주소 Compared with 우편번호 and 번지
Learners often need the word 우편번호 next, since the postal code is the number part of an address. 번지 is an older lot-number style.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 주소 | address | This page's word |
| 우편번호 | postal code | 우편번호 is the number part of an address. |
| 번지 | lot number | 번지 is the lot number in an older style address. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
주소 is Sino-Korean, written 住所 in hanja: 住 (live) plus 所 (place). So the word is literally "the place where one lives".
Sending a Parcel to a Friend
A customer is preparing a parcel at a counter. The clerk needs a delivery address rather than an email address.
Clerk
받는 분 주소를 써 주세요.
Batneun bun jusoreul sseo juseyo.
Please write the recipient’s address.
Customer
이메일 주소요?
Imeil jusoyo?
The email address?
Clerk
아니요. 집 주소를 써 주세요.
Aniyo. Jip jusoreul sseo juseyo.
No. Please write the home address.
Customer
네. 우편번호도 쓸게요.
Ne. Upyeonbeonhodo sseulgeyo.
Okay. I’ll write the postal code too.
받는 분 means the recipient, literally “the person receiving”. 집 identifies the address needed for this parcel. The customer adds the postal code as another item; it does not replace the address.
Recognizing Address Fields on a Form
주소 alone usually labels the address field. 상세 주소 means the detailed address, where a building, apartment or unit detail may be needed. If a form separates the two, the second field completes the first. A unit number can matter even when a map locates the building correctly.
받는 사람 means recipient and 보내는 사람 means sender. On a parcel form, check whose address belongs in each section. Writing your own address in the recipient area would describe the wrong destination, even if every street and number were copied accurately.
배송 주소 means delivery address. It tells you where goods should go, which may be different from your home address. 이메일 주소 identifies an electronic address. The modifier before 주소 tells you what kind of destination the form wants; the noun does not always refer to a residence.
Common Address Actions
주소를 적다 and 주소를 쓰다 both mean writing down an address. 적다 emphasizes noting or recording it, while 쓰다 is the broad verb for writing. In a form instruction, either can ask you to enter the address in writing.
주소를 알려 주다 means to tell someone an address. The existing example uses 알려 드릴게요, a respectful way to offer that information to the listener. 주소를 보내다 means to send the address, for example in a message. Sending the text of an address is different from sending a parcel there.
주소 변경 means address change and is a useful label when updating an account. 주소 검색 means address search. These are compact labels, so a screen may omit the polite verb ending you would use when speaking to a person.
Where Will You Hear 주소?
At a delivery counter, the address identifies the destination. With a taxi driver, showing a written address can identify a building more precisely than a general neighborhood name. In both situations, the address and the place’s business name can be separate pieces of information.
On a registration form, look for 이메일 before assuming the address must be physical. In a conversation, 주소가 어떻게 돼요? asks for the information; 주소를 써 주세요 asks the other person to write it. The first uses 가 because it asks what the address is, and the second uses 를 because the address is what gets written.
Words for Delivery Details
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 우편번호 | postal code | A separate code used alongside the address. |
| 상세 주소 | detailed address | Supplies details such as the unit within a building. |
| 받는 사람 | recipient | The person the parcel should reach. |
| 보내는 사람 | sender | The person sending the parcel. |
The post office vocabulary lesson teaches the wider delivery set.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 이메일 주소 ask for your home location?
- Which marker fits “Please write the address”: 가 or 를?
- On a parcel, is 받는 사람 the sender or recipient?
Show answers
- No. It asks for an email address.
- 를: 주소를 써 주세요.
- The recipient; 보내는 사람 is the sender.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "address" in Korean?
Say 주소 (juso). It covers street addresses and email addresses: 집 주소 is a home address and 이메일 주소 is an email address. It is neutral in both speech and writing.
How do you politely ask for someone's address?
Use 주소가 어떻게 되세요? The honorific ending 세요 makes it suitable for customers, strangers and elders. With friends or colleagues, 주소가 어떻게 돼요? is polite enough.
What is the Korean for "email address"?
It is 이메일 주소, with the loanword 이메일 (email) placed before 주소. A form may ask you to write it, as in 이메일 주소를 써 주세요 (Please write your email address).
What is 우편번호?
우편번호 is the postal code, the number part of an address. Korean forms usually ask for it in a separate box next to the 주소 field.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Post office and city words groups 주소 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 주소 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is the word for package. See the page for package.
- Compare with the page for postal code.