이거 얼마예요?
igeo eolmayeyo?
How much is this?
Phrase in 30 Seconds
The most important phrase for any traveler in Korea to ask for the price of an item.
- Means: 'How much is this?' used universally in shops and markets.
- Used in: Traditional markets, convenience stores, and street food stalls.
- Don't confuse: With '얼마나,' which asks about duration or quantity, not price.
Explanation at your level:
意思
A question asking for the price of an item.
文化背景
Prices in Korea always include VAT (Value Added Tax), so the price you are told after asking '얼마예요?' is the final price you pay. No math required at the register! Bargaining is common but should be done respectfully. Usually, you only bargain if you are buying multiple items. A common follow-up to '얼마예요?' is '좀 깎아주세요' (Please give a discount). In these stores, prices are fixed. Asking '얼마예요?' is fine if the tag is missing, but don't try to bargain here—it will be very awkward! On apps like 'Danggeun Market', people often use the shortened '얼마예요?' or even just '얼마인가요?' in chat. It's common to ask this even if the price is listed, just to start the conversation.
The 'Sajangnim' Hack
Always start with '사장님' (Sajangnim) when asking for the price at a stall. It builds instant rapport.
Rising Intonation
Make sure your voice goes UP at the end of '예요?'. If it goes down, it sounds like a statement ('This is how much it is').
意思
A question asking for the price of an item.
The 'Sajangnim' Hack
Always start with '사장님' (Sajangnim) when asking for the price at a stall. It builds instant rapport.
Rising Intonation
Make sure your voice goes UP at the end of '예요?'. If it goes down, it sounds like a statement ('This is how much it is').
Cash is King
If you ask the price at a street stall and it's cheap (under 5,000 won), try to pay with cash or a bank transfer.
自我测试
Fill in the blank to ask the price of 'this'.
이거 _______?
'얼마예요' is used for price. '누구' is who, '어디' is where, '뭐' is what.
Which of the following is the most polite way to ask a shopkeeper for the price?
Choose the best option:
'-예요' is the standard polite ending for social interactions.
Complete the dialogue at the market.
A: 사장님, 이 사과 _______? B: 삼천 원이에요.
The answer '삼천 원' (3,000 won) indicates a price was asked.
Match the phrase to the situation.
You are at a high-end department store and want to sound very formal.
'-입니까' is the highest formality level, suitable for luxury stores.
🎉 得分： /4
视觉学习工具
常见问题
10 个问题Yes! If you are holding the item or pointing clearly, '얼마예요?' is perfectly natural and very common.
'이거' is the spoken, contracted form. '이것' is the written, formal form. Use '이거' when speaking.
Use '저거 얼마예요?' (How much is THAT over there?).
Not at all. In a retail setting, it's expected. However, a quick '안녕하세요' (Hello) before asking is always better.
You can say '네, 알겠습니다' (Okay, I understand) or '주세요' (Give it to me/I'll buy it).
You can ask them to write it down or show it on a calculator by saying '여기에 써 주세요' (Please write it here).
Yes, but it's more common to ask '얼마예요?' at the end or '커트 얼마예요?' (How much is a cut?) at the start.
It's not 'too' formal, but it can sound a bit like a textbook. '-예요' is much more natural for daily life.
'-죠' is a contraction of '-지요'. It's used when you're confirming something or want to sound softer and more conversational.
Say '백 그램에 얼마예요?' (How much per 100 grams?).
相关表达
얼마나 걸려요?
similarHow long does it take?
계산해 주세요
builds onPlease give me the bill / Please calculate.
비싸요
contrastIt's expensive.
싸요
contrastIt's cheap.
깎아주세요
builds onPlease give me a discount.
在哪里用
Traditional Market
Learner: 이모님, 이거 얼마예요?
Vendor: 사과 한 바구니에 만 원이에요.
Convenience Store
Learner: 이 우유 얼마예요?
Clerk: 이천 오백 원입니다.
Clothing Store
Learner: 저기요, 이 티셔츠 얼마예요?
Staff: 삼만 구천 원이에요. 세일 중이에요.
Street Food Stall
Learner: 사장님, 떡볶이 이거 얼마예요?
Vendor: 일 인분에 사천 원이야.
Souvenir Shop
Learner: 이거 세 개 사면 얼마예요?
Staff: 만 오천 원에 드릴게요.
Taxi (Asking for estimated fare)
Learner: 강남역까지 이거 얼마예요?
Driver: 만 원 정도 나올 거예요.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Imagine an 'E-Gore' (이거) monster asking for 'All-My' (얼마) money.
Visual Association
Visualize yourself holding a shiny gold coin and pointing at a delicious street food snack. The coin has the word '얼마' engraved on it.
Rhyme
Igeo, Igeo, don't you know? Eolmayeyo, let's go!
Story
You walk into a shop in Seoul. You see a cool K-pop album. You point at it and say 'Igeo' (This thing). Then you look at your wallet and ask 'Eolma' (How much) 'yeyo' (is it)? The shopkeeper smiles and gives you the price.
Word Web
挑战
Go to a local Korean grocery store or a website like Gmarket and find 5 items. Say '이거 얼마예요?' out loud for each one and try to find the price in Korean numbers.
In Other Languages
¿Cuánto cuesta esto?
Spanish requires verb conjugation for 'costar', while Korean uses a simple noun + copula.
C'est combien ?
French often puts the interrogative at the end in casual speech, similar to Korean.
Wie viel kostet das?
German word order is more rigid than Korean.
これ、いくらですか？
Japanese uses a question particle 'ka', while Korean uses rising intonation.
بكم هذا؟ (Bikam hadha?)
Arabic usually places the 'how much' before the 'this'.
这个多少钱？ (Zhège duōshǎo qián?)
Korean '얼마' is more abstract than the Chinese 'how much money'.
Quanto custa isto?
Portuguese speakers often just say 'Quanto é?' (How much is it?), which is even closer to the Korean structure.
How much is this?
English requires the 'is' to come before 'this' in a question, while Korean keeps the subject first.
Easily Confused
Learners often add '나' to '얼마' when asking for price.
Use '얼마' for money/price and '얼마나' for 'how much' in terms of degree or time.
Both ask 'What is...?'
'뭐예요?' asks what the object is; '얼마예요?' asks what the price is.
常见问题 (10)
Yes! If you are holding the item or pointing clearly, '얼마예요?' is perfectly natural and very common.
'이거' is the spoken, contracted form. '이것' is the written, formal form. Use '이거' when speaking.
Use '저거 얼마예요?' (How much is THAT over there?).
Not at all. In a retail setting, it's expected. However, a quick '안녕하세요' (Hello) before asking is always better.
You can say '네, 알겠습니다' (Okay, I understand) or '주세요' (Give it to me/I'll buy it).
You can ask them to write it down or show it on a calculator by saying '여기에 써 주세요' (Please write it here).
Yes, but it's more common to ask '얼마예요?' at the end or '커트 얼마예요?' (How much is a cut?) at the start.
It's not 'too' formal, but it can sound a bit like a textbook. '-예요' is much more natural for daily life.
'-죠' is a contraction of '-지요'. It's used when you're confirming something or want to sound softer and more conversational.
Say '백 그램에 얼마예요?' (How much per 100 grams?).
