Korean Vocabulary #23 – Directions & Position Words: Essential Location Expressions

1️⃣ Introduction

Learn 15 essential Korean words and expressions for directions and positions.

These are everyday words you’ll use to describe where something is —in front of, behind, next to, inside, or nearby.

Perfect for beginners who want to sound clear and confident when describing locations in Korean!

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2️⃣ Vocabulary List

No.	Korean	Pronunciation	Meaning
1	앞	ap	in front of
2	뒤	dwi	behind
3	옆	yeop	beside / next to
4	근처	geun-cheo	nearby
5	맞은편	ma-jeun-pyeon	across from / opposite
6	왼쪽	wen-jjok	left side
7	오른쪽	o-reun-jjok	right side
8	안	an	inside
9	밖	bak	outside
10	위	wi	above / on top of
11	아래	a-rae	below / under
12	사이	sa-i	between
13	가운데	ga-un-de	in the middle / center
14	주변	ju-byeon	around / nearby area
15	방향	bang-hyang	direction

Example Sentences

💬 Example Sentences

1. 학교 앞에 편의점이 있어요.(hak-kkyo a-pe pyeo-ui-jeo-mi i-sseo-yo.)

   → There is a convenience store in front of the school.

   
   

2. 집 뒤에 공원이 있어요.(jip dwi-e gong-wo-ni i-sseo-yo.)

   → There is a park behind my house.

   
   

3. 은행 옆에 카페가 있어요.(eun-haeng yeo-pe ka-pe-ga i-sseo-yo.)

   → There’s a café next to the bank.

   
   

4. 학교 근처에 버스정류장이 있어요.(hak-kkyo geun-cheo-e beo-seu-jeong-ryu-jang-i i-sseo-yo.)

   → There’s a bus stop near the school.

   
   

5. 우리 집은 시장 맞은편에 있어요.(u-ri ji-beun si-jang ma-jeun-pyeo-ne i-sseo-yo.)

   → My house is across from the market.

   
   

6. 왼쪽에 약국이 있어요.(wen-jjo-ge yak-gu-gi i-sseo-yo.)

   → There’s a pharmacy on the left.

   
   

7. 오른쪽에 병원이 있어요.(o-reun-jjo-ge byeong-wo-ni i-sseo-yo.)

   → There’s a hospital on the right.

   
   

8. 가방 안에 지갑이 있어요.(ga-bang a-ne ji-ga-bi i-sseo-yo.)

   → There is a wallet inside the bag.

   
   

9. 집 밖에 고양이가 있어요.(jip bak-ke go-yang-i-ga i-sseo-yo.)

   → There is a cat outside the house.

   
   

10. 책상 위에 노트북이 있어요.(chaek-ssang wi-e no-teu-bu-gi i-sseo-yo.)

    → There’s a laptop on the desk.

    
    

11. 침대 아래에 신발이 있어요.(chim-de a-rae-e sin-ba-ri i-sseo-yo.)

    → There are shoes under the bed.

    
    

12. 학교와 도서관 사이에 식당이 있어요.(hak-kkyo-wa do-seo-gwan sa-i-e sik-ttang-i i-sseo-yo.)

    → There’s a restaurant between the school and the library.

    
    

13. 가운데에 큰 나무가 있어요.(ga-un-de-e keun na-mu-ga i-sseo-yo.)

    → There’s a big tree in the middle.

    
    

14. 주변에 맛있는 식당이 많아요.(ju-byeo-ne ma-sin-neun sik-ttang-i ma-na-yo.)

    → There are many good restaurants around here.

    
    

15. 그남자는 다른 방향으로 갔어요.(geu-nam-ja-neun da-reun bang-hyang-eu-ro ga-sseo-yo.)

    → The man went in a different direction.

    
    

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3️⃣ Expression Tips & Cultural Notes

• Korean location expressions often use “에” (at/in/on) to indicate where something is.Ex: 집에 있어요 → I’m at home. / 책상 위에 → on the desk.

  
  

• The structure “Noun + 에 + 있다/없다” = “There is / isn’t at (place).”Example: 가방 안에 책이 있어요 → There is a book in the bag.

  
  

• 앞 / 뒤 / 옆 are the most common — used daily when giving directions.

  
  

• 근처 is often used for “nearby” or “around”:“은행 근처에 있어요” → “It’s near the bank.”

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• When describing directions while walking or driving, 왼쪽 / 오른쪽 are essential.

  
  

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3️⃣ Mini Practice

Fill in the blanks.

1. 학교 ________ 편의점이 있어요. (in front of)

   
   

2. 집 ________ 공원이 있어요. (behind)

   
   

3. 은행 ________ 카페가 있어요. (next to)

   
   

4. 학교 ________ 버스정류장이 있어요. (nearby)

   
   

5. 우리 집은 시장 ________에 있어요. (across from)

   
   

6. ________에 약국이 있어요. (on the left)

   
   

7. ________에 병원이 있어요. (on the right)

   
   

8. 가방 ________ 지갑이 있어요. (inside)

   
   

9. 집 ________ 고양이가 있어요. (outside)

   
   

10. 책상 ________ 노트북이 있어요. (on top of)

    
    

11. 침대 ________ 신발이 있어요. (under)

    
    

12. 학교와 도서관 ________ 식당이 있어요. (between)

    
    

13. ________에 큰 나무가 있어요. (in the middle)

    
    

14. ________에 맛있는 식당이 많아요. (around here)

    
    

15. 그남자는 다른 ________으로 갔어요. (direction)

Answers

1. 학교 앞에 편의점이 있어요.

   → There is a convenience store in front of the school.(hak-kkyo a-pe pyeo-ui-jeo-mi i-sseo-yo.)

   
   

2. 집 뒤에 공원이 있어요.

   → There is a park behind my house.(jip dwi-e gong-wo-ni i-sseo-yo.)

   
   

3. 은행 옆에 카페가 있어요.

   → There’s a café next to the bank.(eun-haeng yeo-pe ka-pe-ga i-sseo-yo.)

   
   

4. 학교 근처에 버스정류장이 있어요.

   → There’s a bus stop near the school.(hak-kkyo geun-cheo-e beo-seu-jeong-ryu-jang-i i-sseo-yo.)

   
   

5. 우리 집은 시장 맞은편에 있어요.

   → My house is across from the market.(u-ri ji-beun si-jang ma-jeun-pyeo-ne i-sseo-yo.)

   
   

6. 왼쪽에 약국이 있어요.

   → There’s a pharmacy on the left.(wen-jjo-ge yak-gu-gi i-sseo-yo.)

   
   

7. 오른쪽에 병원이 있어요.

   → There’s a hospital on the right.(o-reun-jjo-ge byeong-wo-ni i-sseo-yo.)

   
   

8. 가방 안에 지갑이 있어요.

   → There is a wallet inside the bag.(ga-bang a-ne ji-ga-bi i-sseo-yo.)

   
   

9. 집 밖에 고양이가 있어요.

   → There is a cat outside the house.(jip bak-ke go-yang-i-ga i-sseo-yo.)

   
   

10. 책상 위에 노트북이 있어요.

    → There’s a laptop on the desk.(chaek-ssang wi-e no-teu-bu-gi i-sseo-yo.)

    
    

11. 침대 아래에 신발이 있어요.

    → There are shoes under the bed.(chim-de a-rae-e sin-ba-ri i-sseo-yo.)

    
    

12. 학교와 도서관 사이에 식당이 있어요.

    → There’s a restaurant between the school and the library.(hak-kkyo-wa do-seo-gwan sa-i-e sik-ttang-i i-sseo-yo.)

    
    

13. 가운데에 큰 나무가 있어요.

    → There’s a big tree in the middle.(ga-un-de-e keun na-mu-ga i-sseo-yo.)

    
    

14. 주변에 맛있는 식당이 많아요.

    → There are many good restaurants around here.(ju-byeo-ne ma-sin-neun sik-ttang-i ma-na-yo.)

    
    

15. 그남자는 다른 방향으로 갔어요.

    → The man went in a different direction.(geu-nam-ja-neun da-reun bang-hyang-eu-ro ga-sseo-yo.)

    
    

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