Locations: Station, Airport, Bus Stop

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TL;DR — 5 Words for This Lesson

역 — station (subway/train)

공항 — airport

정류장 — bus stop

터미널 — terminal

승강장 — platform

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Iru Helper Note

This lesson covers the places where your journey starts and ends — stations, airports, terminals, and platforms. Once you know these, head to <mention-page url="

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Vehicles: Car, Bus, Subway, Plane"> to learn the vehicles that take you there.

Example: 공항에 가려면 먼저 지하철역에서 표를 사고, 3번 승강장에서 공항철도를 타야 해요. (To go to the airport, first buy a ticket at the subway station, then take the airport railway at platform 3.)

🎯 Big Picture

Korea's transit system connects 역 (stations), 공항 (airports), 정류장 (bus stops), and 터미널 (terminals) into one seamless network — you can transfer between subway, bus, and rail with a single card. Each of these locations has its own vocabulary for getting around inside it, and 승강장 (platform) numbers are key for finding your train or bus quickly. Learning these five words means you'll never feel lost when someone tells you where to go.

📖 Core Vocabulary Family

1. 역 (station)

역 refers to a subway or train station — never a bus stop.

강남역에서 내려요. (Get off at Gangnam Station.)

다음 역은 어디예요? (What's the next station?)

Grammar note: 역 + 에서 marks the station as the location of an action — 역에서 내리다 = "to get off at the station."

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2. 공항 (airport)

공항 is an airport — Incheon (인천공항) and Gimpo (김포공항) are the two main airports near Seoul.

공항에 도착했어요. (We arrived at the airport.)

인천공항까지 가 주세요. (Please go to Incheon Airport.)

Grammar note: 공항 + 까지 means "to/as far as the airport" — common in taxi requests.

3. 정류장 (bus stop)

정류장 is a bus stop — often said as 버스 정류장 for clarity.

버스 정류장이 어디예요? (Where's the bus stop?)

다음 정류장에서 내릴게요. (I'll get off at the next stop.)

Grammar note: 정류장 + 에서 내리다 = "to get off at the stop," same pattern as 역.

4. 터미널 (terminal)

터미널 is a loanword for "terminal" — most often used for long-distance/express bus terminals (고속버스 터미널) or airport terminals.

고속버스 터미널로 가 주세요. (Please go to the express bus terminal.)

터미널에 사람이 많아요. (There are a lot of people at the terminal.)

Grammar note: As a loanword, 터미널 conjugates like any regular noun — no special irregularities.

5. 승강장 (platform)

승강장 is the platform where you board a train or subway — always paired with a platform number.

3번 승강장에서 기다리세요. (Wait at platform 3.)

승강장으로 내려가세요. (Go down to the platform.)

Grammar note: Use [number] + 번 + 승강장 — 3번 승강장 = "platform 3" (literally "number-3 platform").

🗣️ How They Work in a Sentence

공항에 가려면 어느 역에서 내려야 해요? (Which station should I get off at to go to the airport?)

버스 정류장에서 터미널까지 얼마나 걸려요? (How far is it from the bus stop to the terminal?)

3번 승강장에서 지하철을 기다리고 있어요. (I'm waiting for the subway at platform 3.)

🧱 General Formation Rule

These location words combine with a small set of action verbs and particles:

에서 + 내리다 — "to get off at [place]" (역에서 내리다, 정류장에서 내리다)

까지 + 가다 — "to go to/as far as [place]" (공항까지 가다, 터미널까지 가다)

[number]번 + 승강장/게이트 — platform/gate numbers

으로/로 + 내려가다 — "to go down to [place]" (승강장으로 내려가다)

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Cross-check: Search "역" or "승강장" on korean.go.kr (표준국어대사전) to see official definitions and usage examples for transit vocabulary.

🔁 Synonym Alert

역 vs 정류장 — 역 is exclusively for subway/train stations; 정류장 is for bus stops. They're never interchangeable.

터미널 vs 역 — 터미널 is typically for long-distance buses or airport terminals; 역 is for subway/train stations within a city.

승강장 vs 플랫폼 — 승강장 is the official/formal term used on signs; 플랫폼 is a casual loanword version, often heard in spoken Korean.

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

역 is never a bus stop — even if a bus stop is right next to a subway station, the bus stop itself is still 정류장, not 역.

버스 정류장 vs just 정류장 — both are understood, but adding 버스 avoids any ambiguity with 기차역 (train station) or other stop types.

터미널, not 터미날 — a common spelling mistake; the correct loanword spelling is 터미널.

Platform numbers use 번 — say 3번 승강장, not 승강장 3 or 3승강장.

공항 vs 비행장 — 공항 is the standard modern word for "airport"; 비행장 (airfield) is older/more technical and rarely used in everyday speech.

이 장소들만 알면 어디서든 길을 잃지 않아요! 🚉✈️🚏

Try this exercise

Fill in each blank with the correct word from this lesson: 역, 공항, 정류장, 터미널, 승강장.

에서 내려요. (Get off at the .)

까지 가 주세요. (Please go to the .)

버스 이 어디예요? (Where's the bus ?)

고속버스 로 가 주세요. (Please go to the express bus .)

3번 에서 기다리세요. (Wait at 3.)

다음 은 강남이에요. (The next is Gangnam.)

에 비행기가 도착했어요. (The plane arrived at the .)

다음 에서 내릴게요. (I'll get off at the next .)

에 사람이 많아요. (There are a lot of people at the .)

으로 내려가세요. (Go down to the .)

Answer Key

역 2. 공항 3. 정류장 4. 터미널 5. 승강장 6. 역 7. 공항 8. 정류장 9. 터미널 10. 승강장

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Vocabulary Box: 역 (station) · 공항 (airport) · 정류장 (bus stop) · 터미널 (terminal) · 승강장 (platform)

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Pitfalls Recap: 역 = train/subway only; 정류장 = bus only. Platform numbers always take 번. 터미널, not 터미날.

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Want more reps? Head down to the Practice Hub below for 5 more exercises covering recall, sentences, and mixed review.

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Practice Hub: Locations

Five exercises building on the core vocabulary plus extra transit terms you'll see at stations and airports.

Exercise 1 — Word Recall: Korean → English 📋➡️🔤

A. 지하철

Answer

subway

B. 기차

Answer

train

C. 매표소

Answer

ticket office/booth

D. 개찰구

Answer

turnstile / gate

E. 출국장

Answer

departure hall

F. 입국장

Answer

arrival hall

G. 환승

Answer

transfer

H. 노선

Answer

route / line

I. 시간표

Answer

timetable

J. 막차

Answer

last train/bus

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Quick Reference

출국장 (departure) ↔ 입국장 (arrival)

막차 (last) ↔ 첫차 (first)

환승 = "transfer" between lines

Exercise 2 — Word Recall: English → Korean 🔤➡️📋

A. subway line

Answer

지하철 노선

B. ticket

Answer

표

C. to transfer

Answer

환승하다

D. first train

Answer

첫차

E. exit (gate)

Answer

출구

F. arrival

Answer

도착

G. departure

Answer

출발

H. one-way ticket

Answer

편도 표

I. round-trip ticket

Answer

왕복 표

J. express

Answer

고속

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Quick Reference

편도 (one-way) ↔ 왕복 (round-trip)

도착 (arrival) ↔ 출발 (departure)

고속버스 = "express bus"

Exercise 3 — Particle Practice ___으로/에서/까지/를/에 ✍️

A. 역___ 내려요.

Answer

에서

B. 공항___ 가 주세요.

Answer

까지

C. 3번 승강장___ 기다리세요.

Answer

에서

D. 버스 정류장___ 내릴게요.

Answer

에서

E. 터미널___ 도착했어요.

Answer

에

F. 지하철___ 갈아타요.

Answer

로

G. 다음 역___ 환승하세요.

Answer

에서

H. 막차___ 놓쳤어요.

Answer

를

I. 시간표___ 확인하세요.

Answer

를

J. 개찰구___ 통과하세요.

Answer

를

Exercise 4 — Sentence Translation: English → Korean 🔤➡️📐

A. Where is the ticket office?

Answer

매표소가 어디예요?

B. I missed the last train.

Answer

막차를 놓쳤어요.

C. Please transfer at the next station.

Answer

다음 역에서 환승하세요.

D. What time does the first train leave?

Answer

첫차가 몇 시에 떠나요?

E. The departure hall is on the third floor.

Answer

출국장은 3층에 있어요.

F. Check the timetable before you go.

Answer

가기 전에 시간표를 확인하세요.

G. This subway line goes to the airport.

Answer

이 지하철 노선은 공항으로 가요.

H. I need a round-trip ticket.

Answer

왕복 표가 필요해요.

I. Go through the gate and turn left.

Answer

개찰구를 지나서 왼쪽으로 가세요.

J. The arrival hall is very crowded.

Answer

입국장이 너무 복잡해요.

Exercise 5 — Mixed Review: Match the Scenario 🔄🎭

A. Where you buy tickets.

Answer

매표소 (ticket office)

B. The last train of the day.

Answer

막차 (last train)

C. Switching from one line to another.

Answer

환승 (transfer)

D. Where you pass through before boarding.

Answer

개찰구 (gate/turnstile)

E. A list of departure/arrival times.

Answer

시간표 (timetable)

F. Where you arrive after a flight.

Answer

입국장 (arrival hall)

G. Where you wait to board your flight.

Answer

출국장 (departure hall)

H. An underground train.

Answer

지하철 (subway)

I. A specific subway/train route.

Answer

노선 (line/route)

J. The very first train of the day.

Answer

첫차 (first train)

이제 어떤 역, 공항, 터미널에서도 자신 있게 움직일 수 있어요! 🚉✈️🚏