Practice Renting an Apartment in Korean
Renting an apartment in a Korean-speaking country combines tour-and-pitch conversation with the legal-document register — and the words you need to negotiate confidently are very different from textbook Korean. This scenario walks through visiting an apartment, asking the right questions about utilities and contracts, negotiating the deposit, and signing the lease. You'll practise the formal register for landlord conversations, the vocabulary for fittings and amenities, and the polite-but-firm language for raising concerns about the price or the condition.
Sample Korean conversation
안녕하세요! 집 구경하러 오신 것을 환영합니다. 저는 집주인입니다. 집 찾으신 지 오래되셨나요?
Hello! Welcome to the viewing. I'm the landlord. Have you been looking for an apartment for long?막 찾기 시작했어요. 여기가 첫 번째 곳이에요.
I just started looking. This is the first place I've visited.둘러보시죠! 여기가 거실이에요 — 자연광이 많이 들어와요. 주방은 이쪽이에요. 어떠세요?
Let me show you around! This is the living room — it gets a lot of natural light. The kitchen is through here. What do you think?자연광이 정말 좋아요! 거실이 넓어요.
I love the natural light! The living room is very spacious.주방은 작년에 리모델링했어요. 냉장고, 오븐, 식기세척기가 포함돼 있어요. 다 월세에 포함이에요.
The kitchen was renovated last year. It comes with a fridge, oven, and dishwasher. All included in the rent.주방 정말 좋아요! 가전제품이 포함된 게 마음에 들어요.
That's a really nice kitchen! I love that the appliances are included.
What you'll learn
- Tour an apartment and ask the key questions
- Understand monthly rent vs deposits vs utilities
- Negotiate the price and lease terms politely
- Read and discuss a Korean-language rental contract
- Set up utilities and arrange the move-in date
Frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask when viewing an apartment in Korean?
Ask about utilities, internet, building rules, and what's included. The scenario rehearses the standard questions.
How is the deposit handled in Korean-speaking rental markets?
It varies widely — typically 1–3 months' rent. The scenario teaches the question 'How is the deposit handled?'.
Can I negotiate rent in Korean?
Often yes, especially for longer leases. The scenario rehearses 'Would you consider X?' as a soft opener.
What's the Korean for 'utilities included'?
A specific phrase — included in the vocabulary list — that decides whether the headline rent matches your actual cost.