잘 모르시면 안 먹을게요. 괜찮습니다.
jal moreusimyeon an meogeulgeyo. gwaenchansseumnida.
If you’re not sure, I won’t have it.
Why this spelling
This romanisation is not the spelling copied letter by letter. It is built from the National Institute of Korean Language’s Revised Romanization, which writes what the word sounds like once the sounds next to each other have changed it.
When you would say it
That’s all right. — The most useful sentence on this page. It gives the other person an honest way out, and an honest "I don’t know" is worth far more to you than a guess.
How to ask, and when to walk away
Ask before you order, not once the food is in front of you. Once a dish is on the table it’s already made, and what would have been a question becomes a problem for the kitchen. Show the written Korean rather than reaching for the pronunciation; {{ch:eating}} explains why, and the Korean edition carries these cards under the same numbers.
From the same chapter
Allergies, and What’s Actually in the Food
- 이 국물에 멸치나 조개가 들어 있어요?i gungmure myeolchina jogaega deureo isseoyo?
- 참기름이나 참깨가 들어 있어요?chamgireumina chamkkaega deureo isseoyo?
- 원재료 표시 좀 볼 수 있을까요?wonjaeryo pyosi jom bol su isseulkkayo?
- 알레르기가 심해요. 조금만 들어가도 안 돼요.allereugiga simhaeyo. jogeumman deureogado an dwaeyo.
- 젓갈이나 액젓이 들어 있어요?jeotgarina aekjeosi deureo isseoyo?
- 돼지고기가 들어 있어요? 육수도요.dwaejigogiga deureo isseoyo? yuksudoyo.
Card number 41 of the book
The guidebook prints these as numbered cards, so you can hold up a number instead of trying to pronounce it. The Korean edition comes with it and has the same numbers in the same places.
See the guidebook