All phrases

알레르기가 심해요. 조금만 들어가도 안 돼요.

allereugiga simhaeyo. jogeumman deureogado an dwaeyo.

My allergy is severe.

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

Even a small amount is a problem. — Say this when "just a little" might otherwise sound like a reasonable compromise.

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

Card number 40 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