How to Write a Korean Address in English — Complete Guide for Overseas Shipping & Documents

1. Structure of a Korean Address

Korea uses a road name address system (도로명 주소), fully implemented in 2014. A typical address consists of:

• Province/Metropolitan City (시/도) — e.g., Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Busan
• City/County/District (시/군/구) — e.g., Gangnam-gu, Suwon-si, Haeundae-gu
• Road name (도로명) — ends in -ro (로) or -gil (길)
• Building number — e.g., 152, 235-1
• Detail (상세주소) — apartment building and unit number, floor
• Postal code — 5-digit code (e.g., 06141)

2. The Reversed Order Rule

Korean addresses are written large-to-small (province → district → road → building). International mail and documents use the opposite order: building → road → district → province → country.

3. Revised Romanization of Korean

Korea uses the Revised Romanization of Korean (국어의 로마자 표기법), gazetted in 2000. Key rules:

• Vowels: ㅏ→a, ㅓ→eo, ㅗ→o, ㅜ→u, ㅡ→eu, ㅣ→i, ㅐ→ae, ㅔ→e
• Consonants: ㄱ→g, ㄴ→n, ㄷ→d, ㄹ→r(initial)/l(final), ㅂ→b, ㅅ→s, ㅈ→j
• Aspirates: ㅋ→k, ㅌ→t, ㅍ→p, ㅊ→ch
• Tense consonants: ㄲ→kk, ㄸ→tt, ㅃ→pp, ㅆ→ss, ㅉ→jj

4. Road Name Suffixes

• 로 (-ro) — main roads (Tehaeron-ro, Gangnam-daero)
• 길 (-gil) — smaller streets (Samcheong-gil)

5. Always Verify the Official English Address

For visas, passports, contracts, and legal documents, always confirm the official English address at the Korea Address System (juso.go.kr). This tool provides an approximate conversion for reference only.