Vehicles: Car, Bus, Subway, Plane

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TL;DR — 5 Words for This Lesson

차 — car

버스 — bus

지하철 — subway

비행기 — plane

택시 — taxi

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Iru Helper Note

Every one of these vehicles pairs with the same verb — 타다 (to ride/take). Once you've got these 5 words and 타다 down, you can describe almost any trip. Next, head to <mention-page url="

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Adverbs of Time: Now, Later, Always"> to learn how to say when you're taking these vehicles.

Example: 아침에는 지하철을 타고, 퇴근할 때는 버스를 타요. 비가 오는 날에는 택시를 불러요. (In the morning I take the subway, and when I get off work I take the bus. On rainy days I call a taxi.)

🎯 Big Picture

Korea has one of the most convenient transit systems in the world, and these 5 words cover almost every way you'll get around: 차 (car) for driving yourself, 버스 (bus) and 지하철 (subway) for everyday public transit, 택시 (taxi) for door-to-door convenience, and 비행기 (plane) for longer trips between cities or countries. The magic verb that connects them all is 타다 (to ride/board) — learn it once, and you can talk about any vehicle.

📖 Core Vocabulary Family

1. 차 (car)

차 is the everyday word for "car" — short for 자동차 (automobile). Note: 차 also means "tea," so context matters!

차를 타요. (I ride/take a car.)

차가 막혀요. (The traffic is jammed. — literally "the car[s] are blocked")

Grammar note: 차 + 를 타다 = "to ride in a car." 차가 막히다 is a fixed idiom for "traffic jam."

2. 버스 (bus)

버스 is a direct loanword from English "bus" and works exactly as you'd expect.

버스를 타고 가요. (I go by bus.)

버스가 늦게 와요. (The bus comes late.)

Grammar note: 버스 + 를 타다/내리다 — "to get on/off the bus."

3. 지하철 (subway)

지하철 literally means "underground iron [road]" — the subway system.

지하철로 가요. (I go by subway.)

지하철이 빨라요. (The subway is fast.)

Grammar note: 지하철 + 로/을 타다 — both "지하철로 가다" (go by subway) and "지하철을 타다" (take the subway) are correct, just different particle choices for the same idea.

4. 비행기 (plane)

비행기 means "flying machine" — an airplane.

비행기를 타요. (I take a plane.)

비행기가 연착됐어요. (The flight was delayed.)

Grammar note: 비행기 + 를 타다 = "to board a flight." 연착되다 = "to be delayed" (for any vehicle, but most common with flights/trains).

5. 택시 (taxi)

택시 is a loanword for "taxi" — you can hail one on the street or call one via an app.

택시를 불러요. (I call a taxi.)

택시 기사님, 여기서 내려 주세요. (Driver, please let me off here.)

Grammar note: 택시 + 를 부르다 (to call a taxi) vs 택시 + 를 잡다 (to hail/catch a taxi on the street) — both common, slightly different nuance.

🗣️ How They Work in a Sentence

학교에 갈 때 버스나 지하철을 타요. (When I go to school, I take the bus or subway.)

비가 오면 택시를 타는 게 편해요. (When it rains, taking a taxi is more convenient.)

비행기로 부산에 가려고 해요. (I'm planning to go to Busan by plane.)

🧱 General Formation Rule

The verb 타다 (to ride/board) works with every vehicle in this lesson:

[vehicle] + 를/을 타다 — "to ride/take [vehicle]" (버스를 타다, 비행기를 타다)

[vehicle] + 로/으로 가다 — "to go by [vehicle]" (지하철로 가다, 차로 가다)

[vehicle] + 에서 내리다 — "to get off [vehicle]" (버스에서 내리다)

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Cross-check: Search "타다" on korean.go.kr (표준국어대사전) to see how it's used across all forms of transportation, including 자전거 (bicycle) and 말 (horse)!

🔁 Synonym Alert

차 vs 자동차 — 차 is the short, everyday word for "car"; 자동차 is the full, more formal term (used in writing, signage, and official contexts).

버스 vs 택시 — both are common transit options, but 버스 is shared/public (fixed routes and fares), while 택시 is private (door-to-door, metered fare).

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

차 = car AND tea — these are homonyms. "차를 마셔요" (I drink tea) vs "차를 타요" (I ride a car) — the verb makes the meaning clear.

Always use 타다 for vehicles — don't say "버스로 가요" without 타다 when describing the act of riding; "버스를 타고 가요" is more natural.

차가 막히다 is idiomatic — it literally means "the car is blocked" but actually means "there's a traffic jam," referring to the road/traffic in general.

연착 vs 취소 — 연착되다 means "delayed," while 취소되다 means "cancelled." Don't mix these up when checking flight status!

부르다 vs 잡다 for taxis — 택시를 부르다 (call a taxi via phone/app) vs 택시를 잡다 (hail a taxi on the street) — both are correct but describe different actions.

이 5가지 교통수단만 알면 어디든 갈 수 있어요! 🚗🚌🚇✈️🚕

Try this exercise

Fill in each blank with the correct word from this lesson: 차, 버스, 지하철, 비행기, 택시.

를 타고 학교에 가요. (I take the to school.)

가 막혀서 늦었어요. (The was jammed, so I was late.)

로 부산까지 2시간 걸려요. (It takes 2 hours to Busan by .)

이 가장 빨라요. (The is the fastest.)

를 불러 주세요. (Please call a .)

를 타면 길이 안 막혀요. (If you take the , there's no traffic.)

가 연착됐어요. (The was delayed.)

기사님, 여기서 내려 주세요. ( driver, please let me off here.)

를 운전해요. (I drive a .)

정류장에서 기다려요. (I wait at the stop.)

Answer Key

버스 2. 차 3. 비행기 4. 지하철 5. 택시 6. 지하철 7. 비행기 8. 택시 9. 차 10. 버스

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Vocabulary Box: 차 (car) · 버스 (bus) · 지하철 (subway) · 비행기 (plane) · 택시 (taxi)

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Pitfalls Recap: 차 = car/tea (context matters). Use 타다 with every vehicle. 연착 = delayed, 취소 = cancelled.

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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: Vehicles

Five exercises building on the core vocabulary plus extra transportation terms for everyday travel.

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

A. 자전거

Answer

bicycle

B. 오토바이

Answer

motorcycle

C. 배

Answer

ship / boat

D. 트럭

Answer

truck

E. 운전하다

Answer

to drive

F. 주차하다

Answer

to park

G. 갈아타다

Answer

to transfer

H. 안전벨트

Answer

seatbelt

I. 길이 막히다

Answer

traffic is jammed

J. 멀미

Answer

motion sickness

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Quick Reference

자전거 (bike) vs 오토바이 (motorbike) — pedal vs motor

갈아타다 = "to change/transfer" (vehicles)

안전벨트를 매다 = "to fasten a seatbelt"

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

A. to drive

Answer

운전하다

B. to park

Answer

주차하다

C. to transfer

Answer

갈아타다

D. seatbelt

Answer

안전벨트

E. bicycle

Answer

자전거

F. motorcycle

Answer

오토바이

G. ship / boat

Answer

배

H. truck

Answer

트럭

I. traffic jam

Answer

교통 체증 / 길이 막히다

J. motion sickness

Answer

멀미

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Quick Reference

운전하다 and 주차하다 are both 하다-verbs

배 also means "stomach" and "pear" — context matters!

Exercise 3 — Particle Practice ___를/가/로 ✍️

A. 버스___ 타요.

Answer

를

B. 지하철___ 가요.

Answer

로

C. 택시___ 불러요.

Answer

를

D. 차___ 막혀요.

Answer

가

E. 비행기___ 연착됐어요.

Answer

가

F. 자전거___ 타고 와요.

Answer

를

G. 오토바이___ 빨라요.

Answer

가

H. 안전벨트___ 매세요.

Answer

를

I. 배___ 타고 섬에 가요.

Answer

를

J. 트럭___ 짐을 옮겨요.

Answer

으로

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

A. I take the bus to work.

Answer

저는 버스를 타고 회사에 가요.

B. Can you drive me to the station?

Answer

역까지 운전해 주실 수 있어요?

C. Where should I park the car?

Answer

차를 어디에 주차해야 해요?

D. Transfer to line 2 at the next station.

Answer

다음 역에서 2호선으로 갈아타세요.

E. I get motion sickness on boats.

Answer

저는 배에서 멀미가 나요.

F. Please fasten your seatbelt.

Answer

안전벨트를 매 주세요.

G. The traffic is really bad today.

Answer

오늘 길이 정말 많이 막혀요.

H. He rides his bicycle to school.

Answer

그는 자전거를 타고 학교에 가요.

I. The flight was delayed by two hours.

Answer

비행기가 두 시간 연착됐어요.

J. I'll call a taxi.

Answer

택시를 부를게요.

Exercise 5 — Mixed Review: Match the Scenario 🔄🎭

A. Fastest way to travel underground.

Answer

지하철 (subway)

B. You hail this on the street.

Answer

택시 (taxi)

C. Two wheels, pedal-powered.

Answer

자전거 (bicycle)

D. Two wheels, motorized.

Answer

오토바이 (motorcycle)

E. Travels on water.

Answer

배 (ship/boat)

F. This word means both "car" and "tea."

Answer

차

G. What you fasten before driving off.

Answer

안전벨트 (seatbelt)

H. Switching from one subway line to another.

Answer

갈아타다 (to transfer)

I. Heavy vehicle for cargo.

Answer

트럭 (truck)

J. Feeling sick from motion.

Answer

멀미 (motion sickness)

이제 어떤 교통수단으로도 자유롭게 이동할 수 있어요! 🚗🚌🚇✈️🚕