From 'just a trim' to 'not too short, please' — the ten phrases that keep a Seoul salon visit exactly on your terms, no Korean required.
Seoul Beauty & Wellness Guide3 min readUpdated August 12, 2026
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A haircut is the one treatment where miscommunication actually stays with you — for about six weeks. So while you truly don’t need Korean at a Seoul salon (stylists here handle international clients daily), this is the visit where a few precise phrases earn their keep.
The good news: the single most powerful tool at any Korean salon isn’t a phrase at all. It’s a photo. Every stylist in Seoul thinks in pictures. Bring two or three, then use these phrases to fine-tune.
The phrases
01 / 10Culture point
이 사진처럼 해주세요
“Like this photo, please.”
isa-jin-cheo-reomhae-ju-se-yo
The most useful sentence in this list. Photos are the universal language of hair.
02 / 10
조금만 다듬어 주세요
“Just a trim, please.”
jo-geum-manda-deu-meoju-se-yo
The safety phrase. Say it early, before the scissors come out.
03 / 10
너무 짧지 않게요
“Not too short, please.”
neo-mujjal-chian-ke-yo
Pair it with your fingers showing the length you want to keep.
04 / 10
앞머리도 잘라 주세요
“Please cut my bangs too.”
am-meo-ri-dojal-laju-se-yo
"Ap-meo-ri" is bangs/fringe — a word worth knowing in the land of the perfect fringe.
05 / 10
염색하고 싶어요
“I'd like to dye my hair.”
yeom-sae-ka-gosi-peo-yo
Show the color on your phone. Ask about maintenance before you commit.
06 / 10
펌하고 싶어요
“I'd like a perm.”
peom-ha-gosi-peo-yo
Korean perms are world-class — "perm" here often means soft waves, not tight curls.
07 / 10
두피가 민감해요
“My scalp is sensitive.”
du-pi-gamin-gam-hae-yo
Say it before coloring, bleach, or a scalp treatment.
08 / 10
드라이만 해주세요
“Just a blow-dry, please.”
deu-ra-i-manhae-ju-se-yo
For the day you want salon hair without the cut.
09 / 10
물이 뜨거워요
“The water's too hot.”
mu-ritteu-geo-wo-yo
For the shampoo station — they will fix it instantly.
10 / 10
마음에 들어요
“I love it.”
ma-eu-medeu-reo-yo
The mirror moment. Say it like you mean it and the whole room is happy.
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The photo-first ritual
Here’s how a smooth visit usually goes: you sit down, show the photo, say “i sa-jin-cheo-reom hae-ju-se-yo,” and the stylist asks a couple of questions — often through a translation app, sometimes in English. Answer with the fine-tuning phrases above (“neo-mu jjal-chi an-ke-yo!”) and let them work. Korean stylists are meticulous; the consultation is short but the cut is careful.
And when the chair spins toward the mirror: “ma-eu-me deu-reo-yo.”
Ask the bigger questions before you book
Whether they can do color correction on previously bleached hair, what a perm costs for your length, whether a specific stylist is available Saturday — those aren’t chair questions, they’re before-you-go questions.
You don’t need Korean for those either. Message the salon in your own language and ask directly — they’ll answer in theirs, translation handled in the middle. Then book the chair with zero guesswork.
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