Where do apartment building/unit numbers go?
Into Address Line 2, e.g. 101동 202호 → 101-dong, 202-ho. Keep only the road name and building number in Address Line 1.
How to Convert a Korean Address to English
When you have to write a Korean address in English — for a marketplace shipping form, a visa, or a document — the hard part is the order and which field each part goes in, because Korean and English addresses run in opposite order. This guide walks through converting a road-name address and splitting it across overseas form fields, with examples.
Korean and English addresses run in opposite order
A Korean address goes from large to small: Seoul → Mapo-gu → Seongam-ro → 301. An English address goes from small to large — building number and road first, then city, state, and country last.
So the key to converting is to reverse the order: romanize the road address, move the building number in front of the road, and push the administrative regions to the end.
| Korean (large → small) | English (small → large) |
|---|---|
| 서울특별시 마포구 성암로 301 | 301 Seongam-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 03923, South Korea |
Convert a road-name address in 3 steps
Starting from a road-name address (e.g. 서울특별시 마포구 성암로 301, 03923):
- Step 1 — flip road + number: romanize "성암로 301" and move the number to the front → 301 Seongam-ro.
- Step 2 — romanize the regions: gu/si stay as-is (마포구 → Mapo-gu); the province or metro city becomes Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, etc.
- Step 3 — add ZIP and country: append the 5-digit postal code and South Korea → … Seoul 03923, South Korea.
Split it across the form fields (Address Line 1/2, City, State, ZIP)
Amazon, eBay, and visa forms split the address into several fields. Mapping the Korean components like this cuts errors sharply.
| Korean component | English field | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Road name + building no. | Address Line 1 | 301 Seongam-ro |
| Unit / floor detail | Address Line 2 | 101-dong, 202-ho |
| Si / Gun / Gu | City | Mapo-gu |
| Province / metro city | State / Province | Seoul · Gyeonggi-do |
| Postal code (5 digits) | Postal / ZIP | 03923 |
| Country | Country | South Korea |
Examples — Seoul vs a province
Metro cities and provinces place City/State differently, which trips people up. Compare the two.
| Field | Seoul example | Gyeonggi-do example |
|---|---|---|
| Address Line 1 | 301 Seongam-ro | 235 Pangyoyeok-ro |
| Address Line 2 | 101-dong, 202-ho | (leave blank if none) |
| City | Mapo-gu | Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si |
| State / Province | Seoul | Gyeonggi-do |
| ZIP | 03923 | 13494 |
| Country | South Korea | South Korea |
Don't translate road names — use the official romanization
Road names and regions are transliterated by sound, not translated. "성암로" is Seongam-ro, not "Castle Rock Road."
Spelling follows the Revised Romanization (RR); Korea's official English address service provides the standard form. A machine translation can alter a road name and cause shipping delays or rejected paperwork, so copy the official English address as-is.
- -ro : 성암로 → Seongam-ro
- -daero : 세종대로 → Sejong-daero
- -gil : 북촌로11길 → Bukchon-ro 11-gil
Common mistakes
- Putting the same value in City and State — use "Seoul" as State for Seoul, "Gyeonggi-do" for a province.
- Cramming the unit number into Address Line 1 — keep unit details in Address Line 2.
- Translating the road name with a machine translator — use the official romanization as-is.
- Using the old 6-digit postal code — Korea now uses 5-digit road-name ZIP codes.
- Using the old lot-based (jibun) address — convert from the road-name address instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is Seoul the City or the State?
Usually the gu goes in City (e.g. Mapo-gu) and Seoul goes in State/Province. For a province, put "Gyeonggi-do" in State and the si/gu in City. It can vary by form, so edit the values as needed.
How many digits is the postal code?
Korea uses a 5-digit road-name postal code. The old 6-digit code is no longer used.
Do I need to write the apartment name in English?
Not required. The building and unit numbers are usually enough for delivery. If you include it, romanize the name — do not translate it.
I only know the old lot-based address.
Search by building name or lot number to get the road-name address and its English form. Try the Korean address converter below.