AI Translation
Translate Your Products to
Korean
Reach 80M+ speakers of Korean across South Korea and beyond. Tap into a thriving e-commerce market with AI-powered translation that captures cultural nuances and drives conversions.
80M+
Speakers
$180B
Market Size
43M
Online Shoppers
10.5%
Annual Growth
Korean E-commerce Market Opportunity
Understand the potential of selling to Korean-speaking customers
Market Metrics
Avg. Order Value:$85
Mobile Commerce:75%
Growth Potential
The Korean e-commerce market is growing at 10.5% annually, with a total market size of $180B. This represents a significant opportunity for businesses looking to expand internationally.
Target Audience
43M online shoppers actively buying products in South Korea, North Korea, China, United States, Japan. These customers are ready to purchase from international sellers who speak their language.
Korean Cultural & Language Insights for Product Translation
Understanding the culture is key to successful product translations
Recommended Tone & Style
Use a Formal tone with respectful, professional, clear, brand-focused, trustworthy style when writing product descriptions.
Key Considerations
- Hierarchy and respect are paramount; honorifics must be used correctly.
- Emphasis on collective identity and harmony over individualism.
- High importance of brand image, quality, and reputation.
- Speed and convenience are highly valued in services and delivery.
- Visual aesthetics and design are crucial for attracting attention.
⚠️
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- ⚠Using overly casual or informal language, especially when addressing customers.
- ⚠Direct translation of Western idioms or humor that does not resonate.
- ⚠Ignoring the importance of unique local payment and delivery preferences.
- ⚠Lack of attention to high-quality visual content and product presentation.
Selling Products in South Korea: E-commerce Landscape
Understand the platforms, payment methods, and shopping habits of Korean-speaking customers
Popular Platforms
Coupang
Naver Shopping
Gmarket
11st
SSG.com
Payment Methods
Credit Cards (local brands like BC Card, Shinhan Card)
Naver Pay
Kakao Pay
Toss Pay
Bank Transfer
Shipping Expectations
Korean consumers expect extremely fast and reliable shipping, often same-day or next-day delivery, with detailed tracking. Free shipping is a strong incentive.
Peak Shopping Seasons
Chuseok (Autumn Equinox, September/October)
Lunar New Year (Seollal, January/February)
Black Friday/Cyber Monday (November)
Pepero Day (November 11)
Christmas (December)
Best Practices for Translating Products to Korean
Always use appropriate honorifics and politeness levels based on context and target audience (e.g., -nim, -ssi).
Prioritize clarity and conciseness. Korean content often benefits from being direct yet respectful.
Localize imagery and visual content to resonate with Korean aesthetics and cultural norms.
Ensure product descriptions highlight quality, innovation, and practical benefits, as these are highly valued.
Adapt marketing messages to appeal to collective values and community rather than purely individualistic desires.
Localizing
Localizing Products for Korean-Speaking Customers
Translation is just the beginning. Adapt your content to local expectations for maximum impact.
Visual Preferences
- Prefer bright, clean, and often highly retouched imagery, especially in fashion and beauty. Lifestyle shots that depict aspirational scenarios are very popular. Professional studio photography for product shots is common, but authentic user-generated content for reviews is also highly valued.
- Model representation typically features East Asian individuals, with a strong emphasis on youthful, slender, and conventionally attractive aesthetics. While diversity is growing, mainstream e-commerce often aligns with these specific beauty standards.
- Korean design aesthetics often feature dense layouts with a lot of information, text, and vibrant imagery. Less whitespace is common compared to minimalist Western designs. The use of 'cute' or 'kawaii' (애교) elements can be effective in certain product categories.
- Images of people often show models with a friendly, approachable demeanor, sometimes making direct eye contact, but often engaged in an activity. Group shots portraying social interaction or family life are common. A polished, professional appearance is generally preferred.
Units & Measurements
- South Korea exclusively uses the metric system for all measurements (meters, kilograms, liters).
- Clothing sizes for women often use a unique Korean system (e.g., 44, 55, 66, 77 corresponding to XS, S, M, L) or a numerical system (e.g., 26-30 for pants). For men, standard S/M/L/XL or collar sizes are common. Always provide specific measurements in cm for clarity.
- Shoe sizes are typically expressed in millimeters (mm) representing foot length, usually in 5mm increments (e.g., 230mm, 235mm, 240mm). Provide a conversion chart if using international sizing (EU/US/UK).
- Weight units are kilograms (kg) for larger items and grams (g) for smaller items like cosmetics or food. Example: 1.5kg, 30g.
- Dimensions are typically presented as 가로 (width) x 세로 (length/height) x 높이 (height/depth) or 길이 (length) x 너비 (width) x 높이 (height), with units in cm or mm. Example: 30cm x 20cm x 10cm.
Number & Date Formatting
- Date format is typically YYYY. MM. DD (e.g., 2023. 10. 27.) or YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2023-10-27). The day of the week is often included, for example, 2023. 10. 27. (금) for Friday.
- The decimal separator is a period (.). Example: 1,234.50.
- The thousand separator is a comma (,). Example: 1,234,500.
- Currency is expressed with the '원' (Won) symbol placed after the amount, often without a space in e-commerce for brevity. Example: 1,234,500원. The international symbol '₩' may be used for broader recognition, but '원' is standard domestically.
- Time format can be 24-hour (e.g., 14:30) in official contexts, but 12-hour format with 오전 (AM) or 오후 (PM) is widely used in daily life. Example: 오전 9시 30분 (9:30 AM), 오후 2시 30분 (2:30 PM). The week starts on Monday.
Color Meanings
- Red (빨강) is widely used for sales, discounts, and promotions to attract attention, signifying urgency and excitement. Orange (주황) and Yellow (노랑) can also be used for a vibrant and energetic feel in promotional materials.
- Blue (파랑/남색) is strongly associated with trust, reliability, and professionalism, often used by financial institutions and technology companies. Green (초록) can convey nature, health, and eco-friendliness, while White (하양) suggests cleanliness, purity, and sophistication.
- Black (검정) combined with Gold (금색) are classic choices to signify luxury, premium quality, and sophistication in e-commerce. Deep Purple (자주색) can also evoke elegance and exclusivity.
- While white is a color of purity, it is also traditionally associated with mourning in formal contexts, though this is rarely a concern for e-commerce product colors. Avoid overly bright or clashing color combinations that might appear unprofessional or cheap.
Korean Local SEO Tips
Optimize your product content for search engines in Korean-speaking markets
Prioritize optimization for Naver (search.naver.com), which dominates the South Korean search market, followed by Daum and Google. Naver's algorithms prioritize content within its own ecosystem (Naver Blog, Naver Cafe, Naver Shopping, Naver Place).
Conduct extensive keyword research using Naver's '연관 검색어' (related search terms) and '자동 완성' (autocomplete) features. Koreans frequently search using specific product model numbers, brand names, and qualifiers like '추천' (recommendation), '후기' (review), '가격' (price), and '최저가' (lowest price).
Develop rich, comprehensive content, especially for Naver. Long-form articles, detailed product pages with numerous images and videos, and user-generated content (UGC) like customer reviews and forum discussions are highly valued and tend to rank better.
Focus on local link building within the Naver ecosystem. Actively participate in Naver Blogs and Naver Cafes (community forums) to build authority and drive traffic. Listing your business on Naver Place (네이버 플레이스) is essential for local visibility.
Ensure your website is highly optimized for mobile devices, given South Korea's mobile-first internet usage. Fast loading speeds are critical; consider local hosting for better performance. Implement `hreflang` tags using `ko-KR` for precise targeting.
Checklist
Korean Product Information Checklist
Ensure your product data is complete and optimized for Korean-speaking customers
Product Content
- Translate product titles accurately
- Localize product descriptions with local keywords
- Adapt marketing claims for local regulations
- Translate bullet points and key features
- Review brand voice consistency
Attributes & Specifications
- Convert sizes to local standards
- Translate color names appropriately
- Localize material descriptions
- Convert measurements (cm/inches, kg/lbs)
- Adapt technical specifications
SEO & Discoverability
- Optimize meta titles with local keywords
- Write compelling meta descriptions
- Translate image alt text for accessibility
- Research local search terms and trends
- Include relevant local product categories
Related Languages
Expand to similar markets
Platform Integrations
Korean Product Translation for Every E-commerce Platform
Translate once, publish everywhere. Connect your Korean product catalog to Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Amazon, and more. All translations sync automatically across every sales channel.
Don't see the platform you need?
We're constantly adding new integrations. Let us know what platforms you'd like to see next, and we'll prioritize them for future updates.
Expand Your Global Reach
Connect with customers worldwide through AI-powered translation that captures cultural nuances and drives conversions across all major markets.
Korean Product Translation FAQ
Common questions about translating products to Korean
Ready to Sell in Korean?
Start translating your product catalog today and reach millions of new customers