Korean for the Laundromat: Requesting a Wool-Safe Cold Cycle
Learn to ask for a gentle cold wash for wool in Korean: 울, 찬물, 약하게, and the polite request 울코스로 돌려 주세요, plus how to read cycle names on the machine panel.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
At a Korean laundromat (코인 세탁소 or 코인 빨래방), the default course on many machines is a hot or warm wash, which can shrink a wool sweater. This lesson gives you the Korean you need to ask staff for a cold, gentle cycle and to confirm the temperature before you pay. You will learn the key words 울 (wool), 찬물 (cold water), and 약하게 (gently), and the core request 울코스로 돌려 주세요. You will also practice reading cycle names on the panel, such as 울코스, and asking which button to press. The focus is polite spoken Korean you can use at the counter and in front of the machine.
By the end, you can…
- ask a staff member for a cold, gentle wool cycle using 울코스로 돌려 주세요.
- read common cycle names on a Korean washing machine panel and confirm the water temperature.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
울코스로 돌려 주세요.
Please run it on the wool cycle.
ul-ko-seu-ro dol-lyeo ju-se-yo
The main request. Use it at the counter or pointing at the machine. 돌려 주세요 means 'please run/turn it'.
찬물로 해 주세요.
Please use cold water.
chan-mul-lo hae ju-se-yo
Use this to specify temperature. 찬물 is cold water; 따뜻한 물 is warm water.
약하게 세탁해 주세요.
Please wash it gently.
yak-ha-ge se-tak-hae ju-se-yo
Adds the idea of a gentle wash. 약하게 means 'weakly/gently'.
이거 울이에요.
This is wool.
i-geo u-ri-e-yo
Explains why you need a special cycle. Useful when staff suggest the default course. Note: 울 is pronounced [ul], so 이거 울이에요 sounds like i-geo u-ri-e-yo.
몇 번 눌러야 돼요?
Which button do I need to press?
myeot beon nul-leo-ya dwae-yo
Ask when you are standing at the panel and unsure which button selects the wool course.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern [명사] + 로/으로 + 돌려 주세요 means 'please run it on the [course]'. Attach 로 after a vowel and 으로 after a consonant: 울코스로 돌려 주세요 (wool course), 표준으로 돌려 주세요 (standard course). To add temperature, use 찬물로 해 주세요. To add gentleness, use 약하게 세탁해 주세요. You can combine them: 울코스로 찬물에 약하게 돌려 주세요. The verb 돌리다 here means to run a machine cycle, not to turn your body.
When to use it
Use these phrases when the machine's default setting is not safe for wool. First say 이거 울이에요 so staff understand the risk. Then request 울코스로 돌려 주세요. If the panel has English labels, staff may still use Korean course names, so learn to spot 울코스, 울, and 손세탁 (hand wash). Confirm temperature with 찬물로 해 주세요, and ask 몇 번 눌러야 돼요? if you need button guidance. Avoid assuming every machine has the same panel; ask rather than guess.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
안녕하세요, 이거 울 스웨터인데요. 울코스로 돌려 주세요.
Hello, this is a wool sweater. Please run it on the wool cycle.an-nyeong-ha-se-yo, i-geo ul seu-we-teo-in-de-yo. ul-ko-seu-ro dol-lyeo ju-se-yo.네, 그런데 기본 코스는 뜨거운 물이에요. 찬물로 하시겠어요?
Sure, but the default course is hot water. Would you like it with cold water?ne, geu-reon-de gi-bon ko-seu-neun tteu-geo-un mu-ri-e-yo. chan-mul-lo ha-si-get-eo-yo?네, 찬물로 해 주세요. 그리고 약하게 세탁해 주세요.
Yes, please use cold water. And please wash it gently.ne, chan-mul-lo hae ju-se-yo. geu-ri-go yak-ha-ge se-tak-hae ju-se-yo.알겠습니다. 울코스 버튼 누르고, 온도는 찬물로 선택하세요.
Got it. Press the wool course button, and select cold water for the temperature.al-get-seum-ni-da. ul-ko-seu beo-teun nu-reu-go, on-do-neun chan-mul-lo seon-taek-ha-se-yo.A little context goes a long way
In Korean laundromats, staff may be present only during certain hours, and self-service machines are common. Politeness matters: use -아/어 주세요 or -시겠어요? rather than bare commands. If you are unsure about a machine's options, asking 몇 번 눌러야 돼요? is normal and not rude. Do not assume a wool cycle is available on every machine; ask before paying.
One thing to watch for
Saying 울코스로 해 주세요 when you mean 'please run the wool cycle'.
Try this instead: 해 주세요 is fine for 'do it', but for running a machine cycle, 돌려 주세요 is more precise. Use 울코스로 돌려 주세요. If you want to specify water, say 찬물로 해 주세요 separately.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask staff to run the wool cycle?
Show a sample answer
울코스로 돌려 주세요.
This uses the course name 울코스 plus 로 and the polite request 돌려 주세요. You could also say 울코스로 해 주세요, but 돌려 주세요 is clearer for a machine cycle.
2You want cold water and a gentle wash. What two phrases can you add?
Show a sample answer
찬물로 해 주세요. 약하게 세탁해 주세요.
찬물로 해 주세요 specifies cold water, and 약하게 세탁해 주세요 asks for a gentle wash. You can combine them in one sentence: 찬물로 약하게 세탁해 주세요.
3You are at the panel and cannot find the wool button. What do you ask?
Show a sample answer
몇 번 눌러야 돼요?
This asks 'which button do I need to press?' It is a practical way to get help without guessing. You could also point and say 이거요? but the full question is clearer.
For wool at a Korean laundromat, say 이거 울이에요, then 울코스로 돌려 주세요, and confirm with 찬물로 해 주세요 and 약하게 세탁해 주세요. Ask 몇 번 눌러야 돼요? if the panel is unclear.
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