Korean Dictionary
How to say "Bargaining / Negotiating price" in Korean
“Bargaining / Negotiating price” in Korean is 흥정 (pronounced "Heungjeong").
흥정
Heungjeong
Usage & Context
Negotiating a lower price. Appropriate at traditional markets (재래시장) and some smaller shops, but NOT at department stores or chains. Phrases: 좀 깎아 주실 수 있어요? (Can you lower the price a bit?), 이거 덤으로 주세요 (please throw this in for free). Sellers often respond to polite bargaining.
Example Sentence
시장에서 흥정을 잘하면 더 싸게 살 수 있어요.
If you bargain well at the market, you can buy things more cheaply.
How to use 흥정 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Bargaining / Negotiating price” is 흥정, romanized as Heungjeong.
Usage tip
Shopping Korean usually sounds more natural when you use short polite questions instead of translating English directly.
Common mistake
Do not rely only on the English meaning. Read the Korean example sentence and notice the particles, word order, and politeness level around 흥정.
Pronunciation Guide
'Heung' sounds like 'hung' in English, but with a slightly more rounded 'eu' vowel, similar to the 'u' in 'put'. 'Jeong' sounds like 'jung' in 'jungle,' with the 'eo' vowel like the 'uh' in 'butter.' The 'ng' sound at the end of both syllables is like in 'sing.'
More Example Sentences
Advising a friend visiting a traditional market.
이 시장에서는 흥정이 필수예요. 안 그러면 비싸게 사요.
Bargaining is essential at this market. Otherwise, you'll buy things expensively.
Observing someone's excellent bargaining skills.
저 아주머니는 흥정의 달인이라서 항상 싸게 사요.
That auntie is a master of bargaining, so she always buys things cheaply.
Explaining shopping etiquette to a tourist.
백화점에서는 흥정 안 돼요. 정찰제예요.
You can't bargain at department stores. It's a fixed-price system.
Cultural Context
Bargaining (흥정) is a common practice in traditional Korean markets (재래시장) and smaller, independent shops, especially for clothing, accessories, or street food. It's generally not done in department stores, large chain stores, or most restaurants. When bargaining, it's polite to ask '좀 깎아 주실 수 있어요?' (Can you lower the price a bit?) or '덤 좀 주세요!' (Please give me something extra/for free!). Sellers often appreciate polite attempts at bargaining.
Editorial note
We review entries like 흥정 for pronunciation, example sentence fit, and learner mistakes so the page answers more than a direct dictionary lookup.
Reviewed by Min-jung Park, Korean Language Teacher. Updated May 31, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Common Phrases
흥정 좀 해볼까요?
Shall we try to bargain a bit?
흥정해서 샀어요.
I bought it after bargaining.
흥정 잘하시네요!
You're good at bargaining!
Related Expressions
흥정하다
heungjeonghada
to bargain (verb)
깎다
kkakda
to cut, to discount
에누리
enuri
discount (often used in traditional markets)
정찰제
jeongchalje
fixed price system
More Shopping Words
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