How to Write a Korean Address for Flower Delivery

In what order is a Korean address written?

A Korean address is written from the largest unit to the smallest: province or metropolitan city (Seoul, Busan, Gyeonggi-do and so on), then city, county or district, then road name and building number, and finally the detail line with building, unit or floor. English versions of the same address are written in reverse, so the unit comes first and the city last. Korean postal codes have five digits.

Take the Korea Flower Express office as an example. In Korean it reads 부산광역시 연제구 월드컵대로 160, 4층 423호, and in English it is 4F #423, 160 World Cup-daero, Yeonje-gu, Busan. It is the same place, just read from the other end. Knowing this pattern makes it easy to spot a missing piece when your recipient sends you an address.

What is the difference between a road-name and a lot-number address?

Since 2014, Korea has used road-name addresses as the standard: a street name plus a building number. Before that, addresses used the neighbourhood (dong or ri) and a land lot number. You will still see both, so whichever one your recipient gives you can be located. For flower delivery, where the driver needs to find the door on the first try, the road-name address is the most dependable.

Road names end in -daero, -ro or -gil, which roughly mean boulevard, road and lane. A building number follows the road name, and smaller lanes carry numbers such as ○○-ro 12-gil. A lot-number address ends with a neighbourhood name and a number, such as ○○-dong 123-4. Either one can be searched and selected on our order form.

What goes in the detailed address line?

On the Korea Flower Express order form, the detailed address box is for everything the driver needs once inside the building: the apartment building and unit (for example 101-dong 1203-ho), the floor, unit and company name for an office, the mourning room number at a funeral hall, or the hall name at a wedding venue. If this line is empty, the driver may reach the building but not your recipient, and the delivery can be delayed.

One point trips up many senders. In an apartment address, 101-dong is the building number inside the complex, while the dong earlier in the address is the neighbourhood. When an English address shows 101-1203, it usually means building 101, unit 1203. Here is what to include for common places.

• Apartment: building and unit (e.g. 101-dong 1203-ho)
• House or small villa: building name and unit if there is one, otherwise the floor
• Office: floor, unit, company name and, if useful, the department
• Funeral hall: mourning room number and the name of the deceased or chief mourner
• Wedding hall: hall name (the ceremony time goes in the delivery date and time field, and the groom's or bride's side next to the recipient's name)
• Hospital: ward and room number (some do not accept flowers, so check first)

What should I check before sending flowers to a hospital or postnatal care center?

Some hospitals and postnatal care centers in Korea do not let flowers in. Before you order from Korea Flower Express, ask your recipient or the facility whether flowers are accepted, and let our team know what they said through chat. For a hospital, write the ward and room number in the detailed address, not just the hospital name.

If flowers are not allowed, sending them to your recipient's home or to a family member's house is a simple alternative. When you switch the address, check the detail line and the recipient's phone number again as well.

Can I use an address I only have in English?

An English address can be located, but florists and drivers in Korea work from the Korean-script address, so the most accurate option is to ask your recipient for the address in Korean, paste it into the address search window and pick the matching result (the search window opens in Korean). On the Korea Flower Express order form, the Find address button fills in the postal code and address line once you pick a result, leaving you to type only the detailed address.

When reading an English address, it helps to know the unit labels: -do is a province, -si a city, -gu a district, -gun a county, -dong a neighbourhood, -eup and -myeon towns, and -ri a village. If the address search does not load, you can type the postal code and address by hand. If anything looks unclear, send the address to our team in chat and ask.

How do I write the recipient's phone number?

Korean mobile numbers have 11 digits and start with 010. On the Korea Flower Express order form, enter them as 010-0000-0000. If you have the number in international format, +82 10-1234-5678, drop the +82 and add a 0 at the front to get 010-1234-5678. A wrong number, or one nobody answers, can delay delivery.

The driver or florist may call your recipient, so a quick heads-up that flowers are on the way helps. If nobody is there, the flowers are left at the entrance and we send you a photo taken on site. If it is a surprise and you would rather not use your recipient's number, the number of a family member at the same address works too.

What if I entered the wrong address?

If you notice a wrong address after ordering from Korea Flower Express, tell us right away by chat or by phone at +82-1668-4900. We can change it before the arrangement is being made; once making has started, a change may not be possible or may cost extra. Our team is available from 08:00 to 21:00 Korea time.

For congratulatory and funeral flower stands, some addresses carry an extra regional delivery fee. When you enter such an address, the order form shows a notice that extra delivery charges apply, along with the amount. Changing the address can change that fee, so check the total once more before you pay.

In what order do I fill in the order form?

On the Korea Flower Express order form, recipient details start with the Obituary / Invitation Link box at the top, followed by name, phone number and address (postal code, address line and detailed address). If you received an online obituary or wedding invitation link, paste it into that top box. Pasting a link or an obituary text message can fill in the venue and room automatically, so check that the filled-in address is correct. For wedding stands, add groom's side or bride's side next to the recipient's name.

• Obituary or invitation link, if you have one, in the top box
• Recipient's name (for weddings, note the groom's or bride's side)
• Recipient's mobile number (010-0000-0000)
• Find address to set the postal code and address line
• Detailed address: building and unit, floor, mourning room or hall name

I have the address. Where do I order?

Once you have your recipient's address and phone number, choose an arrangement from Flower Baskets or Bouquets and enter the details on the order form. Orders placed with Korea Flower Express before 6 PM Korea time are usually delivered the same day; see Same-Day Flower Delivery in Korea: Cutoff by Time Zone for the details. For the whole process of ordering from abroad, read How to Send Flowers to Korea From Abroad.