"Let's meet at Gangnam Station." When Koreans hear this, they always ask back. "Which exit?" I heard an international student was surprised when they heard this question. Today's word is "exit." ## One station, twenty exits Big stations are huge underground. Some have ten or even twenty exits. If you only say "in front of the station," you might end up standing on a different street. That's why Koreans give exit numbers like an address. If you say "Let's meet in front of Exit 3," you almost never get lost. ## Different neighborhoods at each exit There is only one station underground, but the exits connect to many different streets above ground. If you go out Exit 1 there's a university, Exit 5 has lots of office buildings, and Exit 8 might be a street full of restaurants. It's only a step apart, but it feels like you've come to a different neighborhood. Koreans all know this, so they describe a shop by its exit, like "the kalguksu place near Exit 7." The exit works as the neighborhood's street signpost. ## Try It Out Right Away - When you make plans to meet, ask first, "Which exit is it?" - If you search the map app for "station name + Exit 3," the exact spot comes up. - The information boards inside the subway list the names of nearby buildings for each exit. Take a look before you head out. If you're planning to walk around a neighborhood in October, try deliberately taking a different exit than usual. It's the same station, but you can run into a completely different street.