On a weekend in peak autumn-leaf season, the subway was packed with people. The door I needed to get off at was up ahead, but the way was blocked. A foreign student said "저기요" (excuse me), but apparently no one turned around. Why was that? ## The three words point to different places "저기요" is the word '저기' with '요' attached. It's a phrase for calling someone who is a little way off, so you use it when you first speak to a stranger. But if there's no request after it, it sounds curt. "여기요" means "I'm over here." It's what you say to let people know where you are when you're being served, like at a restaurant or a café. So if you call out "여기요!" to a stranger on the street, it sounds as if you're ordering them around. "실례합니다" is a Sino-Korean word that means "I have lost my manners." It carries the feeling of being sorry for taking up your time, so it is the most polite. ## On the Way to See the Autumn Leaves When you ask someone to take a photo, you say, "Excuse me, could you take one photo for me?" That's what you say. If you add a request at the end of your sentence, even "저기요" doesn't sound cold. On a crowded subway, you'll say "I'm getting off" or "Just a moment" more often than "Excuse me." If you push your way through and shout "Hey!" it sounds like you're angry. ## Just Watch Out for This Even if your words are polite, pointing at someone to call them or shouting loudly at their back as they walk away sounds rude. First make eye contact, and lower your voice. The more crowded the autumn gets, the more a small change in how you speak can shift the mood.