You can’t kiss in public in Korean 🇰🇷

Sentence info.

여기서는 공개적으로 키스하면 안 돼요.

• 여기서는 (yeogiseoneun)
  - 여기 means “here.”
  - 에서 is a location particle meaning “at” or “in” used to denote where an action takes place.
  - 는 is a topic marker added after 에서 to emphasize “as for here,” implying “in this place.”

• 공개적으로 (gonggaejogeuro)
  - 공개 means “public” or “open.”
  - 적 is a suffix turning the noun into an adjective.
  - 으로 converts the adjective into an adverb meaning “in a … manner.”
  → Together, 공개적으로 means “publicly.”

• 키스하면 (kiseu hamyeon)
  - 키스 is a borrowed word meaning “kiss.”
  - 하면 is the conditional form of 하다 (“to do”). It can be understood as “if you kiss” or “when you kiss.”

• 안 돼요 (an dwaeyo)
  - 안 is a negation meaning “not.”
  - 돼요 is the polite form of 되다 (“to become, to be allowed” in this context), meaning “is allowed” or “works.” With 안 preceding it, it conveys “it is not allowed” or “it can’t be done.”

Combined word-by-word, the sentence translates as “Here, if you kiss publicly, it is not allowed.” In smoother English, it means “You can’t kiss in public here.”

Tips to remember:
  - Notice how 장소 (place) is marked with 에서, then “는” sets the topic for where the rule applies.
  - Adverbs in Korean are often formed by adding 적(으로) to a noun/adjective to indicate the manner (here, 공개 → 공개적으로).
  - The conditional form 하다 → 하면 makes it clear that the rule applies upon performing the action.

Alternate ways to say “You can't kiss in public” in Korean:
  1. 공공장소에서 키스하면 안 돼요.
   – Here, 공공장소 means “public place,” making it clear that the restriction applies in public areas.
  2. 공공장소에서 공개적으로 키스하는 건 금지예요.
   – This uses 금지하다 (“to prohibit”) and adds 하는 건 to specify “the act of kissing.”

Both alternatives retain the original meaning using different vocabulary and structures while remaining polite.

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