Open, closed, free: the small print matters
A large sign names a place. A small notice can change what you should do next.
Understand the place
영업중 means open for business. 휴무 means a day off or closure. 금연 means no smoking, and 주차장 identifies a parking area. 무료 means free of charge. These expressions often appear on doors, small boards, or notices rather than the main shop sign.
Easy to mix up
무료 describes the item or service it is attached to; it does not make everything nearby free. Likewise, a lit storefront is not a substitute for checking a 휴무 notice. Look for the complete phrase and any dates, times, or conditions written alongside it.
A sign you might see
무료 주차 means free parking: 무료 tells you the charge, and 주차 tells you what it applies to. There may be additional conditions on the notice. Read the whole notice or ask before assuming there is no time limit or purchase requirement.
Read in this order
- Identify the notice's job: open/closed status, a rule, a place, or a price. 영업중, 금연, 주차장, and 무료 do different jobs.
- Read the word that 무료 or another notice applies to. Free parking and a free product are different offers even if both use 무료.
- Look for an attached day, time, number, or condition. Treat it as part of the message rather than stopping after the largest word.
Three signs, three decisions
Fictional sign examples
영업중 marks a business as open. It does not tell you its closing time or whether every product is in stock. Read it as a current status cue and look elsewhere for those extra details.
휴무 · 월요일 means a closure/day-off notice referring to Monday. 월요일 supplies a day, not a type of shop. This is a fictional learning example; a real notice may include dates or extra conditions to check.
무료 주차 · 2시간 links free of charge to parking and adds a two-hour limit in this example. 무료 is not a promise of unlimited parking. Read the service and duration together, then check any other conditions.
What the sign cannot tell you
If you notice only 무료 on a parking board, you may miss the important 2시간 next to it. The small line can narrow the large promise. Do not extend 'free' to every service nearby or assume a missing purchase condition; read the complete notice.
Check your understanding
Show answer and explanation
금연 means no smoking. 휴무 marks a closure or day off, while 무료 means free of charge. They are different kinds of notices, not interchangeable business names.
Show answer and explanation
No. In this fictional example, 2시간 adds a two-hour condition to free parking. The service and its attached limit must be read together.
Try it on your next walk
Pair 영업중 with 휴무, then say which one invites you to check the entrance. Find 금연 and describe the action it prohibits. In the quiz, look at the small notice as carefully as the shop itself.
Practice these signs →