DATAPREPREP

Measurement & queries · Original data

22.3% of Korean search queries were typed without spaces

DATAPREPREP · data as of 2026-08-16 · 2 min read한국어로 읽기

Many do not. Of 1,590 real queries from Naver Search Advisor, 355 (22.3%) were a single unspaced string, and 19 rows differed from another row of the same site only by spacing.

Korean normally puts spaces between word units, and keyword tools list keywords that way, for example "area + service + recommended". Real users often skip the spaces on a phone keyboard.

We counted the queries exactly as typed: 1,590 rows from the Naver Search Advisor query reports of the sites we operate, split on spaces.

Finding 01

The most common query length was 3 words; one unspaced string ranked third

One-word queries, i.e. typed without spaces: 355 rows (22.3%)
1 · 22.3%22.3%12 · 28.2%28.2%23 · 34.3%34.3%34 · 10.3%10.3%45 · 3.6%3.6%56 · 1.1%1.1%67 · 0.1%0.1%78 · 0.1%0.1%81 · 22.3%22.3%12 · 28.2%23 · 34.3%34 · 10.3%45 · 3.6%56 · 1.1%67 · 0.1%78 · 0.1%8

Under each column: number of space-separated words. One word means the query was typed without spaces.

Unspaced queries made only of place names and service words look like this, exactly as typed (in Korean):

원삼면에머리잘자르는미용실 · 구래동단발커트잘하는미용실 · 경주황성동아파트청소업체 · 일직동남자숏컷잘하는집 · 염창동커트잘하는미용실 · 공릉동에서파마제일싼곳 · 휘경동남성컷잘하는곳 · 금천구허벅지다이어트

Finding 02

Specialty cleaning queries were unspaced 29.3% of the time; Diet & body care 10%

The unspaced share differs by industry
Specialty cleaning · 29.3%Specialty cleaning29.3%Construction & repair · 25.7%Construction & repair25.7%Legal services · 25.4%Legal services25.4%Hair salons · 15%Hair salons15%Diet & body care · 10%Diet & body care10%Specialty cleaning · 29.3%Specialty cleaning29.3%Construction & repair · 25.7%Construction & repair25.7%Legal services · 25.4%Legal services25.4%Hair salons · 15%Hair salons15%Diet & body care · 10%Diet & body care10%

Finding 03

19 rows were the same query split by a space

Counted as typed, one query scatters into several rows that differ by a single space. Seen that way, one query's demand looks like several smaller ones.

So how should a Korean keyword list be cleaned up?

  1. Merge queries with spaces removed before reading demand.
  2. Serve queries that differ only by spacing with the same page.
  3. Write titles and body text with normal spacing for readers.

Methodology

  • Each site's query data is the top 30 rows of its Naver Search Advisor query report, sorted by clicks, rather than the site's full query set.
  • The examples shown were filtered to rows made only of place names and service words; rows with business or personal names, the legal-services group, and rows referring to incidents or deaths were excluded.
  • Shares and counts use all rows before filtering.
  • The reporting period is the last 60 days and the capture date is 2026-08-16. All 53 sites share the same reporting period.