Food in Korean: Useful Vocabulary to Know

The popularity of Korean food is growing every day. People all over the world are enjoying the rich flavors at Korean barbecue restaurants, trying Korean street food like 떡볶이 (Tteokbokki, spicy rice cake), and eating spicy instant noodles like 신라면 (Shin Ramyun). However, Korean food has so much more to offer, and in this article, we are going to take you on a guided tour of traditional food in Korean. We’ll teach you useful words to talk about different types of ingredients, vegetables, fruit, drinks and traditional food in Korean.

Talking about main meals in Korean

The Korean word for food is 음식 (eumsik). It is a general word for food and it can be used to talk about all types of food in Korean.

To refer to different meals throughout the day, we can use the words 아침, 점심 and 저녁.

Soups in Korean: 국, 탕, 찌개

Korean meals are almost always accompanied by a soup dish. Most often, a person would be served his or her own soup alongside their 밥 (rice). There are also times where a large soup is served so that it can be shared with others. There are three types of soup dishes.

국 [guk]

국 [guk] is the most common soup dish in Korea. 국 has a lot of soup and it contains some solid ingredients, such as meat and vegetables. We mainly eat 국 for the broth, rather than the solid ingredients. In general, 국 is served individually and it’s regarded as a dish that served the rice, so it’s usually served in a small bowl. Below are some common types of 국.

탕 [tang]

탕 [tang] is similar to 국 as it contains a lot of soup, but the soup is often made by boiling for a long period, which results in a thicker soup than 국. 탕 is generally served individually and it’s often served in a large bowl as the main meal. Below are some common types of 탕.

찌개 [jji-gae]

The major difference between 찌개 and the other types of soup is that 찌개 has less water and it has a lot of solid ingredients. So people eat 찌개 for its broth but also for its solid ingredients. 찌개 can be served individually, but it’s more commonly shared by diners. Below are some common types of 찌개.

Korean main dishes

Korean meals are often served with a main dish which is shared with other diners. These main dishes are often made with different kinds of fish and meat. Meat in Korean is 고기 [go-gi], and to refer to different kinds of meat, we add the name of the animal in front of 고기. For example, ‘pig’ in Korean is 돼지 [dwae-ji], so ‘pork’ is 돼지고기.

Fish in Korean is 생선 [saeng-seon], but we actually have two words for fish. One is 생선 and we use this word to refer to fish that has been caught for food. So when we see fish for sale in the supermarket, or when we refer to fish on the dining table, we refer to that fish as 생선. The other word is 물고기 [mul-go-gi], and we use this word to refer to fish swimming in the water, whether it be the river or the sea. Below are some common fish eaten in Korea.

As different kinds of meat and fish are made into certain dishes, they can take on different names, such as 대구탕 (cod soup). Below are some common main dishes made with different kinds of meat and fish.

A lot of main dish names end with words that describe what that dish is like, or how that dish is cooked.

• 탕 as we learned before refers to soup-based dishes.
• 찜 refers to dishes that made by steaming the food
• 조림 refers to dishes that are made by braising the food
• 구이 refers to food that has been grilled.

Side dishes in Korean: 반찬

Korean meals are often served with many side dishes, and these side dishes are shared with other diners. Elaborate meals can have more than 10 side dishes, while a simple meal at home can have 3 to 5 side dishes. The most common side dish is 김치 (kimchi).

김치 [kim-chi]

김치 is the famous side dish, and there are many different types of 김치. The most common is made with 배추 [bae-chu], napa cabbage, and because it is fermented, it is high in probiotics.

Korean vegetables 나물 [na-mul]

나물 refers to seasoned vegetables. 나물 can be made with many different kinds of vegetables, many of which grow in the wild, and they are often made by boiling or frying them and then seasoning them with various spices and sesame oil. Many 나물 dish names end in 무침 [mu-chim] which means seasoned.

볶음 [bo-kkeum]

뽁음 simply means ‘fried’, and it refers to various stir-fried side dishes. One of the most common side dishes is 김치볶음 (fried kimchi), but there are many different types of 볶음 side dishes.

젓갈 [jeot-gal]

젓갈 refers to salted seafood. Salted seafood can be made with various fish and seafood, such as anchovies, clams, and shrimps, but it can also be made with various fish roe. 젓갈 is very salty, and we usually eat a small amount at a time. When we refer to different types of 젓갈, we often refer to them as just 젓.

Below are some other common side dishes in Korea

Korean drinks: 음료수 & 술

음료수 [eum-nyu-su] means beverage, and we tend to think of non-alcoholic soft drinks, such as cola, when we hear this word. However, the most common type of drink served during meals is water. Sometimes tea can be served during meals, though they are likely to be served cold. When Koreans eat western meals, they may drink sodas, such as cola, but it’s less common to drink sodas during a Korean meal.

In 보리차 (barley tea), 보리 means ‘barley’, and 차 means ‘tea’.

Many Korean meals are eaten with 술 [sul], an alcoholic drink. It’s no secret that Koreans like to drink alcohol - the best selling spirit brand in the world is none other than 참이슬, a brand of soju (fermented white rice) from Korea (we’re not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed). While Korean drinks like soju are still the most popular among Koreans, more and more people drink Western drinks like wine and beer.

Korean dessert 후식

The Korean word for dessert is 후식 [hu-shik], but Koreans also often say the English word phonetically in Korean, 디저트 [di-jeo-teu]. Having 후식 is becoming more common, and many restaurants do serve their own dessert. However, it’s still not a common practice in most restaurants.

When fruit is served as dessert, many different kinds of fruit can be served. Below is a list of common fruits in Korea.

Korean vegetables and cooking ingredients

Now let's learn some useful food vocabulary. Firstly, we will learn names of common Korean vegetables. Firstly, it’s important to learn vegetable in Korean: 야채 [ya-chae]

Korean dishes require a lot of different food ingredients. Let’s learn words for the ingredients we use.

Finally, let’s learn the names of popular Korean dishes, and also the names of popular Korean street food.

Wrapping up with Korean food

Korean cuisine is becoming more and more popular all over the world, and it is one of the reasons why people choose to travel to Korea.

In this article, we’ve covered lots of useful words to talk about food, drinks, ingredients and cooking in Korean. With this knowledge and understanding of Korean cuisine, you will have a much more enjoyable experience eating Korean food at home or when visiting South Korea. As always, practice makes perfect, so why not head over to the Busuu app and practice ordering food at a Korean restaurant!