Korean Food & Ordering Vocabulary음식과 주문

rice / meal

밥 먹었어요?Have you eaten? (Common greeting!)

💡 Memory tip: Rice is so central to Korean meals that 밥 also means "meal." "밥 먹었어요?" is like asking "How are you?"

Pronunciation: Final ㅂ is pronounced [p]. Short and crisp.

kimchi (fermented vegetables)

김치가 맵지만 맛있어요.Kimchi is spicy but delicious.

💡 Memory tip: Korea's most iconic food! Served with nearly every meal as a side dish.

Pronunciation: Often written as "kimchi" in English, but the Korean pronunciation starts with a soft [g], not a hard [k].

bulgogi (marinated grilled beef)

불고기 일 인분 주세요.One serving of bulgogi, please.

💡 Memory tip: 불 (fire) + 고기 (meat) = fire meat! Grilled marinated beef.

Pronunciation: ㄹ before ㄱ: 불고기 is pronounced clearly as [불고기].

bibimbap (mixed rice bowl)

돌솥 비빔밥이 유명해요.Stone pot bibimbap is famous.

💡 Memory tip: 비빔 (mixed) + 밥 (rice) = mixed rice. Stir it all together before eating!

Pronunciation: Three syllables: 비-빔-밥. Final ㅂ in 밥 is pronounced [p].

ramen / instant noodles

라면 먹을래요?Do you want to eat ramen?

💡 Memory tip: Korea's favorite late-night snack! Very similar to Japanese "ramen."

Pronunciation: ㄹ at the start sounds like a flapped "r" (not an English "r" or "l").

fried chicken

치킨이랑 콜라 시킬까요?Shall we order chicken and cola?

💡 Memory tip: Borrowed from English "chicken." In Korea, it specifically means Korean fried chicken!

Pronunciation: Loanword from English. The ㅋ gives it a strong aspirated "k" sound.

water

물 좀 주세요.Some water, please.

💡 Memory tip: One of the first words every traveler needs! Water is free at Korean restaurants.

beverage / drink

음료수 뭐 드실래요?What would you like to drink?

💡 Memory tip: 음료 (drink) + 수 (water) = beverage. Covers all soft drinks!

Pronunciation: Three syllables: 음-료-수. ㄹ after ㅁ stays as [r].

menu

메뉴 좀 보여 주세요.Please show me the menu.

💡 Memory tip: Borrowed from English "menu." Easy to remember!

order (noun)

주문하시겠어요?Would you like to order?

💡 Memory tip: The waiter will ask "주문하시겠어요?" -- this is your cue to order!

bill / check

계산서 주세요.The bill, please.

💡 Memory tip: 계산 (calculation) + 서 (document). You can also just say "계산해 주세요" (please calculate/ring me up).

side dishes

반찬 더 주세요.More side dishes, please.

💡 Memory tip: Side dishes are FREE and refillable at Korean restaurants! Just ask for more.

to be delicious

이 음식 정말 맛있어요!This food is really delicious!

💡 Memory tip: 맛 (taste) + 있다 (to exist) = "taste exists" = delicious!

Pronunciation: When conjugated: 맛있어요 is pronounced [마시써요] due to liaison.

to be hungry

배고파요. 밥 먹어요!I'm hungry. Let's eat!

💡 Memory tip: 배 (stomach) + 고프다 (to be empty/starving) = stomach is empty!

Pronunciation: Conjugated form: 배고파요 [배고파요]. The ㅡ drops in conjugation.