How to Read a Korean Menu: Words, Rules and Examples

What you will learn

• Split a dish name into ingredient and cooking style, as in 김치 + 찌개.
• Read serving sizes (1인분, 2인분), extras (사리, 곱빼기) and spice words.
• Read a price printed in thousands and decide the cost for a group.

Before you start: you should read Hangul blocks, as covered in how to read Hangul. Time: about 30 minutes. Audio plays only when you press a button.

Key Facts

• Dish names combine an ingredient and a cooking style, as in 김치찌개 (kimchi stew), and the style word comes last.
• Portions are written as 1인분 (one serving) or 2인분 (two servings), and grilled meat is often sold from 2인분.
• Extras use words like 사리 (extra noodles or add-ins) and 곱빼기 (a larger portion).
• Prices are in won and may be printed in thousands, so 9.0 can mean 9,000 won.
• 찌개 is a thick, strongly seasoned stew, and 국 is a lighter soup with more broth.
• Some menus add a recommended mark such as 추천.

Last updated: 2026-10-09. The Korean text, romanization and audio scripts on this page are generated drafts that still await review by a Korean specialist.

How to Read a Korean Menu Step by Step

A Korean menu is read in four passes over each line: find the dish name, find the style word at its end, find the price and then look for portion and extra words. The order matters, because the dish name is usually the first thing on the line, and the price is usually the last.

Here is one line from a sample menu, read in those four passes.

김치찌개 9,000 (gimchijjigae 9,000) Kimchi stew, 9,000 won

Pass one finds the dish name, 김치찌개. Pass two finds the style word at the end, 찌개, which means stew. Pass three finds 9,000, the price in won. Pass four finds no portion word, so a standard single serving is likely, and the next lines of the menu may say otherwise. The method works on every line of every menu in this lesson.

The next section explains why this seems hard to an English speaker and how the dish-name pattern helps.

Why Do English Speakers Struggle with Korean Menus?

English speakers struggle because Korean menus are lists of compressed nouns, not descriptions. An English menu says "slow-cooked beef short rib soup with radish", which spells out the ingredients. A Korean menu says 갈비탕, which packs the same information into one word: 갈비 (short rib) plus 탕 (soup). A learner who expects a description sees a single unknown word.

A second problem is the sound. Several common names are spoken differently from how they are spelled. 비빔밥 is spoken [비빔빱], with the ㅂ of 밥 pronounced as a tense sound, and 삼겹살 is spoken [삼겹쌀]. The rules behind these changes are in the 표준 발음법 (standard pronunciation rules). You do not need the rules to order, but you do need to expect the sound to differ from the letters.

A third problem is the numbers. Prices, portions and sizes all use numbers, and Korean has two number systems. Menus use the Sino-Korean system for portions and prices, which is covered in the Sino-Korean numbers section.

The good news is that the number of patterns is small. The first is the dish-name pattern.

How Is a Dish Name Built?

A dish name is built from an ingredient or a method followed by a style word that says what kind of dish it is. The style word comes last, so read the end of the name first. Once you know ten style words, many unseen dishes become predictable.

Not every dish follows the pattern. Some names are traditional words that do not split cleanly, such as 불고기 and 삼겹살. 불고기 is marinated beef, and its name is traditionally explained as "fire meat". 삼겹살 is pork belly, from 삼겹 (three layers) and 살 (flesh). When a name does not split, treat it as a word to learn.

Play three of the dishes and say them back.

The ending also predicts how the dish arrives. A 찌개 and a 국 are both liquid dishes, but they differ, and the difference is a common menu question. That comes up again below. Quantity words are next.

How Do I Read Serving Sizes and Extras?

Read serving sizes from the word 인분, which means "serving" and follows a number. 1인분 is one serving, and 2인분 is two servings. Menus for grilled meat usually price meat per 인분, and many grill restaurants sell it only from 2인분, meaning a minimum of two servings.

The number before 인분 is Sino-Korean: 1인분 is read 일 인분, spoken [이린분], with the ㄹ linking to the next syllable. 2인분 is 이 인분, spoken [이인분].

A line such as the one below is common in a meat section.

Extras are named by special words. The three you will meet most often are these.

Two companion words are helpful. 보통 means regular size, and 공깃밥 means a separate bowl of plain rice, which some stews and grills are eaten with. Many menus print it 공기밥, without the linking ㅅ, but the standard spelling is 공깃밥; it is said [공기빱] or [공긷빱]. The size word is often printed next to the price, as in 냉면 11,000 / 곱빼기 13,000.

Once you can read portions, the price is the next element. Korean prices have one trap that catches many visitors.

How Are Prices Written on a Korean Menu?

Prices are written in won (원) as plain numbers with commas, and the commas mark thousands as in English: 9,000 is nine thousand won. The symbol 원 is often left off. Some menus drop the last three zeros, so 9.0 or just 9 may mean 9,000 won.

The trap is that these look like a tiny price. If a stew is printed as 9.0 and the shop is not a toy store, the price is 9,000 won. Check the other lines: if every dish is a single digit or has a decimal, the whole menu is in thousands.

Read prices with the Sino-Korean numbers. 9,000원 is 구천 원 (gucheon won). The full pattern for money is in the Korean money numbers section. A menu may add a per-person note, a set price (세트) or a lunch special. Only price, size and portion are covered here.

You may also see a mark such as 추천, which means "recommended". Menus use it for the dish the shop wants you to try. Nothing in the mark means it is cheaper, only that it is promoted. Next, the words for spice and drinks.

What about Spice and Drink Words?

Spice words are usually given as a scale, and drink words are grouped in a separate block. The spice scale most often runs from mild to very hot, and the four words below cover it.

Some shops use a number scale, often 1 to 3, with the Hangul word beside each number. The words vary between shops, so read the line, not only the number.

Drinks are listed under 음료 (drinks) or 주류 (alcoholic drinks). The names you will see most are:

A final menu distinction needs a clear answer: the difference between 찌개 and 국. A 찌개 is a thick, strongly seasoned stew with less broth than a soup, served bubbling in a pot, and usually shared. A 국 has more broth and a milder flavour, and is served in an individual bowl with rice. The pair 김치찌개 and 미역국 shows the contrast: kimchi stew is red, thick and strong, and seaweed soup is clear and light.

This is a general guide, and some dishes cross the line, so the dish name is the final authority. The worked example below combines everything in one line.

Worked Example: 김치찌개

The worked example reads one menu line, 김치찌개 9,000, through the four passes.

1. Decode the blocks. 김 is ㄱ + ㅣ + ㅁ. 치 is ㅊ + ㅣ. 찌 is ㅉ + ㅣ. 개 is ㄱ + ㅐ. Together: gim-chi-jji-gae.

2. Split the name. 김치 (kimchi) + 찌개 (stew). The style word 찌개 tells you the dish is a stew.
3. Read the price. 9,000 is nine thousand won, which is the price of one serving on this sample menu.
4. Check portion words. There is no 인분 or 곱빼기 here, so assume one standard serving. If the menu said 2인분부터, you would need two servings.
5. Check extras. Look for 사리 or 공깃밥 lines. A bowl of rice is often sold separately.
6. Decide. One kimchi stew, one bowl of rice and the total of both prices.

You will know it worked when you can say, in English, what you are ordering and what it costs, before the waiter arrives. The ordering phrase itself is in the Korean restaurant phrases section. The next section lists the errors that spoil the method.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Korean Menus?

The most common mistakes are treating 찌개 as soup, misreading the thousands, and assuming one serving feeds the table.

• Learners often assume 찌개 and 국 are the same. Actually 찌개 is a thick stew and 국 is a lighter soup. Ordering 찌개 expecting a mild broth will surprise you.
• Learners often assume 9.0 means nine won. Actually it means 9,000 won, since the last three zeros are dropped. Compare with the other prices on the menu.
• Learners often assume 1인분 is one dish for the whole table. Actually it is one portion per person, and a grill may need 2인분 for two people.
• Learners often assume 사리 is a separate side dish. Actually it is an addition to a dish already on the table, such as noodles added to a stew.
• Learners often assume the romanization spelling is the sound. Actually 비빔밥 is spoken [비빔빱], so reading it as "bibim-bap" is a guide only.

If you meet a word that is not in this lesson, look at its last block for a style word and at its first block for the ingredient. The Korean vocabulary hub has food word lists. Practice follows.

Practice and Answer Key

Here is a sample menu with ten lines. Read it, answer the questions and check the key.

Questions:

1. Which line is a stew and which is a soup?
2. What does line 5 require?
3. What is line 9's price in won?
4. What does 곱빼기 add in line 7, and how much more does it cost?
5. Two people each order line 1 and one 공깃밥. What is the total?
6. Which dish is kimchi fried rice?

Answer key:

1. Lines 1 and 2 are stews (찌개). Line 8 is a soup (탕).
2. A minimum of two servings, priced per serving.
3. 9,000 won (9.0 is thousands).
4. A larger portion, 2,000 won more than line 6.
5. 9,000 + 9,000 + 1,000 = 19,000 won.
6. Line 9, 김치볶음밥.

Say any three lines aloud, with the dish name and the price, and check that 비빔밥 comes out as [비빔빱]. Listen once more to line 6, 냉면, and say it back.

Where to Go Next

The lesson above covers how to read a Korean menu: dish names, serving sizes, extras and prices for a sit-down restaurant. It does not cover allergens, set menus in detail or ordering conversation, which live in other lessons. Menu items change by shop, so treat the sample prices as examples only.

Next: the Korean cafe menu lesson, which reads drinks, sizes and add-ons. To see other sign and label lessons, return to Real-World Texts (Signs, Menus).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I read a Korean menu? Read each line in four passes: find the dish name, check the style word at its end (찌개 stew, 국 soup, 밥 rice, 면 noodles), find the price in won and then look for portion words such as 1인분 and extras such as 사리 or 곱빼기. Practise on the sample menu above.

What does 인분 mean? 인분 means a serving or portion and follows a number: 1인분 is one serving and 2인분 is two. Grilled-meat menus price meat per 인분, and many grill restaurants accept orders only from 2인분. The number is Sino-Korean, so 1인분 is read 일 인분 and spoken [이린분].

What is the difference between 찌개 and 국? 찌개 is a thick, strongly seasoned stew with less broth than a soup, usually served bubbling in a pot and shared. 국 has more broth, a milder taste and is usually served in an individual bowl with rice. Compare 김치찌개 (kimchi stew) with 미역국 (seaweed soup). Some dishes blur the line, so trust the name.

Are Korean menu prices in thousands? Often they are written in full, as 9,000, but some menus drop the last three zeros and print 9.0 or 9, meaning 9,000 won. Check the whole menu: if every price is a single digit or a decimal, the menu is in thousands. The unit is the won (원), and the symbol is often omitted.

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