Korean Cafe Menu: Words, Rules and Examples

What you will learn

• Read drink names written as loanwords and recognise the English word behind each.
• Tell hot from iced, and read size words and add-ons such as 샷 추가.
• Build a five-slot order and say it with audio support.

Before you start: you should read Hangul blocks, as covered in how to read Hangul. Time: about 25 minutes. Audio plays only when you press a button.

Key Facts

• Most drink names are loanwords: 아메리카노 (Americano) and 카페라떼 (caffe latte).
• Temperature is shown as 아이스 (iced) or 핫 / 따뜻한 (hot), or as HOT and ICE columns.
• Size words include 레귤러 (regular), 라지 (large) and 스몰 (small), and 사이즈 업 means size up.
• Add-ons use the word 추가 (add): 샷 추가 is an extra shot and 시럽 추가 is extra syrup.
• Takeaway is 테이크아웃 or 포장, and drinking in is 매장.
• Brands spell latte as 라떼 or 라테, and both mean the same drink.

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.

What Is a Korean Cafe Menu?

A Korean cafe menu is a board or sheet that lists drinks and desserts in Hangul, mostly as loanwords from English, grouped by type with a price for each. The groups are usually coffee (커피), non-coffee drinks (논커피), teas (티 or 차), ades (에이드), smoothies (스무디) and desserts (디저트). Because most names are loanwords, reading a cafe board is easier than reading a restaurant menu.

The base list of coffee names is short and close to English. Say each one aloud, slowly, and the English word appears.

Next to each name, the board shows the price, often in thousands. A line such as 4.5 means 4,500 won. The restaurant-menu lesson explains this in detail in how to read a Korean menu. Here is why even loanword menus trip up English speakers.

Why Do English Speakers Struggle with Korean Cafe Boards?

English speakers struggle because the loanwords look unfamiliar in Hangul and because the spelling changes from board to board. A reader who expects "latte" has to find it in 라떼 or 라테, and both spellings appear. Korean also respells English sounds with its own letters, so "cafe" becomes 카페.

Three problems recur:

1. Sound mapping. The English "tt" in "latte" is written ㄸ in 라떼 on many boards, because the tense consonant is close to how the word sounds in Korean. The official loanword spelling uses plain ㅌ (라테), so both forms are seen.
2. Temperature is easy to miss. The word 아이스 or 핫 may be at the front, at the back or in a small box, and a missed word gives you the wrong drink.
3. Boards are dense. A single board can show 30 drinks with options in small print. Knowing the five slots lets you ignore most of it.

The next section turns these habits into a reading order.

How Is a Korean Cafe Menu Organised?

A Korean cafe menu is organised by drink type, then by temperature, with prices in one or two columns. The two-column form lists hot (HOT or 핫) and iced (ICE or 아이스) prices side by side, and the iced price is sometimes higher. Read left to right: name, hot price, iced price.

Here is a sample board that is used for the practice below.

The dash means there is no hot version. An ade (에이드) is a fruit soda usually served cold, so it has no hot column. 유자차 is a traditional citron tea, a sweet fruit tea that can be served hot or iced.

Seasonal drinks appear under a label such as 시즌 메뉴 or 신메뉴 (new menu), and a recommended mark such as 추천 flags a favourite. Prices on the board follow the hot and iced columns, so the temperature word changes the price. Reading that word correctly comes next.

How Do I Read Temperature and Size?

Read temperature from one of three words: 아이스 means iced, 핫 means hot and 따뜻한 means warm, which is used for hot. The two temperature words on most boards are 아이스 and 핫, and some boards use 따뜻한 instead of 핫. When a board prints only the English letters HOT or ICE, the meaning is the same.

Contrast the two directly: 아이스 (iced) and 핫 or 따뜻한 (hot). If no temperature word appears, ask. Some shops assume hot, some assume iced, and a few drinks, such as ades, exist only cold.

Size words are loanwords too: 레귤러 (regular), 라지 (large) and 스몰 (small). Some chains use their own size names, such as 톨 (tall), 그란데 (grande) and 벤티 (venti), so check the board for the order of sizes. A board may show size as a column with a price for each, or as the phrase 사이즈 업 (size up), which means "upgrade the size for a small extra fee".

Add-ons are the next slot, and they decide the extra price.

What Are Add-Ons?

Add-ons are extras added to a drink, and the Korean word for adding is 추가. The pattern is the item plus 추가: 샷 추가 means add a shot, 시럽 추가 means add syrup and 휘핑크림 추가 means add whipped cream. A price follows, often +500 won.

The +500 values are examples of board format. Real prices vary by shop. Two upsell phrases are the most useful to recognise: 샷 추가 (add a shot) and 사이즈 업 (size up).

Words for milk choices are also helpful on a board: 우유 (milk) and 두유 (soy milk). Whether a shop swaps milk, and for how much, is shown beside the word or in small print. Last, the staff will ask a final question.

How Do I Say Here or to Go?

Say 매장 for drinking in and 테이크아웃 or 포장 for taking away. A staff question you may hear is 드시고 가세요, 가져가세요? (Will you drink it here, or take it with you?). You can answer with one word.

Both 테이크아웃 and 포장 are common. 테이크아웃 is a loanword from English "takeout". 포장 means "packing", and it is used for both takeaway and wrapped goods.

You now have the five slots. One more section covers the rest of the board, and then the worked example assembles the order.

What Else Appears on a Cafe Board besides Drinks?

Cafe boards also list desserts, pickup systems and payment notes, and all three use short fixed words. Desserts are mostly loanwords again, so the same say-it-aloud method works. Pickup words matter because the drink is often not handed over at the counter.

After you pay, you may be given a numbered slip or a pager. 주문번호 means order number, and 진동벨 is the vibrating pager that buzzes when the drink is ready. A screen near the counter may show the number with a word such as 준비 완료, meaning "ready". Listen for your number or watch the pager; the staff often call a number rather than a name.

Payment notes are short. 카드 means card, 현금 means cash and 영수증 means receipt. A cashier may ask 영수증 드릴까요?, meaning "Shall I give you a receipt?", and you can answer with 네 (yes) or 괜찮아요 (no, thank you). With these words, a board holds no more unknowns than a single line of an order. Now the worked example puts the five slots together.

Worked Example: 아이스 아메리카노

The worked example builds one complete order, starting from the line 아이스 아메리카노 on the board.

1. Slot 1: drink. 아메리카노 sounds like "Americano". It is the drink.
2. Slot 2: temperature. 아이스 means iced. The drink is an iced Americano.
3. Slot 3: size. The board shows 레귤러 and 라지. Choose 라지 for large, or skip it and take the regular size.
4. Slot 4: add-on. Add 샷 추가 if you want a stronger drink.
5. Slot 5: here or to go. 테이크아웃이요 means takeaway.
6. Say it. Put the slots together with the counting phrase 한 잔 (one cup).

한 is the native Korean number one in front of the counter 잔 (cup), a pattern covered in the native Korean numbers section. 주세요 means "please give me". For a longer exchange, hear the ordering at a cafe dialogue. You will know the method worked when you can say all five slots without checking the board. Some typical errors follow.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Korean Cafe Menus?

The most common mistakes are missing the temperature word, expecting one spelling and stopping at the board.

• Learners often assume every drink comes hot unless stated. Actually some shops default to iced, especially in hot weather, and ades are usually served cold. Say the temperature word every time.
• Learners often assume 라떼 and 라테 are different drinks. Actually both spell "latte". Brands choose between the official 라테 and the tense 라떼, which matches how it sounds.
• Learners often assume 샷 추가 is a size change. Actually it adds espresso without enlarging the cup. Size upgrades are 사이즈 업.
• Learners often assume a small board means a small choice. Actually most boards have a second sheet with seasonal drinks and options. Scan the whole board before ordering.
• Learners often assume English is always provided. Actually many chains print both languages, while small cafes may print Hangul only. The loanword patterns in this lesson are the backup.

If a word is unfamiliar, say it aloud before giving up. Practice with the sample board comes next.

Practice and Answer Key

Use the sample board above. Read the questions and answer before you open the key.

1. What drink is 바닐라라떼, and what is the iced price?
2. What does 핫 mean?
3. Which drink exists only cold?
4. What does 샷 추가 do?
5. Build a one-line order for one iced 카페라떼, large, to go.
6. Two people order iced 아메리카노. What is the total?
7. What is 유자차?
8. Name the two words for "to go".

Answer key:

1. Vanilla latte, 5,500 won iced.
2. Hot.
3. 자몽에이드 (grapefruit ade).
4. Adds an extra shot of espresso.
5. 아이스 카페라떼 라지 한 잔 주세요. 테이크아웃이요.
6. 4,500 + 4,500 = 9,000 won.
7. A citron tea, a sweet fruit tea served hot or iced.
8. 테이크아웃 and 포장.

Then say your own order aloud and check each slot. Compare with the model clip of the full phrase.

The board in this lesson is a made-up sample, so prices are examples only. Specific shops will differ.

Where to Go Next

The lesson above covers how to read a Korean cafe menu: drink names, temperature, size, add-ons and the here-or-to-go choice. It does not cover loyalty-app orders, kiosks or complaints, and it does not teach polite conversation beyond the order phrase. The restaurant patterns are in Korean restaurant phrases.

Practise the sound side with Korean loanwords reading practice. To return to the other sign and menu lessons, see Real-World Texts (Signs, Menus).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I order coffee in Korean? Use five slots: drink, temperature, size, add-on and here or to go. A full order is 아이스 아메리카노 한 잔 주세요, meaning one iced Americano please. Add 샷 추가해 주세요 for an extra shot and 테이크아웃이요 for takeaway. Skip any slot you do not need.

What does 샷 추가 mean? 샷 추가 means add a shot, an extra portion of espresso in your drink. 샷 is the loanword for shot and 추가 means addition. It strengthens the drink without making the cup bigger, and it usually costs a small extra amount, such as 500 won, shown on the board. For a bigger cup, ask for 사이즈 업.

What is 아이스 in Korean? 아이스 is the loanword for ice and means iced when it stands before a drink name. 아이스 아메리카노 is an iced Americano. Its opposite is 핫 or 따뜻한, meaning hot. Boards may show only the English letters ICE and HOT in a column, and the meaning is the same.

Are Korean cafe menus in English? Often, but not always. Chain cafes frequently print Hangul and English together or offer an English kiosk screen. Small independent cafes may print Hangul only. Because most drink names are loanwords, you can usually read them by saying the Hangul aloud, and the five-slot method works even without English.

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