Korean Ingredients Vocabulary: 45 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Ingredients Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 45 words in five groups, which follow the aisles of a Korean supermarket. It belongs to Food and Drink. Each group introduces nine headline words and links to the deeper page for that topic, so you can take the overview first and the detail later. The words are all common nouns, and a few are loanwords such as 햄, 치즈 and 버터.

The group names also work as a study plan. Learn one group a day and review the earlier groups, and the whole list takes about a week.

Which Ingredient Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 고기, 계란, 쌀, 소금 and 간장 first. Together they cover the basics of a Korean shopping list. A short sentence such as 계란 두 개 주세요 (two eggs, please) uses one of them with a counter.

• Words to say. 소고기, 돼지고기, 계란, 쌀, 소금. Use these when you shop.
• Words to recognise. 된장, 고추장, 참기름, 밀가루. They appear on labels.
• Words that need care. 쌀 (raw rice) and 밥 (cooked rice) are different foods.

The supermarket page uses these words in shopping dialogues. The scene below shows a supermarket shelf with numbered items that match the list.

Word · 23

1. 1

   소고기

   Play

   sogogi

   beef

2. 2

   닭고기

   Play

   dakgogi

   chicken (meat)

3. 3

   달걀

   Play

   dalgyal

   egg

4. 4

   노른자

   Play

   noreunja

   egg yolk

5. 5

   소시지

   Play

   sosiji

   sausage

6. 6

   고등어

   Play

   godeungeo

   mackerel

7. 7

   새우

   Play

   saeu

   shrimp

8. 8

   조개

   Play

   jogae

   clam; shellfish

9. 9

   김

   Play

   gim

   laver; seaweed

10. 10

    간장

    Play

    ganjang

    soy sauce

11. 11

    고추장

    Play

    gochujang

    red pepper paste

12. 12

    고춧가루

    Play

    gochutgaru

    red pepper flakes

13. 13

    식초

    Play

    sikcho

    vinegar

14. 14

    양념

    Play

    yangnyeom

    seasoning; marinade

15. 15

    소금

    Play

    sogeum

    salt

16. 16

    두부

    Play

    dubu

    tofu

17. 17

    국수

    Play

    guksu

    noodles

18. 18

    치즈

    Play

    chijeu

    cheese

19. 19

    채소

    Play

    chaeso

    vegetables

20. 20

    양파

    Play

    yangpa

    onion

21. 21

    감자

    Play

    gamja

    potato

22. 22

    상추

    Play

    sangchu

    lettuce

23. 23

    식빵

    Play

    sikppang

    sliced bread; loaf bread

Meat and Eggs

Meat and eggs make up the first aisle in a Korean supermarket. The three everyday meats are beef, pork and chicken, and each is named with 고기 (meat) after the animal. Eggs have two names: 계란 and 달걀. They mean the same thing, and both are common. For the full meat vocabulary, open Korean Meat Vocabulary.

달걀 and 계란 are a native-versus-Sino-Korean pair. 달걀 is the native word, and 계란 is the Sino-Korean one. Shops and menus use both: 계란말이 (rolled omelette) usually uses 계란, while textbooks and some style guides prefer the native 달걀. Both are standard dictionary words, and either is understood.

Example Sentences

Three frames carry most of the examples. The first is ingredient + 을/를 + cooking verb, as in 돼지고기를 구워요 (I grill pork). The second is ingredient + 이/가 + describing word, as in 식초가 시큼해요 (the vinegar is sour). The third is ingredient + number + counter + 주세요, as in 계란 두 개 주세요. Say each aloud after the audio and swap in another ingredient. Use 를 after a vowel (치즈를) and 을 after a consonant (소금을).

How Do You Say Seafood in Korean?

Seafood in Korea includes fish, shellfish and seaweed, and the market sells all three side by side. The general word for fish as food is 생선. Seaweed is part of daily meals, not a garnish. The detail is on the Korean Seafood Vocabulary page.

The seafood pair 생선 and 물고기 is worth remembering. A shopper asks for 생선, while a child looking at an aquarium points to 물고기.

Sauces and Seasonings

Sauces and seasonings are the pantry foundation. The three core items are 간장, 된장 and 고추장, which come from fermented soybeans. Add 참기름 and 고춧가루, and most Korean recipes can be made. The Korean Spices and Sauces Vocabulary page has the longer list.

Three words lead the pantry: 간장, 된장 and 고추장. Their shared ending 장 means a fermented sauce or paste. See soy sauce in Korean for a single-word entry.

How Do You Say Basic Staples (rice, salt, sugar, tofu) in Korean?

Basic staples are the items you buy every week: rice, salt, sugar, tofu, flour, noodles and dairy. A trap here is rice. 쌀 is uncooked rice as a grain, while 밥 is cooked rice and also a meal. Shops sell 쌀 in sacks, and tables serve 밥 in bowls.

For a longer look at the grain itself, see rice in Korean. The tofu words continue on the stews page, where 순두부 is a stew name.

Vegetables and Bread

Vegetables and bread finish the shopping list. Vegetables are named by type, and the general word is 채소. Bread is 빵 in general, and sliced loaf bread is 식빵. A full list of vegetables is on the Korean Vegetables Vocabulary page.

식빵 is built from 식 (food) and 빵 (bread). It is the plain loaf used for sandwiches and toast. Specialty breads add their own names.

Allergy Words on Menus

Food labels and menus list the main allergens. The key phrase is 알레르기가 있어요, which means I have an allergy. Put the allergen before it: 땅콩 알레르기가 있어요 (I have a peanut allergy). Four allergen words come up most often.

These words help you read a label, but they do not replace a conversation with the staff. Use the restaurant phrases page for full requests.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Ingredient words contain tense sounds and linking. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which writes the sound you hear in some cases and the spelling in others.

When you say a tense consonant, keep your throat tight and let very little air out. That tightness is the difference between 빵 and 방.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The five clips below replay the hardest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Ingredient Words?

Five mistakes appear often.

1. Using 밥 for raw rice. 밥 is cooked rice or a meal. Raw rice is 쌀.
2. Using 물고기 for fish on the menu. 물고기 is the living animal. As food, say 생선.
3. Thinking 계란 and 달걀 are different things. They both mean egg. One is Sino-Korean, the other native.
4. Mixing 고추장 and 고춧가루. The paste is wet and the flakes are dry.
5. Using 야채 and 채소 as if only one is right. Both are used. 채소 is the form recommended for writing, and 야채 is common in speech.

Fixing these keeps your shopping list accurate. For one word at a time, see egg in Korean.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise all 45 words. Second, switch to listening mode. Third, take the quiz. The deck holds all 45 words with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, write a five-item shopping list in Korean from this page.

Pages in This Section

Three deeper lists expand the topics on this page. Each has its own audio, deck and quiz.

• Korean Meat Vocabulary: 30 words for beef, pork, chicken, cuts and cooking styles, built on the animal + 고기 pattern.
• Korean Seafood Vocabulary: 30 words for fish, shellfish, squid, seaweed and the fish market, including the four pollock names.
• Korean Spices and Sauces Vocabulary: 30 words for pastes, spices, oils, sweeteners and dips, from 고추장 to 초간장.

Where to Go Next

Once the core Korean ingredients vocabulary feels familiar, move from raw foods to drinks and finished dishes. After this page, continue with Drinks. To see the full food topic, return to Food and Drink. The Korean Dishes page shows how these ingredients become meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Ingredients in Korean?

Ingredients is 재료 (jaeryo) and food ingredients is 식재료 (sikjaeryo). A recipe lists its 재료 first, then the steps. This page lists the names of common ingredients and groups them like supermarket aisles. Ask 재료가 뭐예요? to find out what is in a dish.

What Is the Difference between 계란 and 달걀?

They both mean egg. 달걀 is the native Korean word and 계란 is the Sino-Korean word. Both are used in shops and recipes, and both are understood. The single-word page on egg in Korean covers the pair.

What Is the Difference between 쌀 and 밥?

쌀 is uncooked rice, the grain you buy in a bag. 밥 is cooked rice, and it also means a meal. A sentence like 밥 먹었어요? asks if you have eaten, and 쌀 would not fit it.

Which Sauces Should I Learn First?

Start with 간장 (soy sauce), 된장 (soybean paste) and 고추장 (red pepper paste). They are the core of the Korean pantry. The ending 장 marks a fermented sauce or paste, and the deeper page lists more. With 참기름 and 고춧가루 added, you can cook most everyday Korean dishes.

How Do I Say I Have a Food Allergy in Korean?

Say the allergen, then 알레르기가 있어요. For peanuts, 땅콩 알레르기가 있어요 means I have a peanut allergy. The page lists four common allergen words. For a full request, use the restaurant phrases page. A written card with the Korean word is safer than speech in a busy kitchen.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.