Korean Seafood Vocabulary: 30 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Seafood Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 30 words in five groups. It belongs to Ingredients. The groups follow the market: fish, shellfish, squid and octopus, seaweed and the raw-fish counter. Seafood is a large part of the Korean diet, and the language has many specific names, so a general word is often not enough at a market.

Because several seafood names have no shared root, this is mostly a memory list. Learn them in their groups, and pair each name with its dish: 고등어 with grilled fish, 미역 with birthday soup and 오징어 with a dried snack.

Which Seafood Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 생선, 새우, 오징어, 김 and 회 first. They cover fish, shellfish, squid, seaweed and raw fish, one from each group. The sentence 생선을 구워요 (I grill fish) uses the first with a common cooking verb.

• Words to say. 생선, 새우, 오징어, 김, 회. Use them when you shop, cook or order.
• Words to recognise. 고등어, 갈치, 미역, 낙지, 수산시장. They appear on menus and market signs.
• Words that explain a menu. 명태, 동태, 북어 and 황태 are all pollock, at different stages.

Seafood is also a common allergy group. Learn 새우 and 조개 early, and use the restaurant phrases page for the full request. The scene below shows a fish market with numbered objects that match the list.

Word · 24

1. 1

   생선

   Play

   saengseon

   fish (as food)

2. 2

   고등어

   Play

   godeungeo

   mackerel

3. 3

   갈치

   Play

   galchi

   cutlassfish; hairtail

4. 4

   조기

   Play

   jogi

   yellow croaker

5. 5

   연어

   Play

   yeoneo

   salmon

6. 6

   참치

   Play

   chamchi

   tuna

7. 7

   명태

   Play

   myeongtae

   pollock

8. 8

   동태

   Play

   dongtae

   frozen pollock

9. 9

   북어

   Play

   bugeo

   dried pollock

10. 10

    황태

    Play

    hwangtae

    yellow pollock; winter-dried pollock

11. 11

    새우

    Play

    saeu

    shrimp; prawn

12. 12

    게

    Play

    ge

    crab

13. 13

    꽃게

    Play

    kkotge

    blue crab; swimming crab

14. 14

    조개

    Play

    jogae

    clam; shellfish

15. 15

    굴

    Play

    gul

    oyster

16. 16

    전복

    Play

    jeonbok

    abalone

17. 17

    오징어

    Play

    ojingeo

    squid

18. 18

    낙지

    Play

    nakji

    small octopus

19. 19

    문어

    Play

    muneo

    octopus (large)

20. 20

    주꾸미

    Play

    jukkumi

    webfoot octopus

21. 21

    김

    Play

    gim

    seaweed; laver

22. 22

    미역

    Play

    miyeok

    sea mustard; brown seaweed

23. 23

    다시마

    Play

    dasima

    kelp

24. 24

    파래

    Play

    parae

    green laver

Fish

Fish words come in two layers. 생선 is fish as food, and 물고기 is fish as a living animal. Then each species has its own name. The most unusual case is pollock, one fish that has four different Korean names depending on how it has been processed. This group teaches the general word, five common species and the four pollock names.

One fish, four names: 명태 is the fish itself, 동태 is the frozen one, 북어 is the dried one and 황태 is the one dried through freezing and thawing outdoors. The names mark processing stages, so a shopper who asks for 명태 and gets 동태 has not been misled. Names for individual sea animals such as whales and sharks are on the sea animals page.

Example Sentences

Three frames carry most of the examples. The first is seafood + 을/를 + cooking verb, as in 생선을 구워요 (I grill fish). The second is seafood + 은/는 + description, as in 굴은 겨울이 제철이에요 (oysters are in season in winter). The third is dish + 을/를 + 먹어요, as in 전복죽을 먹어요 (I eat abalone porridge). Say each aloud after the audio and swap in another seafood. Use 을 after a consonant (생선을) and 를 after a vowel (새우를).

How Do You Say Shellfish in Korean?

Shellfish words are short and common. 새우 (shrimp) and 게 (crab) are single-meaning words, while 조개 covers clams and many other shelled animals. Shellfish is also a common allergy group, so these words matter on menus. Seafood stews use most of them.

게 and 굴 are short, but they are easy to mishear. Say 게 with a clear ㅔ vowel, as in egg, and 굴 with a closed ㅜ, as in goose. The word 굴 also means cave or tunnel, but the shop and menu context makes the meaning plain.

Squid and Octopus

Squid and octopus are a distinct group in Korean cooking. 오징어 is the squid, usually dried or grilled. 낙지 is a small long-armed octopus eaten stir-fried or even raw, 주꾸미 is a smaller type, and 문어 is the large octopus. Telling them apart matters because each is cooked a different way.

In Korean the squid and octopus names do not share a root, so you must learn them one by one. The word 오징어 also appears in the title of the TV drama 오징어 게임 (Squid Game).

How Do You Say Seaweed in Korean?

Seaweed is a daily food in Korea, not a garnish. 김 is the dried laver sheet, 미역 is the soft sea mustard used in soup, and 다시마 is the thick kelp used for stock. Each has a different job in the kitchen, so the three words are worth learning together.

미역국 (seaweed soup) is traditionally eaten on a birthday and by new mothers, which makes 미역 one of the most culturally loaded food words. The word 김 is also the name of the most common Korean family name, so context separates laver from a person called Kim.

Raw Fish and Fish Market

A fish market visit has its own words. 회 is raw fish, sliced and eaten with sauce. 활어 is live fish, which is sold in tanks and chosen by the customer. A 횟집 is a restaurant for raw fish, and a 수산시장 is the fish market itself. 어묵 is the processed fish cake that you find at street stalls.

Note that 회 is one syllable, said close to 'hweh', because most speakers pronounce ㅚ as the diphthong [we]. The same 회 appears in 육회 (raw beef) on the Korean Meat Vocabulary page, where it means raw dish.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Seafood words contain linking, nasal and tense sounds. 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.

Five of the hardest words here share a pattern: a final consonant in the first syllable meets a vowel or consonant in the next. Say them as a chain, not syllable by syllable. 연어 is yeo-neo, not yeon-eo.

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 Seafood Words?

Five mistakes appear often.

1. Using 물고기 on a menu. 물고기 is a live fish. As food, say 생선.
2. Reading 연어 as yeon-eo. It sounds like yeo-neo, because the final ㄴ moves to the next syllable.
3. Treating 명태, 동태, 북어 and 황태 as four fish. They are one fish: the species name and its frozen, dried and winter-dried forms.
4. Mixing 오징어 and 낙지. 오징어 is squid, and 낙지 is a small octopus. The cooking methods differ.
5. Thinking 김 is only a name. 김 is also laver, which is the dried seaweed sheet used in gimbap.

Keeping the stage names apart saves the most confusion. For single words, see fish in Korean.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise all 30 words. Second, switch to listening mode. Third, take the quiz. The deck holds all 30 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, pick five seafood words and write the dish you would cook with each.

Where to Go Next

Once this Korean seafood vocabulary feels familiar, add the seasonings that go with it. After this page, continue with Korean Spices and Sauces Vocabulary. Go back to Korean Meat Vocabulary for the other protein list. To move up a level, return to Ingredients.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Fish in Korean?

Fish as food is 생선 (saengseon), and a fish as an animal is 물고기 (mulgogi). In a market or restaurant you hear 생선. A particular fish has its own name, such as 고등어 (mackerel). The single-word page on fish in Korean has more.

How Do You Say Shrimp and Crab in Korean?

Shrimp is 새우 (saeu) and crab is 게 (ge). A blue crab used in stew is 꽃게. These words also matter for allergy requests, so learn them early and check the restaurant phrases page for full sentences.

Why Does Pollock Have Four Names in Korean?

Korean names the fish by how it has been processed. 명태 is the species, 동태 is frozen, 북어 is dried and 황태 is dried outdoors in winter. The names matter in soups and stews, where each gives a different taste and texture.

What Is the Difference between 김 and 미역?

김 is dried laver, sold in thin sheets for gimbap and side dishes. 미역 is sea mustard, soft and used in soup. 다시마 is kelp, thick and used for stock. All three are seaweed, but each has its own cooking use.

What Is 회?

회 is raw fish, usually sliced and eaten with sauce. A restaurant that serves it is a 횟집. The same 회 can also name other raw dishes, such as 육회 (raw beef). Say it in one beat.

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.

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