Korean Soups and Stews Vocabulary: Word List with Audio and Examples

Korean Soups and Stews Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 25 words in five groups of five. The first four groups are stews sorted by their base: kimchi, fermented soybean paste, seafood and tofu. The last group covers 부대찌개 and the tools that go with it. The page is part of Korean Dishes and works with the page on soups, which lists the lighter dishes.

Learners often mix up 찌개, 국 and 탕, so the page includes a short comparison after the soybean group. If you learn only one rule, learn this: when the dish name ends in 찌개, the pot comes to the table bubbling and everyone eats from it with their own spoon.

Which Stew Names Should You Learn First?

Learn 찌개 (stew), 김치찌개 (kimchi stew), 된장찌개 (soybean paste stew), 순두부찌개 (soft tofu stew) and 부대찌개 (army stew) first. These four stews are on most Korean stew menus. With 찌개 as the base word, you can read the rest of the list, because every other stew name is built the same way.

• Words to say. 김치찌개, 된장찌개, 순두부찌개. These are the orders you will use most.
• Words to recognise. 청국장, 동태찌개, 비지찌개, 해물찌개. They appear on set menus and in specialist restaurants.
• Words for the table. 뚝배기, 사리, 인분. They help you order extras and read a bill.

A stew usually arrives with rice and small side dishes. The rice is eaten with a spoonful of stew at a time, and the pot stays in the middle of the table.

Word · 8

1. 1

   김치찌개

   Play

   gimchijjigae

   kimchi stew

2. 2

   된장찌개

   Play

   doenjangjjigae

   soybean paste stew

3. 3

   청국장

   Play

   cheongukjang

   fast-fermented soybean stew

4. 4

   동태찌개

   Play

   dongtaejjigae

   frozen pollock stew

5. 5

   순두부찌개

   Play

   sundubujjigae

   soft tofu stew

6. 6

   부대찌개

   Play

   budaejjigae

   army stew

7. 7

   사리

   Play

   sari

   extra noodles; add-on

8. 8

   뚝배기

   Play

   ttukbaegi

   earthenware pot

Kimchi Stew Family

Kimchi stew is the stew most visitors meet first. It is made from sour, well-fermented kimchi simmered with pork or tuna, tofu and onion. Because the base is kimchi, the stew tastes sour, salty and spicy at once. The word 찌개 itself means a stew, so every dish in this group is the base word with an ingredient in front of it.

Example Sentences

Three frames cover most of the examples. The first is noun + 주세요 (please give me noun), the polite way to order, as in 김치찌개 주세요. The second is noun + 이/가 + adjective, as in 고추장찌개가 매워요 (the chilli paste stew is spicy). The third is noun + 을/를 + verb, as in 두부를 넣어요 (I add tofu). The verb 끓이다 (to boil) becomes 끓여요 in the polite present. Play each clip, then say the sentence aloud.

The pattern is ingredient + 찌개, and it holds across the whole list. 김치 + 찌개 gives 김치찌개, and 참치 (tuna) + 김치찌개 gives 참치김치찌개. Note that 김치찜 ends in 찜, which means steamed or braised, because it has little liquid and is a drier dish.

How Do You Say Soybean Stews in Korean?

Fermented soybean paste, called 된장 (doenjang), is a base of Korean home cooking. Doenjang is made from fermented soybeans and salt, and it gives stews a savoury, earthy taste. The adjective 구수하다 describes that taste: nutty, earthy and comforting. The strongest relative is 청국장, a stew from soybeans fermented for only a few days.

The two words 된장 (the paste) and 된장찌개 (the stew) are close. You say 된장 for the ingredient you buy and 된장찌개 for the dish you order. 고추장 (red chilli paste) is the other paste. 고추장찌개 uses it, so it tastes spicy, not earthy.

What Is the Difference between 찌개, 국 and 탕?

Three words are often translated as soup, and they are not the same dish. Use this table to pick the right one when you order or read a menu.

So 된장찌개 is a stew, but 된장국 is a thinner soup made from the same paste. Also, 탕 is used for some dishes that look like stews, such as 매운탕, so the label is a guide and not a strict rule. The soups page lists the 국 and 탕 dishes in detail.

Seafood Stews

Seafood stews have a lighter broth than kimchi or soybean stews. The broth tastes of the sea and is usually seasoned with chilli flakes and radish. The adjective for the taste is 시원하다, which means refreshing and clean here. Korean uses it for broths that feel good after a long day.

One word here, 매운탕, ends in 탕 and not 찌개. It is a spicy fish soup that sits on the border of stew and soup. In practice, people order it in the same restaurants as the seafood stews, so it is listed here. If the dish is served bubbling in the middle of the table and shared, think of it as a stew.

How Do You Say Tofu Stews in Korean?

Tofu stews are gentle and filling. 두부 (dubu) is firm tofu, and 순두부 (sundubu) is soft tofu that has not yet been pressed, so it breaks into soft curds. The soft kind gives the famous 순두부찌개 its silky texture. A raw egg is often cracked into the hot pot at the table, and it cooks in the broth while you eat.

비지찌개 uses 비지, the pulp left over when tofu is made, so it is thick and grainy, with a mild nutty taste. If you want a stew that is not very spicy, tofu stews are a good starting point, and you can change the heat when you order.

How Do You Order a Stew and Ask for Less Heat?

Stews are ordered by portion. The counter is 인분 (inbun), used with Sino-Korean numbers: 일 인분 is one portion and 이 인분 is two. Some restaurants set a minimum of two portions for a pot, so check the menu. Rice is usually served with the stew, and an extra bowl of rice is 공깃밥, often written 공기밥 on menus.

For heat, use these three requests. They all end in the polite 주세요 or 해 주세요.

The word 맵다 (to be spicy) changes to 매워요 in the polite present, which is why you hear 매워요 so often. Say 안 매워요 to report that a dish is not spicy.

Army Stew and Fusion

부대찌개 is a modern stew with ham, sausages, kimchi, noodles and cheese. The first part, 부대, means an army unit or base. A common account says the dish grew from using leftover and imported processed meats in the years after the Korean War, which is why the name carries the word for the military. Treat that story as a local explanation, not a settled fact.

The last two words are for the table, not the pot. 사리 means an extra serving of noodles added to a stew, and 뚝배기 is the heavy earthenware bowl that keeps the stew boiling. Asking for 라면 사리 (extra ramyeon noodles) is the usual way to extend the meal.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Stew names combine several consonant changes. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization on this page follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which does not mark every sound change.

The tense sounds in 뚝배기 and 청국장 are the ones learners most often miss. Say the second tense sound with a tight throat and no puff of air. The word 찌개 itself always starts with a tense [ㅉ], and the romanization jjigae shows that with a double j.

Audio and Slow Playback

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

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Stew Names?

These five mistakes are the ones that most often cause a wrong order.

1. Calling every hot dish soup. A 찌개 is a stew. If you ask for soup, a server may bring a 국 and not the bubbling pot you expected.
2. Writing jjigae with one j. The Revised Romanization is jjigae, with the doubled j for the tense sound. Menus sometimes write jigae, but the double form matches the Hangul.
3. Forgetting that stews are for sharing. A pot can be too large for one person. Check whether the menu says 1인분 or 2인분.
4. Mixing up 된장 and 고추장. 된장 is soybean paste and 고추장 is chilli paste. The stews taste very different.
5. Saying 부대 for the stew. 부대 on its own means army unit. Say 부대찌개 for the dish.

If you learn the ingredient + 찌개 rule and the three heat requests, you can order with confidence in nearly every stew restaurant.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise each of the 25 words. Second, switch to listening mode. Third, take the quiz. Your progress stays in your browser, and 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, copy the 25 words by hand and underline the 찌개 ending in each stew name.

Where to Go Next

Korean soups and stews vocabulary continues on the soup page, because 국 and 탕 sit next to 찌개 on the same table. After this page, continue with Korean Soups (Guk and Tang) Vocabulary, which lists the lighter dishes, or Korean Side Dishes (Banchan) Vocabulary for the small plates that come with a stew. To move up a level, return to Korean Dishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Stew in Korean?

A stew is 찌개 (jjigae). Add the main ingredient in front to name the dish, as in 김치찌개 (kimchi stew) or 두부찌개 (tofu stew). To order, say the name and 주세요, as in 김치찌개 주세요 (kimchi stew, please).

What Is the Difference between Jjigae and Guk?

A 찌개 is a thicker, saltier stew cooked in a small pot and often shared. A 국 is a lighter soup served in a bowl for each person. The same paste can make both: 된장찌개 is the stew and 된장국 is the soup.

How Do You Pronounce 청국장 (cheongukjang)?

Say cheong-guk-jang, but make the last sound tense: [청국짱]. After the final ㄱ in 국, the ㅈ is said tight, with no puff of air. Press the slow audio button on this page to compare. The same tense [ㅉ] after ㄱ appears in 낙지 [낙찌].

Where Can I Practise Stew Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 25 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, in recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser, so you can return daily and review the cards you missed.

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 and does not mark every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Stew Words?

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, copy the tables on this page by hand or use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 25 words.

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