Korean BBQ Vocabulary: 35 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean BBQ Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 35 words in seven groups of five. It follows a meal in order: the pork cuts, the beef cuts, the leaves and wraps, the sauces, the ordering words, the grilling verbs and finally the drinks and dishes that end the meal. The page sits inside Korean Dishes, and the single phrase is explained on the page for Korean BBQ in Korean.

At a BBQ restaurant, a grill is built into the table. You order raw meat, and you or the staff cook it in front of you. Most of the vocabulary comes from that routine: you name the cut, ask for a portion, cook it, cut it, wrap it and finish with a bowl of noodles or a stew.

Which Korean BBQ Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 삼겹살 (pork belly), 갈비 (ribs), 인분 (portion), 쌈 (wrap) and 쌈장 (wrap sauce) first. With those five you can order meat, say how much you want and understand what the staff bring to the table.

• Words to say. 삼겹살, 갈비, 인분, 주세요. These are what you say to order.
• Words to recognise. 목살, 항정살, 등심, 양념. They appear on the menu board.
• Words to understand when spoken. 뒤집다, 자르다, 구워요. The staff say these while they cook for you.

A menu price is for one portion, typically 150 to 200 grams, though the weight differs by restaurant.

Word · 8

1. 1

   삼겹살

   Play

   samgyeopsal

   pork belly

2. 2

   소고기

   Play

   sogogi

   beef

3. 3

   상추

   Play

   sangchu

   lettuce

4. 4

   쌈장

   Play

   ssamjang

   wrap sauce

5. 5

   불판

   Play

   bulpan

   grill plate

6. 6

   숯불

   Play

   sutbul

   charcoal fire

7. 7

   집게

   Play

   jipge

   tongs

8. 8

   맥주

   Play

   maekju

   beer

Pork Cuts

Pork is the meat most often grilled in Korea, and each cut has its own name. The general word is 돼지고기 (pork), made of 돼지 (pig) and 고기 (meat). The most famous cut is 삼겹살, pork belly, whose name means three layers: 삼 (three), 겹 (layer) and 살 (flesh). The other cuts are named for the body part, so learn the parts and you can read the whole menu.

The ending 살 means flesh or meat and appears in most cut names. 목살 is the neck, 항정살 is a cut from the neck and jaw area, and 갈매기살 is a thin cut near the diaphragm. The names differ a little by region and butcher, so treat the English glosses as a guide and not an exact map.

Example Sentences

Three frames cover most of the examples. The first is noun + 주세요 (please give me noun), as in 등심 주세요. The second is noun + 을/를 + verb, as in 고기를 구워요 (I grill meat). The third is number + 인분 + 주세요, as in 삼 인분 주세요 (three portions, please). Play the audio, then say each sentence aloud before you move on to the beef cuts.

How Do You Say Beef Cuts in Korean?

Beef is called 소고기 (sogogi); the older form 쇠고기 (soegogi) is also standard and appears on some menus. Beef costs more than pork for the same portion. The dish most visitors know is 불고기 (bulgogi), thin marinated beef. 갈비 are ribs, and they are sold plain or marinated. 등심 is the sirloin and 안심 is the tenderloin, and both are served in thick slices for grilling.

Marinated meat has the word 양념 (seasoning) in its name: 양념갈비 is marinated ribs. Meat without a marinade is 생 (raw), as in 생갈비. For more on the word itself, see the page on bulgogi in Korean. 불고기 is often cooked in a shallow pan with its juices rather than directly on the grill.

Which Cuts Are Pork and Which Are Beef?

Many learners cannot tell which cuts belong to which animal, and the names do not say. The table below sorts the cuts used on this page.

The animal comes first when you need to be exact. 돼지갈비 is pork ribs and 소갈비 is beef ribs. A menu may list just 갈비, so check whether the heading says 돼지 or 소.

How Do You Say Side Items and Wraps in Korean?

Korean BBQ meat is usually eaten wrapped, not on its own. You put a piece in a leaf and fold it into a bite, called 쌈 (ssam), a noun formed from the verb 싸다, to wrap. The leaves are 상추 (lettuce) and 깻잎 (perilla leaf). Whole garlic cloves and chilli peppers are grilled or eaten raw alongside. The staff bring these with the meat, and refills are common.

A wrap is built in a set order: leaf first, then a piece of meat, then a dab of sauce, a slice of garlic and sometimes a pickle, then the whole thing goes into the mouth in one bite. The polite request for more leaves is 상추 더 주세요 (more lettuce, please).

Sauces and Seasonings

Sauce is a large part of the Korean BBQ taste. 쌈장 is a thick paste of soybean and chilli paste, used inside a wrap. 기름장 is sesame oil with salt, and it is the classic dip for beef. 소금 (salt) is used for plain pork. 양념 is the general word for seasoning or marinade, and 파채 is a salad of shredded green onion in a tangy dressing that goes on top of the meat.

Different meats pair with different sauces. Pork belly usually goes with 쌈장, and beef goes with 기름장. The verb for dipping is 찍다, used in both sauce examples above: 쌈장을 찍어요 and 기름장에 찍어요. Ask for more sauce with 쌈장 더 주세요.

How Do You Say Ordering Words for Korean BBQ?

Ordering is more structured than at other restaurants. You pick a cut, state the number of portions with 인분 and name the extras. 인분 is the counter for portions of food, and it is used with Sino-Korean numbers: 일 인분, 이 인분, 삼 인분. 추가 means an addition, and it is the word on a menu for extra items. The grill itself is the 불판, and the fire can be 숯불, a charcoal fire.

Many restaurants set a minimum of two portions per cut, so check the menu if you are eating alone. For other words you need at a table, such as asking for water or the bill, see the restaurant phrases. The portion counter is explained on the food counters page.

How Does Ordering by 인분 Work?

A 인분 is a portion, and the price on the menu is for one portion. Say the number first, then 인분: 이 인분 (two portions). Use Sino-Korean numbers with 인분: 일, 이, 삼, 사. On menus and receipts you will usually see Arabic numerals with no space, as in 2인분.

If you are alone, ask whether one portion is possible: 일 인분 돼요? (is one portion okay?). Some places say no, and others add a small charge. This is a custom that differs by restaurant and not a national rule.

How Do You Say Grilling Verbs in Korean?

At many Korean BBQ restaurants the staff cook the first round for you. What you hear are short verbs. 굽다 means to grill, 뒤집다 means to flip and 자르다 means to cut. The tools are 가위 (scissors) and 집게 (tongs). Meat is cut at the table with scissors instead of a knife, so thick slices become bite-size pieces on the grill.

The verb 굽다 is irregular: before a vowel its ㅂ becomes 우, so the polite present is 구워요 and not 굽어요. 자르다 is irregular too (르-irregular): it doubles the ㄹ, giving 잘라요. 뒤집다 is regular (뒤집어요). If a server says 아직이에요 (not yet), the meat is not ready. Listen for 다 익었어요, which tells you it is cooked.

Drinks and Finishing Dishes

The last group covers what surrounds the meat. 소주 (soju) and 맥주 (beer) are the usual drinks, ordered by the bottle (병) or glass (잔). After the meat, many people order a finishing dish: 냉면 for a cold end, 된장찌개 for a warm one, or 볶음밥 cooked on the grill plate. A finishing dish is a meal in itself, so people order it after the meat is finished.

Korea's youth protection rules bar alcohol sales to anyone under 19, counted by year of birth. The finishing dish is a good place to practise: ask 식사는 뭐가 있어요? (what meals do you have?) and choose one. The noodles are covered on the noodles page, and fried rice on the rice dishes page.

In What Order Is a Korean BBQ Meal Eaten?

A typical meal has four steps. First come the side dishes and leaves. Second, the meat is grilled and eaten in wraps. Third, garlic and kimchi are often grilled in the meat fat on the plate. Fourth, you order a finishing dish: cold noodles, a stew or fried rice.

The order is a habit, not a rule. You can skip a step. For more on the kimchi that is grilled on the plate, see the kimchi types page.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most of the tricky sounds in BBQ words are tense consonants: a plain ㅅ, ㅈ or ㅂ is said tense after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, as in 삼겹살 [삼겹쌀]. 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 [쌀] in 삼겹살 and 목살 is the sound learners most often miss. Say it with a tight throat and no puff of air. On its own, 살 starts with a plain ㅅ; it becomes tense only after the stop sound at the end of 겹 or 목.

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 Korean BBQ Words?

These five mistakes come up most often at the grill.

1. Asking for Korean BBQ by that name. 고기구이 means grilled meat, but people usually name the cut. Say 삼겹살 or 갈비 in the restaurant.
2. Saying 삼겹살 with a plain [살]. After the final ㅂ of 겹 it is tense: [삼겹쌀].
3. Ordering one portion and expecting it to be allowed. Many places set a two-portion minimum. Check the menu.
4. Confusing 갈비 and 불고기. 갈비 are ribs. 불고기 is thin marinated beef, cooked in a pan.
5. Saying 굽어요 for grill. The verb is irregular. The polite present is 구워요.

With the cut names, the portion counter and the grilling verbs, you can get through a whole BBQ meal in Korean. The last step is to drill the words.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise each of the 35 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 35 words by hand and mark each cut as pork or beef.

Where to Go Next

Once the Korean BBQ vocabulary on this page feels familiar, continue with Korean Rice Dishes Vocabulary, which covers the fried rice that closes the meal, or go back to Korean Kimchi Types Vocabulary. For the single phrase, see Korean BBQ in Korean. To move up a level, return to Korean Dishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Korean BBQ in Korean?

Korean BBQ is 고기구이 (gogigui), grilled meat, but Koreans usually name the cut instead. Say 삼겹살 (pork belly) or 갈비 (ribs). To order, give the number of portions and add 주세요, as in 삼겹살 이 인분 주세요 (two portions of pork belly, please).

What Does Samgyeopsal Mean?

삼겹살 (samgyeopsal) is pork belly. The name means three layers: 삼 (three), 겹 (layer) and 살 (flesh), after the stripes of fat and meat. It is said [삼겹쌀], with a tense last syllable, and it is the cut most people order first at a Korean BBQ restaurant.

How Do You Order Meat at a Korean BBQ Restaurant?

Say the cut, the number of portions with 인분 and 주세요. For example, 목살 이 인분 주세요 means two portions of pork neck, please. Use Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼) before 인분. Many restaurants set a minimum of two portions per cut, so check the menu if you are alone.

Where Can I Practise Korean BBQ Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 35 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 Korean BBQ 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 35 words.