Key Facts
- Hangul: 고추; Revised Romanization: gochu
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral; 고추 is the pepper itself and 고춧가루 is red pepper powder.
Chili Pepper in Korean: What Does 고추 Mean?
고추 is neutral and covers fresh green and dried red chili peppers alike. Products made from it get their own names: 고춧가루 is the red powder and 고추장 is the paste. In 고춧가루 a ㅅ is added under 추 to mark the compound, and it tenses the next sound: you hear go-chu-kka-ru.
How Do You Pronounce 고추?
Two syllables, go-chu, both short. The ㄱ at the start is a light g, and the ㅊ is aspirated, a ch with a clear puff of air. The final u is rounded but not long.
Example Sentences with 고추
고추는 매워요.
Gochuneun maewoyo
Chili peppers are spicy.
매워요 is the adjective for spicy. 는 marks chili peppers as the general topic.
고추를 조금 넣었어요.
Gochureul jogeum neoeosseoyo
I added a little chili pepper.
넣었어요 is past tense, so the sentence reports something you already added to the pot.
고추 한 개 주세요.
Gochu han gae juseyo
Please give me one chili pepper.
한 개 is the counter pattern for one item, and 주세요 is the polite request.
Phrases Built on 고추
Kitchen verbs and derived products cluster around the word. 풋고추, 고춧가루 and 고추장 all contain 고추, so spotting that stem helps you read menus and labels.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 고추를 썰다 | to slice a chili pepper |
| 풋고추 | green chili pepper |
| 고춧가루 | red pepper powder |
| 고추장 | red pepper paste |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners confuse two words that differ only in the first syllable, because English calls both "pepper".
Wrong: 고추 when you want black pepper on the table.
Correct: 후추 for black pepper; 고추 only for the chili.
고추 Compared with Similar Words
후추 is black pepper. 고춧가루 and 고추장 are the processed powder and paste.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 고춧가루 | red pepper powder | Dried chili ground into flakes or powder. |
| 고추장 | gochujang (red pepper paste) | A fermented paste made with chili powder. |
| 후추 | black pepper | A different spice altogether, not a chili. |
Where Does 고추 Come From?
고추 is native Korean with no hanja.
Choosing Peppers at a Market
A shopper wants peppers to eat raw and asks the seller about their heat.
Shopper
이 고추 매워요?
I gochu maewoyo?
Are these chili peppers spicy?
Seller
네, 매워요.
Ne, maewoyo.
Yes, they are.
Shopper
안 매운 고추도 있어요?
An maeun gochudo isseoyo?
Do you also have chili peppers that are not spicy?
Seller
네. 이건 안 매워요.
Ne. Igeon an maewoyo.
Yes. These are not spicy.
이 고추 can mean this pepper or these peppers. Korean does not need a plural ending every time English uses a plural. At a stall, pointing to a tray makes the meaning clear. The seller is describing that batch, not claiming that every green pepper is mild.
안 매운 goes before the noun and means not spicy. Compare it with 안 매워요, the complete statement “it isn't spicy.” The shopper's 도 means also: the question asks whether the stall has another choice besides the hot peppers already discussed.
Which Pepper Labels Help You Choose?
풋고추 names an unripe green chili pepper. 풋 describes its unripe state, not a guaranteed heat level. If you are choosing peppers for someone who avoids heat, the dialogue's question gives you more useful information than color alone.
청양고추 is a name you will meet in recipes and on produce labels for a hot chili pepper. A recipe may specify it when the chili is meant to add noticeable heat. Treat that full name as an ingredient choice rather than ignoring everything before 고추.
홍고추 means red chili pepper. Recipes may list both green and red peppers for different color accents. The names describe the peppers themselves; neither means the dried seasoning 고춧가루. For a shopping list, the ending of the word matters as much as the shared 고추 part.
고추를 썰다 means to slice a chili pepper. It describes preparation. 고추를 넣다 means to add chili pepper, so it describes what goes into the dish. The first phrase can appear in a preparation step and the second in the cooking step that follows.
Where Will You Hear 고추?
At a market, 고추 can be the whole vegetable. In a cooking video, the speaker may be holding sliced peppers while using the same word. The noun does not tell you whether the pepper is whole, sliced or chopped; the action and picture supply that detail.
On a restaurant menu, 고추 can appear inside a dish name rather than as an optional topping. Asking about fresh chili peppers alone does not establish whether the dish also contains chili powder or paste. If heat is your concern, ask about the dish's spiciness as well as its visible peppers.
고추 is an ordinary food word in this setting. Use the polite question 매워요? with a seller or server. There is no need to replace the ingredient name with a more formal noun when speaking to an older person.
Words for the Next Recipe Step
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 청양고추 | hot chili pepper | A named pepper to recognize in recipes that call for heat. |
| 홍고추 | red chili pepper | Refers to the vegetable, rather than powder or paste. |
| 피망 | bell pepper | A different produce label from hot chili pepper. |
| 씨 | seed | Useful when a preparation step discusses removing seeds. |
The vegetable vocabulary lesson helps you read a produce list alongside 고추. For the pantry product made from peppers, compare 고추장, chili paste.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 풋고추 guarantee a mild pepper?
- Which word names black pepper: 고추 or 후추?
- What does 안 매운 고추 ask for?
Show answers
- No. It identifies an unripe green chili pepper; ask about its heat.
- 후추.
- Chili peppers that are not spicy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say chili pepper in Korean?
Say 고추 (gochu).
What is 풋고추?
It means green chili pepper.
How is black pepper different?
Black pepper is 후추, a different word.
What is 고춧가루?
It is red pepper powder.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Vegetables words places 고추 among its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with 고추장 on its own page.