Key Facts
- Hangul: 게; Revised Romanization: ge
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral everyday word.
Crab in Korean: What Does 게 Mean?
게 is a crab, the animal and the food. It is a native Korean noun and a very short one: a single syllable. It is neutral and everyday, so you can use it at a seafood market or on a menu.
How Do You Pronounce 게?
게 has one syllable, ge, with the ㅔ vowel. The standard pronunciation rules still keep ㅔ apart from ㅐ, but most Seoul speakers today pronounce them the same, so 게 also sounds like the word for dog. In casual speech 게 also sounds the same as a contraction of 것이, as in the question 이게 뭐예요? The two share a sound but are different words, and the crab is always a stand-alone noun.
Example Sentences with 게
게를 좋아해요.
Gereul joahaeyo.
I like crab.
게를 좋아해요 is "I like crab"; 게를 marks crab as the object of 좋아해요.
게가 커요.
Gega keoyo.
The crab is big.
게가 커요 means "the crab is big", with 게가 as the subject.
저는 게를 먹어요.
Jeoneun gereul meogeoyo.
I eat crab.
저는 게를 먹어요 is "I eat crab", with 저는 as the topic.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 게찜 | steamed crab |
| 꽃게 | blue crab |
| 간장게장 | soy-marinated crab |
| 게살 | crab meat |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ Reading the 게 in 이게 뭐예요? as "crab"
Correct: ✓ 이게 뭐예요? means "What is this?"
Why: The spoken contraction of 것이 sounds exactly like 게. Context decides: the crab is always a standalone noun with its own meaning.
게 Compared with Related Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 게 | crab | The word on this page. |
| 꽃게 | blue crab | A specific, very common edible crab. |
| 새우 | shrimp | Another crustacean; do not confuse the two. |
Ask for 꽃게 if you want the blue crab and 새우 if you want shrimp.
Where Does the Word Come From?
Nothing in the spelling of 게 comes from Chinese characters, because it is a native Korean word.
Ordering Crab at a Seafood Restaurant
A customer wants crab but does not recognize the dishes on the menu. The server explains the preparation before the customer chooses steamed crab.
Customer
게 요리도 있어요?
Ge yorido isseoyo?
Do you have crab dishes too?
Server
네. 게찜하고 간장게장이 있어요.
Ne. Gejjimhago ganjanggejangi isseoyo.
Yes. We have steamed crab and soy-marinated crab.
Customer
간장게장은 어떤 요리예요?
Ganjanggejangeun eotteon yoriyeyo?
What kind of dish is soy-marinated crab?
Server
게를 간장에 재운 요리예요.
Gereul ganjange jaeun yoriyeyo.
It is crab marinated in soy sauce.
Customer
그럼 게찜 주세요.
Geureom gejjim juseyo.
Then I will have the steamed crab, please.
The customer's question names the animal, while the server's reply names dishes. 게찜 contains 찜, a word used for steamed or braised dishes. 간장게장 names a different preparation: crab marinated in soy sauce. Asking about the dish is more useful than assuming that every menu item containing 게 is cooked the same way.
주세요 makes the final line a polite request. The customer can point to a menu and use the dish name with 주세요. There is no special polite form of the noun 게; politeness comes from the request around it. With a server, the full request is more natural than saying the food name alone.
Reading Crab Dishes on a Menu
게살 is crab meat. 살 means flesh or meat here, so the word directs attention to the edible meat rather than the whole animal. A dish with 게살 in its name may contain pieces of meat without a whole crab on the plate. This is useful when a menu photograph shows rice, soup or noodles instead of a shell.
꽃게 is a particular kind of crab. Although 꽃 by itself means “flower”, 꽃게 is an animal name; it does not mean crab served with flowers. 게 is the broad category, and 꽃게 is a more specific label you will encounter at fish counters and in recipes.
간장게장 combines 간장, soy sauce, with 게장, marinated crab. 양념게장 uses a seasoned sauce, commonly a spicy one. These are marinated crab dishes, unlike 게찜. The distinction concerns preparation as well as flavor. Knowing the words helps you understand what the menu is offering before you order.
Counting Crabs and Describing the Animal
For individual live crabs, use the animal counter 마리: 게 한 마리 means “one crab”. The counter follows the number, and the animal name comes before both. This is different from ordering one serving of a crab dish, where the menu may count servings instead of individual animals.
게가 커요 describes a crab's size. The subject marker is 가 because 게 ends in a vowel. 게를 먹어요 uses 를 for the same reason when crab is the object of “eat”. The noun does not change spelling when the particle changes; the sentence tells you whether the crab is being described or eaten.
Where You Will Meet the Word
At a seafood market, 게 may refer to living animals in a tank. In a recipe, it names an ingredient. On a restaurant menu, a longer word often tells you the species or the dish. These settings explain why a very short animal word appears inside many longer food names.
The sound alone can be misleading in ordinary conversation because grammatical 게 is also frequent. Look for food words, animal descriptions and particles attached to the noun. A menu item such as 게찜 gives a clear food clue. The question 이게 뭐예요? needs the situation to identify what “this” refers to.
Seafood Words to Learn Alongside 게
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 새우 | shrimp | Another common seafood ingredient. |
| 조개 | clam / shellfish | Names shelled mollusks rather than crabs. |
| 껍데기 | shell | Useful when discussing the crab's hard outer covering. |
| 간장 | soy sauce | Explains the first part of 간장게장. |
See the ingredients vocabulary lesson for the wider set of food names.
Quick Self-Test
- Which is steamed crab: 게찜 or 간장게장?
- Does 게살 mean a whole crab in its shell?
- Which counter counts an individual live crab?
Show answers
- 게찜. 간장게장 is soy-marinated crab.
- No. It means crab meat.
- 마리, as in 게 한 마리.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "crab" in Korean?
Crab in Korean is 게 (ge), a one-syllable native noun.
How do I say "crab meat"?
The word is 게살. Steamed crab is 게찜, and soy-marinated crab is 간장게장.
What is 꽃게?
꽃게 is the blue crab, a common edible crab.
Is the 게 in 이게 the same word?
No. That 게 is a spoken contraction of 것이, which is why 이게 뭐예요? does not mean "What is this crab?".
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Ingredients groups 게 with its neighbours.
- Index: find crab beside every other single-word entry in Korean words A to Z.
- See also shrimp.