Key Facts
- Korean: 배달, Revised Romanization baedal
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, 配達 (配 distribute + 達 reach)
- Register: neutral everyday word
- Customer verb: 배달시키다, to order delivery
Delivery in Korean: What Does 배달 Mean?
배달 means delivery, especially meals brought to your home or office. It is the word on delivery apps, on restaurant signs and in everyday talk about ordering in.
How Do You Pronounce 배달?
배달 has two syllables, [배달]. The vowel in 배 is like the "e" in "bed", and the final ㄹ is a light l. Before a vowel it links over: 배달이 sounds like [배다리].
Example Sentences with 배달
배달이 빨라요.
Baedari ppallayo.
The delivery is fast.
배달이 is the subject, and 빨라요 means "is fast".
치킨을 배달시켜요.
Chikineul baedalsikyeoyo.
I order chicken for delivery.
배달시켜요 comes from 배달시키다, "to have something delivered". This is the customer's verb.
배달 음식을 자주 먹어요.
Baedal eumsigeul jaju meogeoyo.
I often eat delivery food.
배달 음식 means "delivery food", and 자주 means "often".
Phrases with 배달
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 배달을 시키다 | to order delivery |
| 배달 음식 | delivery food |
| 배달 앱 | delivery app |
| 배달료 | delivery fee |
배달을 시키다 and 배달시키다 mean the same thing; the second is written as one verb. 배달료 is the fee shown in the app before you pay.
A Common Mistake with 배달
- Wrong: asking for 배달 at the counter when you plan to carry the food home yourself.
- Correct: 포장해 주세요.
배달 always means someone brings the food to you. If you collect it, it is 포장, takeout.
배달 Compared with 포장 and 택배
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 배달 | delivery | Brought to you |
| 포장 | takeout/packaging | You pick it up yourself |
| 택배 | parcel delivery | Packages by courier, not meals |
Food from a restaurant is 배달; a box from an online shop is 택배.
Checking Delivery before Ordering
A customer phones a restaurant before placing an order. The customer first checks whether delivery is available, then asks about its cost.
Customer
배달 돼요?
Baedal dwaeyo?
Do you deliver?
Staff member
네, 배달 돼요.
Ne, baedal dwaeyo.
Yes, we do.
Customer
배달료는 얼마예요?
Baedallyoneun eolmayeyo?
How much is the delivery fee?
배달 돼요 asks whether delivery is possible. The staff member’s answer confirms the service, rather than saying that an order has already been placed. The customer still needs to give the food order and delivery address. 배달료는 makes the fee the topic of the follow-up question.
Phrases on a Restaurant or Delivery Screen
배달 가능 means “delivery available”. 가능 expresses possibility, so the phrase advertises a service. It does not guarantee that every address is covered. The restaurant may still need to confirm whether it can deliver to your location before accepting the order.
배달 중 means “out for delivery” or “being delivered”. 중 marks something in progress. 배달 완료 means “delivery completed”. These short labels describe the order’s status; they are useful to recognize even before you can read all the longer instructions around them.
배달료 and 배달비 both refer to the delivery fee. The word following 배달 tells you that the amount concerns bringing the order to you. It is separate from the food price, so read the total rather than assuming the number beside one dish is everything you will pay.
배달 음식 literally means “delivery food”. It describes how the food reaches you, rather than one cuisine or dish. Chicken, noodles and other meals can all be 배달 음식. The existing example about eating it often describes an ordering habit, without identifying a particular restaurant.
What Information Does the Customer Need?
배달 주소 is the delivery address. 주소 names the address itself, so a request for it is about where the food should go. Giving only a nearby station or building nickname may leave the restaurant without enough information to locate the door.
배달 요청 사항 means delivery requests or instructions. This is where a customer might provide directions for finding the entrance or say where to leave an order. A request field communicates a preference; it does not by itself confirm that the restaurant can meet it.
These phrases concern the journey to your address. A question about changing an ingredient belongs to the food order, so read the label on a request field before assuming all requests go in the same place. The distinction helps avoid a delivery instruction being mistaken for a kitchen instruction.
Where Will You Hear 배달?
배달 appears on restaurant windows, ordering screens and phone calls about food arriving. It can also describe local delivery of things other than meals, such as flowers. The central idea is bringing something to its destination, while food is the setting learners often meet first.
The noun is neutral. The dialogue’s 요 endings make the questions polite enough for a routine customer exchange. A sign can simply say 배달 가능 without a full sentence ending because it labels the available service.
Words to Recognize before Paying
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 주문 | order | The request for the food, separate from its delivery status. |
| 주소 | address | The destination you give for delivery. |
| 결제 | payment | The step where you pay for the order. |
| 포장 | takeout / packaging | Choose this service when collecting the food yourself. |
The restaurant vocabulary lesson covers ordering and paying. Keep these labels distinct: an order can be placed, paid for and still waiting to go out for delivery.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 배달 돼요 confirm that you have already ordered food?
- What does 배달 중 tell you?
- Which service do you ask for when carrying the food home yourself?
Show answers
- No. It asks whether delivery is available.
- The delivery is in progress.
- 포장, takeout.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Order Delivery in Korean?
Use 배달시키다, "to have something delivered". 치킨을 배달시켜요 means "I order chicken for delivery". Most people order through a 배달 앱, a delivery app, and pay a 배달료, delivery fee. 배달하다 on its own describes the rider's job, not the customer's.
Is 배달 the Same as Takeout?
No. 배달 means someone brings the food to you. Takeout, where you collect the food and carry it away yourself, is 포장. At the counter, say 포장해 주세요 for "to go, please". Mixing them up can mean waiting at home for food you were supposed to collect.
What Is 택배?
택배 is parcel delivery: packages sent by courier, such as online shopping orders. 배달 is mainly used for meals and other quick local deliveries. If you are tracking a box from an online shop, the word is 택배, not 배달.
How Do You Say Delivery Fee in Korean?
A delivery fee is 배달료 (baedallyo), from 배달 plus 료, a fee. Delivery apps show the 배달료 before you order, and some restaurants waive it above a minimum order. Note the pronunciation: the ㄹ ㄹ sequence is said as a long l.
Related Words and Next Steps
- See the restaurant words list for ordering and paying.
- Find more single words like delivery in the Korean words A to Z index.