Key Facts
- Hangul: 계란; Revised Romanization: gyeran
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 鷄卵 (鷄 chicken + 卵 egg)
- Register: Neutral everyday word; 달걀 is the native synonym and the standard word in school and dictionaries.
Egg in Korean: What Does 계란 Mean?
계란 means a chicken egg and is a neutral everyday word. 달걀 is the native synonym and the standard word in schoolbooks and dictionaries, while 계란 shows up all the time in dishes and daily talk.
How Do You Pronounce 계란?
Two syllables, gye-ran. Standard pronunciation allows the first syllable to be said [게] as well as [계], so you will often hear ge-ran.
Example Sentences with 계란
계란을 먹어요.
Gyeraneul meogeoyo.
I eat eggs.
A basic habit. 계란을 is the object of eating.
계란 두 개 주세요.
Gyeran du gae juseyo.
Two eggs, please.
A quantity request. 두 개 gives the count, using the general counter.
아침에 계란 프라이를 만들어요.
Achime gyeran peuraireul mandeureoyo.
I make a fried egg in the morning.
A breakfast routine. 계란 프라이 is the fried egg, and 만들어요 is the making verb.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Four egg dishes are worth knowing. 계란 프라이 is a fried egg, 삶은 계란 is a boiled egg, 계란말이 is a rolled omelet and 계란찜 is steamed egg.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 계란 프라이 | fried egg |
| 삶은 계란 | boiled egg |
| 계란말이 | rolled omelet |
| 계란찜 | steamed egg |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: thinking only one of 계란 or 달걀 is correct and "fixing" the other.
Correct: both are standard and common. 달걀 is the native word, while 계란 is especially frequent in compounds like 계란말이 and 계란찜.
계란 Compared with Related Words
Two entries sit beside it. 달걀 is the native standard word, and 알 is the general word for an egg or egg-shaped thing.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 계란 | egg (chicken egg) | This page's word |
| 달걀 | egg | Native standard word for a chicken egg; interchangeable with 계란 in daily life. |
| 알 | egg / roe | General word for an egg or something egg-shaped. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
계란 is Sino-Korean, written 鷄卵 in hanja: 鷄 means chicken and 卵 means egg. So it is literally a chicken egg.
Adding an Egg to a Lunch Order
A customer is ordering a rice dish at a small restaurant. They ask for an extra fried egg, and the employee checks how they want it cooked.
Customer
계란 프라이 하나 추가해 주세요.
Gyeran peurai hana chugahae juseyo.
Please add one fried egg.
Employee
반숙으로 해 드릴까요?
Bansugeuro hae deurilkkayo?
Would you like it soft-cooked?
Customer
아니요. 완숙으로 해 주세요.
Aniyo. Wansugeuro hae juseyo.
No. Please cook it all the way through.
Employee
네. 완숙으로 해 드릴게요.
Ne. Wansugeuro hae deurilgeyo.
Certainly. I’ll cook it all the way through for you.
추가해 주세요 means “please add it.” 하나 names one item here because the customer is adding one prepared egg to a meal. In the earlier quantity example, 두 개 counts two eggs with the general counter 개. Both patterns make sense in their own ordering situations.
반숙 and 완숙 describe how thoroughly the egg is cooked. They can apply to a fried egg as well as a boiled one, so they do not identify the cooking method by themselves. The server’s 해 드릴까요 offers to do something for the customer; the customer uses the simpler request 해 주세요.
Reading an Egg Menu or Recipe
계란말이 is a rolled omelet, usually cut into pieces for serving. 계란찜 is a soft steamed egg dish. Although both begin with 계란, the endings tell you about different preparations. Asking for one when you mean the other changes the dish, not just the size of your order.
계란을 깨다 means to crack an egg. Recipes may then ask you to separate the 흰자, the white, from the 노른자, the yolk. 계란을 풀다 means to beat or mix the egg so that the white and yolk combine. In this kitchen phrase, 풀다 is about loosening and mixing the contents, rather than peeling the shell.
껍질을 벗기다 means to remove the shell from a cooked egg. The object matters: cracking a raw egg and peeling a boiled egg are different steps. The word 계란 by itself does not tell you whether it is raw, cooked, whole or already beaten; the surrounding recipe supplies that information.
Where Will You See 계란 and 달걀?
Supermarket packaging may use either 계란 or 달걀. A change of noun does not identify a different animal or promise a different grade of egg. Read the rest of the label for the product details. At a restaurant, the familiar dish names are useful clues to the preparation.
계란 한 판 is a tray of eggs. 한 판 names the pack or tray, while 한 개 names a single egg. Check the printed quantity before assuming how many eggs a particular tray contains. The counter changes the unit of purchase, even though the food stays the same.
Words for the Parts of an Egg
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 흰자 | egg white | Identify the clear part that turns white when cooked. |
| 노른자 | egg yolk | Identify the yellow center. |
| 껍질 | shell / outer covering | Talk about peeling or removing the outside. |
| 반숙 | soft-cooked | Ask for an egg with a less firmly set center. |
| 완숙 | fully cooked | Ask for the egg to be cooked through. |
The ingredient vocabulary lesson places eggs alongside other cooking ingredients. 흰자 and 노른자 name parts of the egg; 계란 and 달걀 name the whole item. This distinction is especially useful when a recipe calls for only whites or only yolks.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word names the yolk: 흰자 or 노른자?
- Does 반숙 tell you an egg must have been boiled?
- What is the unit in 계란 한 판?
Show answers
- 노른자 is the yolk; 흰자 is the white.
- No. It describes how thoroughly the egg is cooked, including in a fried egg order.
- A tray or pack of eggs, rather than one individual egg.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "egg" in Korean?
Egg in Korean is 계란 (gyeran) or 달걀 (dalgyal). Both mean a chicken egg and both are correct; 계란 is more common in dish names.
Is 계란 the same as 달걀?
Yes, in everyday use they are interchangeable. 달걀 is the native word and 계란 is Sino-Korean, from 鷄卵, "chicken egg".
How do you say "boiled egg"?
Say 삶은 계란, literally "boiled egg". It is a classic snack at Korean bathhouses and on train journeys.
How do you say "steamed egg"?
Say 계란찜, a soft, savoury steamed egg dish often served bubbling in a small pot alongside grilled meat.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean ingredient words places 계란 with the other ingredients.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Flashcards: add egg in Korean to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next entry: fish.
- Compare: 달걀, the native word, has its own page.