Key Facts
- Hangul: 김밥; Revised Romanization: gimbap; pronounced [gim-bap] or [gim-ppap]
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native
- Register: Neutral; rolled rice and fillings wrapped in dried seaweed (김).
Gimbap in Korean: What Does 김밥 Mean?
김밥 is a neutral word built from 김 (dried seaweed) and 밥 (rice), so the name explains the dish: rice and fillings rolled in a sheet of seaweed and sliced into rounds. Because the roll is sold whole, shops count it with 줄 (a row or line), as the first example shows.
How Do You Pronounce 김밥?
The romanization is gimbap. The standard pronunciation allows both [gim-bap] and [gim-ppap]; the tensed form, [김빱], was added to the standard dictionary in 2016 and is what many speakers say.
Example Sentences with 김밥
김밥 한 줄 주세요.
Gimbap han jul juseyo
One roll of gimbap, please.
The ordering line at a snack counter. 한 줄 means "one roll", and 주세요 is the polite request form.
소풍에 김밥을 싸 갔어요.
Sopunge gimbabeul ssa gasseoyo
I took gimbap on a picnic.
A picnic sentence. 소풍 is the school or group outing, and 싸 갔어요 means packed food and took it along.
엄마가 만든 김밥이 맛있어요.
Eommaga mandeun gimbabi masisseoyo
The gimbap my mom made is delicious.
A home-cooking compliment. 만든 turns "made" into a describing word, so the clause "the gimbap my mom made" sits before 김밥.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Gimbap is counted and named by its filling, which these collocations show.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 김밥을 싸다 | to roll/pack gimbap |
| 김밥 한 줄 | one roll of gimbap |
| 참치김밥 | tuna gimbap |
| 김밥천국 | Gimbap Heaven (chain-style snack shop) |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: calling gimbap "Korean sushi" or using 초밥 for it.
Correct: 김밥. Gimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and the fillings are usually cooked, whereas sushi (초밥) uses vinegared rice and often raw fish.
김밥 Compared with Similar Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 김밥 | gimbap | Rice and fillings rolled in seaweed, sliced |
| 초밥 | sushi | Vinegared rice, often with raw fish |
| 주먹밥 | rice ball | Rice pressed by hand, not rolled |
| 김 | dried seaweed | The seaweed sheet on its own |
Where Does the Word Come From?
김밥 is a native Korean compound with no hanja form.
Cultural Note
Gimbap is a typical picnic (소풍) and quick-meal food in Korea. Cheap gimbap shops are everywhere, and 김밥천국 ("Gimbap Heaven") is the name of one well-known chain.
Ordering Lunch to Take Away
A customer orders two different rolls at a gimbap shop. The server checks whether the order is for takeaway.
Customer
참치김밥 한 줄하고 야채김밥 한 줄 주세요.
Chamchigimbap han julhago yachaegimbap han jul juseyo.
One tuna gimbap roll and one vegetable gimbap roll, please.
Server
포장해 드릴까요?
Pojanghae deurilkkayo?
Would you like them to go?
Customer
네, 포장해 주세요.
Ne, pojanghae juseyo.
Yes, please pack them to go.
Server
잠시만 기다려 주세요.
Jamsiman gidaryeo juseyo.
Please wait a moment.
하고 joins the two items in the order, while each 한 줄 counts a whole roll. The customer receives two rolls in total. 포장해 드릴까요 is an offer to pack the food for takeaway; it is not a question about which filling the customer wants.
Reading a Gimbap Menu
The filling or style often comes before 김밥. 참치김밥 identifies tuna, 치즈김밥 identifies cheese, and 야채김밥 identifies vegetables. Menus may separate the words visually or put them together, but the useful reading strategy is the same: find 김밥, then read what comes before it.
A name highlights a feature rather than listing every ingredient. Tuna gimbap may contain other fillings, and a vegetable name does not tell you everything used in preparation. If you need an ingredient left out, ask about that ingredient directly. The short menu name cannot answer every dietary question.
삼각김밥 is triangle-shaped packaged rice wrapped with seaweed, familiar from convenience-store shelves. It has its own name and shape, so the whole-roll counter 줄 does not transfer naturally to it. A sliced shop roll and a packaged triangle are both recognisable foods, but you order their quantities differently.
Rolls, Slices and Packing
김밥 두 줄 means two rolls. A roll cut into several slices is still 한 줄 when you order it. 줄 therefore counts the long roll before slicing, rather than each round piece on the plate. If friends are sharing lunch, agree on the number of rolls rather than trying to count every slice in advance.
김밥을 싸다 covers making the roll by wrapping the rice and fillings in seaweed. In the picnic example, 싸 갔어요 adds the idea of preparing or packing food and taking it along. The verb fits both the wrapped shape of gimbap and the practical scene of bringing lunch.
김밥 옆구리 터지다 literally describes a gimbap roll splitting at the side. 옆구리 is the side or flank, and 터지다 means to burst or split. In a cooking conversation, this can be a straightforward description of a torn roll with fillings escaping. You do not need to search for a figurative meaning.
Where Will You Hear the Word?
김밥 appears on snack-shop menus, in convenience stores and in conversations about packed lunches. At a shop, the polite ordering pattern is the food name, quantity and 주세요. You can choose the filling and quantity without building a long sentence.
At home, 김밥을 싸다 focuses on preparing it, while at a counter 포장 concerns packing an order for transport. Those actions may both be translated with “pack” in English. Korean distinguishes making or wrapping the food from arranging takeaway service.
Words beside 김밥 on a Menu
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 참치 | tuna | Names the highlighted filling in 참치김밥. |
| 단무지 | pickled yellow radish | A filling you may also see served on the side. |
| 떡볶이 | spicy rice-cake dish | A separate snack often ordered with gimbap. |
| 포장 | takeaway packing | Helps you answer whether you are eating there. |
The Korean dishes lesson teaches the neighbouring food names, so you can order a meal rather than just one roll.
Quick Self-Test
- How many whole rolls are in 김밥 두 줄?
- What is the server offering with 포장해 드릴까요?
- Does a tuna gimbap menu name list every ingredient?
Show answers
- Two rolls, regardless of how many slices each contains.
- To pack the order for takeaway.
- No. 참치 names the highlighted filling; ask separately about other ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "gimbap" in Korean?
Gimbap in Korean is 김밥 (gimbap): rice and fillings rolled in dried seaweed and sliced into rounds. The name joins 김, seaweed, and 밥, rice.
How do you order one roll?
Say 김밥 한 줄 주세요, "One roll of gimbap, please." 줄 is the counter for whole rolls, so 김밥 한 줄 is one complete roll.
Is 김밥 the same as sushi?
No. Gimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and the fillings are usually cooked; sushi is a separate dish, 초밥, made with vinegared rice and often raw fish.
What is 참치김밥?
참치김밥 is tuna gimbap, filled with canned tuna, often mixed with mayonnaise. The filling goes in front of 김밥, so other kinds are named the same way.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean dish words groups 김밥 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add it to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Compare this snack with the page for kimchi, another everyday dish.