Key Facts
- Hangul: 포도; Revised Romanization: podo
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, 葡萄 (葡 grape + 萄 grape)
- Register: Neutral; used in all registers.
Grape in Korean: What Does 포도 Mean?
포도 names the fruit itself. Compounds build on it: 포도 주스 for juice, 포도주 for wine and 건포도 for raisins. The word does not change between casual and formal speech, so one spelling serves a fruit stall, a menu and a school textbook. 포도주 is 포도 plus 주 (酒, alcohol), so "grape alcohol" is wine.
How Do You Pronounce 포도?
Say po-do. Both vowels are the same round "o", and the ㄷ between vowels is voiced softly, so it sounds almost like a "d" in English "body".
Example Sentences with 포도
포도 한 송이 주세요.
Podo han songi juseyo
Please give me a bunch of grapes.
A market request. 한 송이 counts a whole bunch, and 주세요 asks politely.
저는 포도를 좋아해요.
Jeoneun podoreul joahaeyo
I like grapes.
A preference sentence with 좋아해요, "like".
이 포도는 달고 시원해요.
I podoneun dalgo siwonhaeyo
These grapes are sweet and cool.
A tasting comment. 달고 is "sweet and", and 시원해요 describes the chilled, refreshing feel.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Counting phrases matter as much as verbs for fruit.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 포도를 먹다 | to eat grapes |
| 포도 한 송이 | a bunch of grapes |
| 포도 주스 | grape juice |
| 청포도 | green grapes |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners count grapes with 개, the general counter for objects.
Wrong: 개 for a bunch of grapes.
Correct: 포도 한 송이 for a whole bunch, and 알 for single grapes, as in 포도 한 알.
포도 Compared with Similar Words
건포도 is raisin and 포도주 is wine, both formed from 포도. 과일 is the general word for fruit, and 청포도 narrows to green grapes.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 포도 | grape | This page's word |
| 건포도 | raisin | raisin |
| 포도주 | wine | wine |
| 과일 | fruit | fruit |
Where Does the Word Come From?
포도 is Sino-Korean, written 葡萄 (葡 grape + 萄 grape). Both characters appear almost only in this word.
At a Fruit Stall: Buying Two Bunches
A customer asks about grapes before buying them. Both speakers use polite endings.
Customer
이 포도 달아요?
I podo darayo?
Are these grapes sweet?
Seller
네, 아주 달아요.
Ne, aju darayo.
Yes, they’re very sweet.
Customer
두 송이 주세요.
Du songi juseyo.
Two bunches, please.
Seller
네, 여기 있어요.
Ne, yeogi isseoyo.
Sure, here you are.
두 송이 counts two whole bunches. The customer can leave out 포도 in the request because the grapes are already the topic. 달아요 asks about sweetness; 달고 in the earlier example links “sweet” to a second description.
A Bunch, One Grape or a Box?
포도 한 송이 is one bunch still grouped on its stem. 포도 한 알 is one individual grape. These expressions answer different questions: how many bunches you are buying, or how many grapes someone has eaten. The counter, rather than a plural ending on 포도, makes the unit clear.
For two bunches, use 두 송이. For two individual grapes, use 두 알. The forms 한 and 두 are the counting forms of “one” and “two” before a counter. Keep spaces between the fruit name, the number and the counter: 포도 한 송이.
Fruit is also sold by container or weight. 포도 한 상자 means a box of grapes, which could hold several bunches. A displayed price per box is therefore different from a price per bunch. Read the unit beside a price rather than assuming every 포도 label refers to one 송이.
What Do Grape Labels and Menus Tell You?
청포도 means green grapes and commonly appears in drink and dessert names. In 청포도 주스, the first word identifies the kind of grape used or the grape flavor advertised. 포도 주스 is grape juice more generally. Neither phrase means wine; 포도주 is the alcoholic drink.
건포도 means raisins: dried grapes, often listed in bread, cereal or snack ingredients. The fruit has changed form, so a packet labelled 건포도 is not a packet of fresh grapes. The 건- element here points to drying, a useful clue when scanning food labels.
포도 맛 means “grape flavor”. A candy or drink can have that label without being a serving of fresh grapes. The label describes taste; the ingredient list gives you more specific information about what is in the product. Watch for 맛 after other fruit names too.
Common Combinations for Eating Grapes
포도를 씻다 means “to wash grapes”, and 포도 껍질 means “grape skin”. 포도 씨 means “grape seed”. These literal combinations help when preparing fruit or explaining which part you leave uneaten. There is no need to search for an idiom to talk naturally about this fruit.
씨 없는 포도 means “seedless grapes”, literally “grapes without seeds”. 없는 describes the absence of something. On a fruit label, it gives a practical feature that 청포도 alone does not: green grapes are a color category, and the word by itself does not promise that the fruit is seedless.
Fruit Words to Learn Alongside 포도
| Korean | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 껍질 | skin; peel | Talk about the outside of a grape or another fruit. |
| 씨 | seed | Ask about or describe seeds inside fruit. |
| 송이 | bunch; cluster | Count whole bunches of grapes. |
| 알 | small individual grain or piece | Count individual grapes. |
The Korean fruit vocabulary lesson teaches fruit names to use with these descriptions. 포도 usually stays unmarked for singular or plural: a liking sentence concerns grapes generally, while a counter specifies an amount.
Quick Self-Test
- How do you ask for two bunches rather than two grapes?
- Which is wine: 포도 주스 or 포도주?
- Does 청포도 by itself mean seedless grapes?
Show answers
- 두 송이 주세요. Two individual grapes would be 두 알.
- 포도주 is wine; 포도 주스 is grape juice.
- No. 씨 없는 포도 specifically means seedless grapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "grape" in Korean?
Say 포도 (podo).
How do you ask for a bunch?
Say 포도 한 송이 주세요.
How do you count single grapes?
Use 알, as in 포도 한 알.
What is 청포도?
It is green grapes.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean fruit vocabulary groups 포도 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add it to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Another fruit page is Korean melon.