Key Facts
- Hangul: 재료; Revised Romanization: jaeryo
- Syllables: 2
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Hanja: 材料 (材 material + 料 material)
- Register: Neutral; used for recipes and also for materials in general.
Ingredients in Korean: What Does 재료 Mean?
The senses are ingredients and materials. The register is neutral. In a kitchen the word names what you cook with, and in other settings it names the raw material a thing is made from, which is why 재료비, material cost, exists. When you need to stress that the items are food, add 식 in front to make 식재료.
How Do You Pronounce 재료?
Two syllables, jae-ryo. The first has the ae vowel, a flat sound close to the e in bed. The second starts with r, a quick tap, followed by yo. With the particle 가, as in the first example, there is no change: jae-ryo-ga.
Example Sentences with 재료
재료가 필요해요.
Jaeryoga piryohaeyo.
I need ingredients.
The sentence is a short need. 필요해요 means needed, so this is a natural line in a shop or when planning a meal.
신선한 재료를 써요.
Sinseonhan jaeryoreul sseoyo.
I use fresh ingredients.
The adjective 신선한 means fresh, and 써요 is the polite form of use. It describes the kind of ingredients you cook with.
재료를 준비해요.
Jaeryoreul junbihaeyo.
I prepare the ingredients.
The verb 준비해요 means prepare. This line fits the start of a recipe, when you set everything out.
Common Phrases and Collocations
The collocations cover preparation, quality, the cooking context and the cost.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 재료를 준비하다 | to prepare ingredients |
| 신선한 재료 | fresh ingredients |
| 요리 재료 | cooking ingredients |
| 재료비 | material cost |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 자료 for ingredients, as in "I need 자료" before cooking.
Correct: ✓ 재료, as in 재료가 필요해요.
Why: 자료 sounds similar but means data or reference documents. For what you cook with or build with, use 재료.
재료 Compared with Similar Words
Two nearby words show the food-only form and the sound-alike for documents.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 재료 | ingredients; materials | The word on this page. |
| 식재료 | food ingredients | Specifically food ingredients. |
| 자료 | data / materials | Data or reference materials, not cooking ingredients. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
재료 is Sino-Korean. The hanja 材料 combine 材, material, and 料, material, which is why one word stretches from food to building supplies.
Checking Ingredients before Making Pancakes
Two housemates are getting ready to make Korean savory pancakes. They check what is missing before starting.
Jisu
부침개 재료가 다 있어요?
Buchimgae jaeryoga da isseoyo?
Do we have all the ingredients for savory pancakes?
Alex
밀가루는 있는데 달걀이 없어요.
Milgaruneun inneunde dalgyari eopseoyo.
We have flour, but we don’t have eggs.
Jisu
그럼 제가 달걀을 사 올게요.
Geureom jega dalgyareul sa olgeyo.
Then I’ll go and buy eggs.
Alex
좋아요. 저는 다른 재료를 준비할게요.
Joayo. Jeoneun dareun jaeryoreul junbihalgeyo.
Sounds good. I’ll prepare the other ingredients.
다 있어요 asks whether everything needed is available. In the reply, 밀가루는 singles out flour before contrasting it with the missing eggs. 다른 재료 means the other ingredients, so the two speakers divide the preparation work.
How Do Recipes Use 재료?
재료 often appears as a heading above a recipe’s ingredient list. The dish name can go directly before it: 부침개 재료 means ingredients for savory pancakes. English uses “for”, but this Korean noun combination does not need a separate word between the dish and 재료.
주재료 means the main ingredients, and 양념 names seasonings or a seasoning mixture. A recipe may separate these into different lists. An ingredient list tells you what to gather; the preparation instructions tell you what to cut, mix or cook. 재료를 준비하다 covers getting the items ready, so its exact tasks depend on that recipe.
재료 can refer to one ingredient or several. You do not need to add a plural ending just because an English recipe says “ingredients”. The question 재료가 다 있어요 uses the unmarked noun for a whole set, and 다 makes “all” explicit.
Phrases in Shops, Classes and Restaurants
재료를 사다 means “to buy ingredients”. 재료를 넣다 means “to add ingredients”, as when they go into a pan or bowl. The object remains 재료를 in both phrases, while the verb tells you which stage of cooking you are describing.
재료가 떨어지다 means “to run out of ingredients”. The literal verb can mean “fall”, but here it describes supplies becoming exhausted. A small restaurant may explain an unavailable dish this way. 재료 소진 on a notice also means the ingredients have been used up; it tells you about stock rather than the dish’s quality.
재료비 is useful in a cooking or craft class listing. It refers to the cost of materials. If a notice says 재료비 별도, the materials charge is separate from the listed fee. The word also belongs outside the kitchen: an art workshop can charge 재료비 for the supplies used in the activity.
Which Nearby Word Do You Need?
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 주재료 | main ingredients | Identifies what forms the main part of a dish. |
| 양념 | seasoning | Covers flavoring ingredients or a prepared mixture. |
| 밀가루 | flour | One specific ingredient, rather than the whole set. |
| 원재료 | raw ingredients / raw materials | Appears in descriptions of what a product is made from. |
The ingredients vocabulary lesson teaches specific foods to put in your shopping list. The cooking vocabulary lesson adds the actions that come after you gather them.
On packaged food, 원재료명 is a label for the names of the raw ingredients. Recognizing that heading helps you find the ingredient information. In a conversation with a cook, 재료 is the broader everyday word for asking what goes into a dish.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 재료 need a plural ending to mean several ingredients?
- What does 재료비 별도 mean on a class listing?
- Which word names seasonings: 자료 or 양념?
Show answers
- No. Context can give it a plural meaning.
- The materials fee is separate.
- 양념. 자료 means data or reference materials.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "ingredients" in Korean?
Ingredients in Korean is 재료 (jaeryo).
How do you say "I prepare the ingredients"?
Say 재료를 준비해요.
What is the difference between 재료 and 자료?
재료 is raw material or ingredients, and 자료 is data or documents.
How do you say "fresh ingredients"?
Say 신선한 재료.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean cooking vocabulary groups 재료 with related words.
- Index: look up more words near "ingredients" in Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 재료 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- For a whole themed list, see korean ingredients vocabulary.