Key Facts
- Hangul: 참외; Revised Romanization: chamoe
- Part of speech: noun
- Syllables: 2 (cham-oe)
- Origin: Native Korean
- Register: Neutral; a small yellow melon eaten fresh in summer.
Korean Melon in Korean: What Does 참외 Mean?
참외 is the small, yellow-skinned melon that is eaten fresh in summer in Korea. The word is neutral and everyday. It is not the general word for "melon": that job belongs to the loanword 멜론, which usually means the larger round green melon. When a Korean says 참외, they picture the small yellow one.
How Do You Pronounce 참외?
참외 has two syllables, cham and oe. Because 참 ends in ㅁ and 외 begins with a silent ㅇ, the m slides across and the word sounds like cha-moe. Revised Romanization writes chamoe.
Example Sentences with 참외
참외는 여름 과일이에요.
Chamoeneun yeoreum gwairieyo.
Korean melon is a summer fruit.
여름 과일이에요 means "is a summer fruit", so this sentence works as a quick definition of the melon, with 참외는 as the topic.
참외 한 개 주세요.
Chamoe han gae juseyo.
Please give me one Korean melon.
In 참외 한 개 주세요, 한 개 is "one item" and 주세요 is the polite request "please give". It is how you would ask at a fruit stall.
할머니가 참외를 깎아 주셨어요.
Halmeoniga chamoereul kkakka jusyeosseoyo.
My grandmother peeled a Korean melon for me.
깎아 주셨어요 is "peeled for me", and 주셨어요 is the honorific past form because the giver is a grandmother (할머니가). Peeling is the normal way to prepare this melon before eating.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 참외를 먹다 | to eat Korean melon |
| 참외를 깎다 | to peel Korean melon |
| 참외 한 개 | one Korean melon |
| 노란 참외 | yellow Korean melon |
Eating and peeling are the two actions that come up most: 먹다 is to eat and 깎다 is to peel. The counting phrase 참외 한 개 uses 개 because the melon is a single item, and 노란 describes the yellow colour that gives the fruit away.
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 멜론 for the small yellow fruit, as in "I bought a 멜론" when you mean 참외.
Correct: ✓ 참외 for the small yellow Korean melon; 멜론 for the larger round green melon.
Why: Translating 참외 as plain "melon" leads learners to say 멜론, but the two words name different fruits.
참외 Compared with Related Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 참외 | small yellow melon | The word on this page. |
| 멜론 | melon (loanword) | The larger green melon, borrowed from English. |
| 수박 | watermelon | A separate fruit; not a kind of 참외. |
| 여름 | summer | The season when 참외 is eaten. |
If a shop sells both, 참외 will be the small yellow ones and 멜론 the larger green ones.
Where Does the Word Come From?
참외 is a native Korean word, so it has no hanja. It is usually explained as 참, true or real, plus an old word for cucumber, though that history is not certain.
At a Fruit Stall: Buying Two Melons
A customer points to the yellow melons. The seller answers a question about sweetness before the customer chooses a quantity.
Customer
이 참외 달아요?
I chamoe darayo?
Are these Korean melons sweet?
Seller
네, 달아요.
Ne, darayo.
Yes, they’re sweet.
Customer
두 개 주세요.
Du gae juseyo.
Please give me two.
Seller
네, 여기 있어요.
Ne, yeogi isseoyo.
Yes, here you are.
달아요 describes sweetness. The customer can use 이 참외 while pointing at the fruit on display; the noun does not need a plural ending. 두 개 counts two individual melons. Once the fruit is clear, the request can leave out 참외 and simply give the quantity.
Read the Quantity on the Fruit Display
참외 한 개 means one melon. A label with 한 봉지 means one bag, while 한 상자 means one box. These units answer different questions: 개 counts individual fruit, 봉지 counts bags and 상자 counts boxes. A price next to a bag is not automatically the price of one melon inside it.
The phrases 참외를 고르다 and 참외를 씻다 mean “choose Korean melons” and “wash Korean melons”. They describe two steps before the existing peeling and eating phrases. The fruit keeps the object marker 를 because 외 ends in a vowel. This pattern stays the same even when the action changes.
Where Will You Meet 참외?
Look for it on market signs, supermarket fruit labels and messages about food someone bought or brought home. In a summer conversation, a host may offer cut fruit after a meal. 참외 refers to the fruit whether it is whole on the counter or already sliced on a plate.
The yellow skin and pale stripes help you recognize the whole fruit. Once it is peeled and cut, the English name “melon” gives fewer clues. Keeping 참외 separate from 멜론 helps when asking what is on the plate or telling a seller which fruit you want.
노란 참외 is a literal description: 노란 means yellow. It is useful when contrasting colours or describing a picture, but you do not need to include 노란 every time you buy the fruit. 참외 already names the kind of melon.
Words for Serving Fruit
| Korean | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 껍질 | peel or skin | Name the outside of the fruit. |
| 씨 | seed | Ask about the seeds inside. |
| 조각 | piece | Count pieces after the fruit is cut. |
| 접시 | plate | Name what the cut fruit is served on. |
개 and 조각 count different things: two whole melons and two pieces are very different amounts. 껍질 names the peel itself, while 깎다 names the action of removing it with a knife. The fruit vocabulary lesson teaches the other fruit names you will meet on the same display.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase counts two whole melons?
- Does 한 봉지 mean one individual melon?
- What does 달아요 tell you about fruit?
Show answers
- 참외 두 개.
- No. It means one bag.
- It is sweet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "Korean melon" in Korean?
Korean melon in Korean is 참외 (chamoe), the small yellow melon eaten in summer.
Is 참외 the same as 멜론?
No. 멜론 is the loanword for the larger green melon, while 참외 is the small yellow Korean one.
How do I ask for one melon?
Say 참외 한 개 주세요, which means "please give me one Korean melon".
What verb goes with peeling it?
Use 깎다, as in 참외를 깎다. To eat it, say 참외를 먹다.
Is 참외 Sino-Korean?
No. It is a native Korean word, so it has no hanja.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean fruit vocabulary groups 참외 with other fruit words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z lists every single-word entry.
- Compare: watermelon is the other big summer fruit to compare.
- See also: summer is the season word that goes with it.
- Practice: vocabulary flashcard decks lets you add 참외 to a spaced-repetition set.