Key Facts
- 레몬 (remon) means lemon.
- Part of speech: noun; origin: loanword.
- Register: Neutral; used in all registers.
- Level: A1.
Lemon in Korean: What Does 레몬 Mean?
레몬 is borrowed from English lemon and works in every register. Because it is a loanword, Korean spells the English sounds with Hangul rather than using a native or Chinese-based term. It sits beside 라임, 오렌지 and 유자 in the citrus family.
How Do You Pronounce 레몬?
Say re-mon with a light ㄹ at the start, a sound between a tap and an l, not an English r. The vowel in the first syllable is ㅔ, the same sound as in the English word get.
How Do You Use 레몬 in a Sentence?
레몬 차 한 잔 주세요.
Please give me a cup of lemon tea.
Remon cha han jan juseyo 한 잔 is a cup, a counter phrase for drinks, and 주세요 turns the line into a polite request. This is a cafe order, and 레몬 차 is a compound noun.
레몬은 시어요.
Lemons are sour.
Remoneun sieoyo The topic marker 은 leads, and 시어요 says sour. This is a plain taste statement, one you could use of lemon in any setting.
물에 레몬을 넣었어요.
I put lemon in the water.
Mure remoneul neoeosseoyo 넣었어요 is the past of put in, and the place word 물에 shows where. It describes adding a slice or a squeeze to a glass.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 레몬을 짜다 | to squeeze a lemon |
| 레몬 차 | lemon tea |
| 레몬 한 개 | one lemon |
| 레몬 주스 | lemon juice |
Four phrases cover the kitchen and the cafe: squeeze it, tea, juice, and a single fruit. The counter 개 in 레몬 한 개 follows the number, a pattern Korean uses for most small objects.
Common Mistake
Learners pick the wrong one of two vowels that sound alike.
Wrong: 래몬, with ㅐ.
Correct: 레몬, with ㅔ in the first syllable. Most Seoul speakers no longer distinguish ㅔ and ㅐ in speech, which is why the spelling slips, so memorise the written form with the word.
How Does 레몬 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 레몬 |
|---|---|---|
| 라임 | lime | The green sister fruit, another loanword. |
| 오렌지 | orange | A sweeter citrus, also borrowed from English. |
| 유자 | yuzu (citron) | A Korean-style citrus, used in tea and preserves. |
At a Cafe: Choosing a Lemon Drink
A customer wants a cold drink. The server checks the temperature before completing the order.
Customer
레몬 차 있어요?
Remon cha isseoyo?
Do you have lemon tea?
Server
네. 따뜻한 걸로 드릴까요?
Ne. Ttatteutan geollo deurilkkayo?
Yes. Would you like it hot?
Customer
아니요. 차가운 걸로 주세요.
Aniyo. Chagaun geollo juseyo.
No. Please make it cold.
Server
네. 레몬 차 한 잔이요.
Ne. Remon cha han janiyo.
Certainly. One lemon tea.
걸로 is a shortened form of 것으로, “as the one” or “with the one”. The customer can choose the cold version without repeating the whole drink name. The server's final line repeats the order, so 한 잔 counts the drink rather than the lemons used to make it.
What Do Lemon Phrases Tell You about the Food?
레몬을 짜다 means squeezing a lemon to get its juice. In a recipe, this is a preparation step. 레몬을 넣다 means adding lemon; it leaves open whether you add juice, slices or pieces. The earlier water example uses 넣었어요 for that broader action.
레몬즙 names the juice squeezed from the fruit. 레몬 주스 can name a juice drink, so the context matters when you read a recipe or a bottle label. A spoonful of 레몬즙 in a sauce is an ingredient amount, while a glass of 레몬 주스 is a serving of a drink.
레몬 향 means lemon scent or aroma. You may see it on tea, soap or cleaning products. The label describes the smell, so the phrase alone does not tell you whether the product contains fresh fruit. 레몬 맛 describes lemon flavor instead. 향 and 맛 help you read beyond the familiar fruit name.
To count whole fruit, use 레몬 한 개, “one lemon”, or 레몬 두 개, “two lemons”. To count drinks, use 한 잔, “one cup or glass”. A cafe order for one glass of lemon tea does not ask for a single lemon. The noun being counted determines which counter is useful.
Where Will You See 레몬?
Cafe menus may list 레몬 차 alongside 레몬에이드, lemonade. These names identify different drink types. Lemon tea may be served hot or cold, while lemonade is a separate menu item. Ask about the drink itself if sweetness or carbonation matters; the word 레몬 only identifies the lemon element.
In a supermarket, 레몬 appears on fruit displays and on packaged products. A bag of lemons, a lemon dessert and a lemon-scented cleaner can all carry the same noun. Read the following word to work out what is actually being sold.
In kitchen talk, 시어요 says that something is sour. It does not mean “spicy”, and it does not necessarily mean the food has gone bad. With a fresh lemon, sourness is the expected taste. If someone describes lemon tea as sweet, the drink may contain sugar or a sweetened lemon preparation; the fruit word alone does not predict the taste of the finished cup.
Related Words for the Kitchen and Cafe
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 껍질 | peel / skin | The outer part of a lemon or another fruit. |
| 씨 | seed | Something you may remove before serving. |
| 즙 | extracted juice | Useful in ingredient names such as 레몬즙. |
| 차 | tea | The drink category in 레몬 차. |
| 신맛 | sour taste | The taste associated with lemon. |
Find the neighboring fruit names in the fruit vocabulary lesson. 라임 is lime and 유자 is yuzu; neither is simply another spelling of 레몬.
Quick Self-Test
- Which counter fits a whole lemon: 개 or 잔?
- What action does 레몬을 짜다 describe?
- Does 레몬 향 on a label describe taste or smell?
Show answers
- 개. 잔 counts cups or glasses of a drink.
- Squeezing a lemon for its juice.
- Smell or aroma. 맛 describes flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 레몬 Mean?
It means lemon.
Is 레몬 a Native Korean Word?
No, it is a loanword from English.
How Do I Order Lemon Tea?
Say 레몬 차 한 잔 주세요.
How Should I Spell It?
With ㅔ in the first syllable, not 래몬.
Where to Go Next
More fruit words are on the fruits vocabulary page, and orange is the natural next entry.