Key Facts
- Hangul: 우유; Revised Romanization: uyu
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: Neutral; used in all registers.
- Hanja: 牛乳 (牛 cow + 乳 milk)
Milk in Korean: How Do You Pronounce 우유?
Two syllables, u-yu. Both vowels are a rounded "oo", and the second adds a y glide in front. There are no sound changes, so the word is said as written.
Example Sentences with 우유
아침에 우유를 마셔요.
Achime uyureul masyeoyo
I drink milk in the morning.
A routine sentence. 아침에 is "in the morning" and the verb is 마셔요, "drink".
우유 한 잔 주세요.
Uyu han jan juseyo
Please give me a glass of milk.
An ordering sentence. 한 잔 counts a glass, and 주세요 makes the request polite.
냉장고에 우유가 없어요.
Naengjanggoe uyuga eopseoyo
There is no milk in the fridge.
A negative existence sentence. 없어요 means "there is none", and 냉장고 is the fridge where the speaker looked.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 우유를 마시다 | to drink milk |
| 우유 한 잔 | a glass of milk |
| 딸기 우유 | strawberry milk |
| 우유가 상하다 | for milk to go bad |
우유가 상하다 is the way to say that milk spoils, and 딸기 우유 shows how flavors attach.
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners translate "cow's milk" word for word.
Wrong: 소 우유.
Correct: 우유. The word already means cow's milk, so no extra 소 (cow) is needed.
우유 Compared with Similar Words
Related items are other kinds of milk (soy and powdered) and 커피, the drink 우유 is most often added to.
| Word | Meaning | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| 우유 | milk | This page's word |
| 두유 | soy milk | soy milk |
| 분유 | powdered milk; formula | powdered milk / formula |
| 커피 | coffee | coffee |
Where Does the Word Come From?
우유 is written 牛乳: 牛 (cow) and 乳 (milk). That explains why the word already says "cow".
Buying Milk at a Neighbourhood Shop
A customer wants plain milk rather than a flavoured drink. The shopkeeper points to the fridge, and the customer chooses a small container.
Customer
흰 우유 있어요?
Huin uyu isseoyo?
Do you have plain milk?
Shopkeeper
네. 냉장고에 있어요.
Ne. Naengjanggoe isseoyo.
Yes. It is in the fridge.
Customer
작은 거 하나 주세요.
Jageun geo hana juseyo.
One small one, please.
Shopkeeper
네. 여기 있어요.
Ne. Yeogi isseoyo.
Yes. Here you are.
흰 우유 literally means “white milk”. In a shop, it distinguishes plain milk from flavours such as strawberry or chocolate. 작은 거 means “a small one”, so the customer does not need to repeat 우유 once both speakers know the product. 하나 counts one item without naming the container.
What Do Milk Labels and Flavour Names Mean?
딸기 우유 is strawberry milk, 초코 우유 is chocolate milk, and 바나나 우유 is banana milk. The flavour comes before 우유. The whole phrase names a drink, so 딸기 우유 is different from a strawberry served beside a glass of plain milk.
저지방 우유 means low-fat milk. 무지방 우유 means fat-free milk. The label describes fat content; it does not by itself say that the milk is sweetened, flavoured or made from a plant. Look at the rest of the product name when choosing between several cartons.
두유 means soy milk and is a separate word, rather than a flavour of cow's milk. 분유 means powdered milk and can refer to formula in a baby-care context. The shared 유 syllable connects these milk words, but each full name identifies a different product. A request for 우유 normally points to dairy milk unless the conversation specifies an alternative.
How Much Milk Are You Asking For?
우유 한 잔 asks for a glass or cup of milk. 잔 counts the serving vessel, so it fits a drink served at a table. 우유 한 팩 asks for one carton or pack, while 우유 한 병 asks for one bottle. Choose the counter for the container you want, rather than translating every English “one milk” with the same phrase.
A recipe may specify milk in millilitres instead of glasses or cartons. The package size and the amount used are separate quantities. 한 팩 tells you how many packages; it does not guarantee a particular volume. Read the number printed beside the volume unit if the amount matters.
우유를 넣다 means “to add milk”, as when putting it in coffee or a bowl of cereal. 우유를 따르다 means “to pour milk”. One phrase focuses on adding an ingredient, while the other describes the pouring action. Both take 를 because 우유 is what someone handles.
Where Will You Hear 우유 in Daily Life?
우유 appears on supermarket shelves, convenience-store fridges, cafe menus and breakfast shopping lists. A cafe customer may ask 우유 빼 주세요, “Please leave out the milk”. 빼 주세요 requests omission; it does not request that another ingredient be substituted. Name the replacement separately if you want one.
At home, 우유가 상했어요 means “The milk has gone bad”. 상하다 describes spoilage, while 우유가 없어요 says there is none. The distinction matters when explaining why someone needs to buy more: a full carton can still contain spoiled milk.
우유 is neutral vocabulary. The customer in the dialogue uses 있어요 and 주세요 to speak politely to the shopkeeper. Changing the speech ending leaves the product name intact, so you can use the same noun in a casual shopping message or a polite cafe request.
Words to Recognize beside 우유
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 두유 | soy milk | Names a drink made from soybeans. |
| 냉장고 | fridge | The location given in the shop dialogue. |
| 팩 | pack; carton | Counts packaged servings of milk. |
| 병 | bottle | Use when the milk is sold in a bottle. |
| 빨대 | straw | Useful when buying a small drink to take away. |
The drinks vocabulary lesson teaches other beverages alongside 우유 and 두유.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 흰 우유 distinguish from flavoured milk?
- Which phrase asks for a carton: 우유 한 잔 or 우유 한 팩?
- Does 우유가 상했어요 mean there is no milk left?
Show answers
- Plain milk; literally, “white milk”.
- 우유 한 팩. 우유 한 잔 asks for a glass or cup.
- No. It means the milk has gone bad. 우유가 없어요 says there is none.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "milk" in Korean?
Say 우유 (uyu).
Which verb pairs with milk?
Use 마시다 for drinking milk, as in 우유를 마시다.
Why not say 소 우유?
Because 우유 contains the cow already: 牛 means cow.
How do I say "soy milk"?
Say 두유.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Food and drinks word list groups 우유 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with the coffee page.