Key Facts
- Hangul: 배추; Revised Romanization: baechu
- Part of speech: noun
- Senses: napa cabbage, Chinese cabbage
- Origin: from Chinese 白菜 (白 white + 菜 vegetable), borrowed through its Chinese pronunciation
- Register: Neutral; this is the cabbage used for making kimchi.
Napa Cabbage in Korean: What Does 배추 Mean?
배추 means napa cabbage, also called Chinese cabbage: a tall, oblong head with crinkly pale leaves and thick white ribs. The word is neutral and used everywhere, from recipes to market signs. Its best-known use is in 배추김치, the standard napa cabbage kimchi that the examples below build up step by step.
Pronunciation
Say bae-chu: bae is the vowel ㅐ, close to the e in 'bed', and chu has the aspirated ㅊ, released with a puff of air. Nothing links or changes, so the written form is what you say.
Example Sentences with 배추
배추김치를 만들어요.
Baechugimchireul mandeureoyo
I make napa cabbage kimchi.
The cabbage becomes part of the dish name, 배추김치, with no space between the two words. Cooks use this form to separate it from other kimchi types.
배추 한 포기 주세요.
Baechu han pogi juseyo
Please give me one head of napa cabbage.
포기 is the counter for heads or clumps of cabbage, so 한 포기 means one whole head. The sentence is what you say at a market stall.
배추를 소금에 절여요.
Baechureul sogeume jeoryeoyo
I salt the napa cabbage.
절여요 comes from 절이다, to brine. Salting comes first in kimchi making: it softens the leaves so the seasoning can soak in.
Phrases That Use 배추
These four phrases follow the cabbage from market to table. 배추 한 포기 is the shopping phrase, while 배추를 절이다 is the first cooking step. 배추 겉절이 is freshly seasoned cabbage kimchi, eaten right away without fermenting.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 배추김치 | napa cabbage kimchi |
| 배추를 절이다 | to brine napa cabbage |
| 배추 한 포기 | one head of napa cabbage |
| 배추 겉절이 | fresh, unfermented napa cabbage kimchi |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: asking for 양배추 when the recipe needs napa cabbage.
Correct: 배추. 양배추 is the round, tightly packed Western cabbage; 배추 is the long napa cabbage used for kimchi. Buy the wrong one and the kimchi will have a different texture and flavour.
배추 Compared with Similar Words
Pair 배추 with the other kimchi words.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 배추 | napa cabbage | Long head with crinkly leaves; the main kimchi cabbage |
| 양배추 | cabbage | Round, firm Western cabbage; 양 marks it as "Western" |
| 김치 | kimchi | The finished fermented dish, not the raw vegetable |
| 무 | radish | A large white root, the other main kimchi vegetable |
Where Does the Word Come From?
배추 goes back to the Chinese word 白菜, "white vegetable" (白 white + 菜 vegetable). Korean borrowed it through the Chinese pronunciation rather than the usual Korean hanja reading 백채, and the sound wore down over time to 배추. That is why the word does not look like a typical Sino-Korean word.
Buying Cabbage for Kimchi
A customer is choosing napa cabbage at a vegetable stall. The seller confirms the quantity before handing it over.
Customer
배추 있어요?
Baechu isseoyo?
Do you have napa cabbage?
Seller
네. 몇 포기 드릴까요?
Ne. Myeot pogi deurilkkayo?
Yes. How many heads would you like?
Customer
두 포기 주세요.
Du pogi juseyo.
Two heads, please.
Seller
네, 여기 있어요.
Ne, yeogi isseoyo.
Yes, here you are.
몇 포기 asks how many heads. 두 is the counting form of 둘 before a counter, so two heads is 두 포기. The customer can leave 배추 out of the second request because both speakers already know which vegetable they mean.
Reading Cabbage Labels and Menus
배추 on a produce label names the vegetable. 배추김치 on a menu names a prepared dish. A restaurant may shorten the side-dish label to 김치, so the absence of 배추 on the menu does not tell you which vegetable the kimchi contains. Ask or look at the dish when the ingredient matters.
절임배추 means salted or brined napa cabbage. The leaves have already been salted, but the product name alone does not mean the cabbage has been seasoned into finished kimchi. This is a useful distinction when a recipe starts by telling you to salt fresh cabbage.
배추 겉절이 names cabbage dressed with seasoning and eaten fresh. Compared with fermented 배추김치, the focus is on freshly seasoned leaves. The word 겉절이 describes a preparation, so it can appear with vegetables other than 배추 too.
A Whole Head, Half a Head, or Leaves?
배추 한 포기 is a whole head. 배추 반 포기 is half a head. Keep 포기 when you are reading a recipe’s quantity: half a head and half a leaf give very different amounts. A market may sell a cut portion even though the recipe describes whole heads.
배춧잎 means a napa cabbage leaf. Notice the written ㅅ in this compound; it is not written as a simple joining of 배추 and 잎. Recipes that work leaf by leaf need this smaller unit, while a shopping list often uses 포기 for the whole plant.
| Korean | Meaning | Where it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 소금 | salt | The ingredient used to salt cabbage before seasoning. |
| 고춧가루 | red pepper powder | An ingredient in many red kimchi seasonings. |
| 마늘 | garlic | Another common seasoning ingredient. |
| 절임배추 | brined napa cabbage | A prepared ingredient, ready for the next cooking step. |
The vegetable vocabulary lesson helps you read a produce list alongside 배추. In a kimchi recipe, distinguish the vegetable names from the seasonings before shopping.
Quick Self-Test
- Which cabbage is long and leafy: 배추 or 양배추?
- How many heads does 두 포기 request?
- Does 절임배추 necessarily mean finished kimchi?
Show answers
- 배추 is napa cabbage; 양배추 is round Western cabbage.
- Two heads.
- No. It means brined cabbage; seasoning may still need to be added.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is napa cabbage in Korean?
Napa cabbage in Korean is 배추 (baechu), the long, pale-green cabbage used to make kimchi. English also calls it Chinese cabbage. Round Western cabbage has a different name, 양배추.
How do I ask for one head of napa cabbage?
Say 배추 한 포기 주세요, "Please give me one head of napa cabbage." 포기 is the counter for whole heads or clumps of cabbage, so 한 포기 means one whole head.
Is 양배추 the same as 배추?
No. 양배추 is the round Western cabbage, while 배추 is the long napa cabbage. Most kimchi is made with 배추; 양배추 turns up in salads, stir-fries and street toast.
What does 배추를 절이다 mean?
It means to brine napa cabbage: salting the leaves so they soften before the kimchi seasoning goes in. It is the first step in making 배추김치.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean vegetable words groups 배추 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: the vocabulary flashcard decks take this word.
- Next in the list: onion.
- Compare: kimchi.
- Compare: radish.