Key Facts
- Hangul: 감; Revised Romanization: gam
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral; used in all registers.
Persimmon in Korean: What Does 감 Mean?
The same syllable has other meanings, such as "material" or "a feeling", but this entry is the fruit. With a food verb it can only mean the persimmon, as in 감을 먹다 (to eat a persimmon). The tree is 감나무. The fruit changes name as it changes state: 홍시 is a soft ripe persimmon you eat with a spoon, and 곶감 is a persimmon that has been dried. The word is neutral and fits any register.
How Do You Pronounce 감?
One syllable, gam, with a short a and a final m. Close your lips on the m and stop there; there is no extra vowel after it. Compare English "gum" but with a more open a.
Example Sentences with 감
감이 맛있어요.
Gami masisseoyo.
The persimmon is delicious.
A simple tasty-fruit statement. 감이 is the subject; 맛있어요 is the polite form of "is delicious".
가을에는 감을 먹어요.
Gaeureneun gameul meogeoyo.
We eat persimmons in autumn.
가을에는 puts "autumn" in contrast position: in autumn, as opposed to other seasons. Persimmons ripen in autumn, so this sentence feels natural.
할머니 집에 감나무가 있어요.
Halmeoni jibe gamnamuga isseoyo.
There is a persimmon tree at my grandmother's house.
감나무 joins 감 and 나무 (tree) with no space. 할머니 집에 sets the scene at a grandmother's house, a classic place for a persimmon tree.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Fruit words are used with a small set of verbs and compounds. These four cover the persimmon in its life cycle.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 감을 먹다 | to eat a persimmon |
| 감나무 | persimmon tree |
| 홍시 | soft ripe persimmon |
| 곶감 | dried persimmon |
The Mistake to Avoid
The trap is a common word that starts with the same syllable.
Wrong: Reading 감기 as a kind of persimmon because it starts with 감.
Correct: 감 alone with a food verb is the fruit; 감기 is a cold, the illness, and the two share only a sound.
A learner who sees 감기 in a pharmacy and thinks of fruit will mis-read the sign.
감 Compared with 홍시 and 곶감
Three words appear beside 감 in everyday talk, and one of them is a false friend.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 홍시 | soft ripe persimmon | The same fruit at the very ripe stage, soft enough to eat with a spoon. |
| 곶감 | dried persimmon | Persimmons dried into a chewy sweet snack. |
| 감기 | cold (illness) | Not related to the fruit, despite the shared sound. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
감 is a native Korean word with no hanja. The tree name, 감나무, simply adds the native word for tree.
At a Fruit Stall: Choosing Firm Persimmons
A shopper wants persimmons that are ready to eat while still firm. The seller uses a more specific name than the general word 감.
Shopper
이 감은 달아요?
I gameun darayo?
Are these persimmons sweet?
Seller
네, 단감이라서 달아요.
Ne, dangamiraseo darayo.
Yes, they are sweet persimmons, so they are sweet.
Shopper
그럼 세 개 주세요.
Geureom se gae juseyo.
Then please give me three.
Seller
네, 여기 있어요.
Ne, yeogi isseoyo.
Yes, here you are.
단감 means a sweet, non-astringent persimmon, commonly eaten firm. 세 개 counts three individual fruits. The shopper’s question is about sweetness, rather than whether the fruit is soft. A persimmon can be firm and ready to eat; 홍시 describes a different, very soft state.
Which Persimmon Do You Want to Eat?
감 is the broad fruit name. At a shop, 단감, 홍시, and 곶감 give more useful information about what you are buying. 단감 is suited to eating in firm pieces. 홍시 is soft enough to scoop, while 곶감 is dried and chewy. These names help you choose by texture, rather than relying only on the orange color.
떫다 describes the astringent, mouth-drying taste that some persimmons have before they are ready to eat. It is different from sourness: a sour citrus fruit and an astringent persimmon create different sensations. 달다 means sweet, and 익다 means to ripen. A question about ripeness may matter more than a question about price when you want fruit for today.
Useful Phrases beyond “Eat a Persimmon”
감을 깎다 means to peel a persimmon, usually with a knife. 깎다 also appears with other fruit that is peeled this way. 감을 따다 means to pick a persimmon from the tree. Picking fruit at an orchard is different from selecting fruit from a shop display, even though English can use “pick” for both.
감이 익다 means that a persimmon ripens. Here 감 takes the subject marker 이 because the fruit is what becomes ripe. Compare 감을 먹다, where 을 marks the fruit as the thing being eaten. The noun stays the same while the particle shows its role.
Where Will You See 감?
Autumn fruit displays use 감 as a general label and may name the type beside it. Gift boxes may be labelled 곶감, so expect dried fruit inside rather than fresh persimmons. A dessert menu with 홍시 points toward the soft fruit or a dessert made with it. Read the full name before deciding what texture to expect.
Outside a food setting, 감 can be a different word meaning a feeling or sense. 감이 오다 means to get a feel for something or begin to understand it; nobody is receiving a persimmon. The fruit names and food verbs on this page help separate the meanings, but the syllable by itself is not enough.
Words for Buying and Serving 감
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 단감 | sweet persimmon | Often eaten firm, unlike soft 홍시. |
| 껍질 | skin; peel | The outside removed when peeling the fruit. |
| 씨 | seed | Something you may find inside the fruit. |
| 과일 | fruit | The general category that includes 감. |
The fruit vocabulary lesson adds other fruit names. On a shopping list, write the specific persimmon type if firm, soft, or dried fruit matters for your meal.
Quick Self-Test
- Which is dried: 홍시 or 곶감?
- Must a 단감 be soft before it can be eaten?
- What does 감을 깎다 mean?
Show answers
- 곶감 is dried. 홍시 is soft and ripe.
- No. Sweet persimmons can be eaten firm.
- To peel a persimmon, usually with a knife.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "persimmon" in Korean?
Say 감 (gam). It names the fruit and is neutral in every register.
What is the difference between 감 and 홍시?
홍시 is a fully ripe, soft persimmon. 감 is the general word for the fruit at any stage.
What is 곶감?
곶감 is a dried persimmon, a chewy sweet snack. It is made from the same fruit but has its own name.
Is 감기 a kind of persimmon?
No. 감기 means a cold, the illness. It starts with the same syllable but has no connection with the fruit.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Other fruit names are grouped in the fruits vocabulary list.
- The full alphabetical list is Korean words A to Z.
- Add the persimmon to your vocabulary flashcard decks to rehearse the 감 versus 감기 pair.
- See the illness on the page for cold, so you can keep it apart from the fruit.
- Next in the fruit list is strawberry.