Key Facts
- Hangul: 접시; Revised Romanization: jeopsi
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral everyday word for a flat plate. Spoken as [jeop-ssi].
Plate in Korean: What Does 접시 Mean?
접시 is a flat plate for serving or eating food. In English it can be "plate" or "dish". For anything deeper, Korean reaches for 그릇, a general word for tableware that holds food, or for specific terms such as 밥그릇, a rice bowl. 접시 is the flat one.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Written jeopsi, but spoken as [jeop-ssi]. After the final ㅂ the ㅅ is tensed, so you hear a doubled s. Close your lips firmly for the ㅂ and then hiss.
Example Sentences with 접시
접시에 과일을 담아요.
Jeopsie gwaireul damayo.
I put fruit on the plate.
A serving sentence. 과일을 is the fruit as the object, and 담아요 means "put in" or "fill".
접시 두 개 주세요.
Jeopsi du gae juseyo.
Please give me two plates.
A restaurant request. 두 개 means "two items", and 주세요 is "please give me".
접시가 깨졌어요.
Jeopsiga kkaejyeosseoyo.
The plate broke.
A breakage report. 깨졌어요 is the past tense of "broke", and the plate is the subject.
Common Phrases and Collocations
These phrases cover putting food on a plate, washing, size and counting.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 접시에 담다 | to put on a plate |
| 접시를 닦다 | to wash a plate |
| 큰 접시 | big plate |
| 접시 한 개 | one plate |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners use 접시 for every kind of dish, including bowls.
- Wrong: 접시 for a bowl
- Right: 그릇, or a specific term like 밥그릇 (rice bowl)
접시 is only the flat plate. Ordering soup on a 접시 would puzzle the waiter.
접시 Compared with 그릇 and 밥그릇
These three words separate the flat plate from the general vessel and the rice bowl.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 접시 | plate | This page's word |
| 그릇 | bowl / dish (general) | A general word for tableware that holds food. |
| 밥그릇 | rice bowl | A bowl for rice. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
접시 is a native Korean word with no hanja.
Asking for Small Plates to Share Food
Two diners are sharing fruit. One checks for small plates before serving, and the other points to a stack on the table.
Mina
작은 접시 있어요?
Jageun jeopsi isseoyo?
Are there any small plates?
Jisu
네, 여기 있어요.
Ne, yeogi isseoyo.
Yes, here they are.
Mina
두 개만 주세요.
Du gaeman juseyo.
Just two, please.
Jisu
과일은 큰 접시에 담을까요?
Gwaireun keun jeopsie dameulkkayo?
Shall I put the fruit on a large plate?
The small plates are for individual diners; the large plate holds the fruit to share. 작은 and 큰 describe size, so the dialogue can refer to different plates without giving each one a separate name.
두 개만 adds 만, “only” or “just”, to the requested quantity. 접시 is left out because the previous lines identify what is being counted. In the final question, 담을까요 offers to serve the fruit rather than reporting that it is already on the plate.
Empty Plates or Platefuls of Food?
접시 두 개 counts two pieces of tableware. 과일 한 접시 means one plate of fruit: 접시 works as a serving unit after the number. The first expression counts the containers; the second counts how much food is served. Food named before the quantity helps make the difference clear.
At a table, 접시 주세요 asks for a plate. In a discussion about portions, 한 접시 can mean a plateful. If you are sharing food and need an extra empty plate, 앞접시 is especially useful. It names the small individual plate used to take a portion from shared dishes.
앞접시 does not mean that the food itself is small or that you are ordering a smaller main dish. It tells the listener which piece of tableware you need. The request can use the same polite 주세요 ending as the existing two-plate example.
Which Verb Belongs with the Plate?
접시에 담다 puts the food on the plate, using 에 for the destination. 접시를 닦다 makes the plate the object of cleaning, using 를. Comparing the phrases shows why the noun takes different particles: the plate receives the food in one and receives the cleaning action in the other.
빈 접시 means “empty plate”. It describes the plate’s state, rather than its size or material. 큰 접시 can be empty or full, and a small plate can also be 빈 접시. These descriptions answer different questions about the same object.
접시가 깨지다 means that a plate breaks. 접시를 깨뜨리다 means breaking a plate, with someone causing the breakage. The earlier 접시가 깨졌어요 reports what happened to the plate without naming who caused it. That is useful when you notice broken tableware but do not know how it happened.
Where Will You Encounter 접시?
In a kitchen or homeware shop, 접시 appears alongside bowls, cups and cutlery. 종이 접시 means a paper plate; the first noun specifies the material. On a restaurant table, the same headword may occur in a request for extra tableware or in a description of a serving.
English “dish” can also mean a prepared food, such as a favorite dish. 접시 names the plate or a plateful, not the recipe itself. 요리 is the useful word when discussing the prepared dish as a kind of food.
Tableware to Learn Alongside 접시
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 앞접시 | small individual plate | Useful when sharing food from a larger dish. |
| 밥그릇 | rice bowl | A deeper vessel for rice. |
| 컵 | cup | Holds a drink rather than a serving of fruit. |
| 포크 | fork | An eating utensil, rather than a container. |
The kitchen vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. For a table request, the shape and purpose help: ask for 접시 for a plate and 앞접시 when you need a small plate for your own portion.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 접시 두 개 count empty tableware or specify two platefuls of food?
- What is an 앞접시 used for?
- Which particle fits putting fruit on a plate: 접시에 or 접시를?
Show answers
- It counts two plates as objects; it does not specify food portions.
- Taking your own portion from shared food.
- 접시에, because the plate is the destination of the food.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "plate" in Korean?
Say 접시 (jeopsi), spoken as [jeop-ssi].
How do you say "two plates, please"?
접시 두 개 주세요.
How do you say "the plate broke"?
접시가 깨졌어요.
What is the difference between 접시 and 그릇?
접시 is a flat plate. 그릇 is a general container for food.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: kitchen words groups 접시 with other kitchen words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z lists every single-word page.
- Practice: add 접시 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the kitchen list is the page on the knife.