Key Facts
- Hangul: 밥; Revised Romanization: bap
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral; honorific form is 진지, and 밥 alone also means 'a meal'.
Rice in Korean: What Does 밥 Mean?
밥 means cooked rice, and it also means a meal in general, since rice sits at the centre of a Korean meal. It is native Korean and neutral. When you talk about an elder's meal, use the honorific word 진지 instead.
How Do You Pronounce 밥?
One syllable, said "bap". The final ㅂ is a closed stop with no release. When a vowel follows, as in 밥을, the ㅂ moves over and sounds like b.
Example Sentences with 밥
밥을 먹어요.
Babeul meogeoyo.
I eat rice.
The standard pattern: noun, 을 and the verb eat. Here 밥 can mean rice or a meal.
밥 먹었어요?
Bap meogeosseoyo?
Have you eaten?
밥 먹었어요? often works as a friendly greeting as much as a real question about food, so a short "yes" is a fine answer.
밥이 맛있어요.
Babi masisseoyo.
The rice is delicious.
맛있어요 means delicious. 밥이 uses 이 after a final consonant, so the sentence praises the rice.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Four collocations separate cooking from eating, with a counter for bowls.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 밥을 먹다 | to eat a meal / rice |
| 밥을 짓다 | to cook rice |
| 밥 한 공기 | a bowl of rice |
| 밥을 하다 | to cook (a meal) |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: 쌀 for the cooked rice in your bowl.
Correct: 밥. 쌀 is uncooked rice, the grain you buy in a bag; once it is cooked, it is 밥.
밥 Compared with Similar Words
Three words surround 밥, from raw grain to polite meal.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 밥 | cooked rice | Cooked rice, or a meal |
| 쌀 | uncooked rice | The raw grain before cooking |
| 식사 | meal (formal) | A more formal word for a meal, never the rice itself |
| 진지 | meal (honorific) | The polite word for an elder's meal |
Background on 밥
밥 먹었어요? ("Have you eaten?") is an everyday greeting that shows care: asking whether someone has eaten is a way of asking how they are.
At Lunch: Ordering Another Bowl
A diner wants more cooked rice at a restaurant. The server checks the quantity before bringing it.
Diner
밥 한 공기 더 주세요.
Bap han gonggi deo juseyo.
One more bowl of rice, please.
Server
한 공기요?
Han gonggiyo?
One bowl?
Diner
네, 밥이 정말 맛있어요.
Ne, babi jeongmal masisseoyo.
Yes, the rice is really delicious.
Server
네, 가져다드릴게요.
Ne, gajyeodadeurilgeyo.
Certainly, I’ll bring it to you.
더 means “more” or “another” here. The counter 공기 names a bowlful of rice, so the request is for an additional serving. In this scene, 밥 clearly means rice itself, rather than the whole lunch: the diner is asking for one bowl to go with the rest of the food.
What Does 밥 Mean in Everyday Conversation?
밥 먹었어요? can show care, but it can also be a literal question. At lunchtime, a colleague may be deciding whether to invite you to eat. A short answer is enough for a greeting; in a lunch-planning conversation, explain whether you have eaten so they know whether to include you.
밥 먹자 means “let’s eat” or “let’s have a meal”. The ending 자 is casual, so it fits friends or people you already speak casually with. It is an invitation to a meal, not a claim that the meal must consist of plain rice. The polite dialogue above uses 주세요 instead because a diner is making a request to staff.
밥 사다 means “buy someone a meal” when the context supplies the person being treated. The literal image is buying rice, but the offer can cover lunch or dinner as a whole. 밥값 similarly means the cost of a meal in an ordinary bill-paying conversation.
Which Rice Words Appear on Menus?
공깃밥 is a serving of plain cooked rice in a bowl. It may appear as a separate menu item alongside soups and meat dishes. The word describes a serving you can order, while 밥 is the broader name for cooked rice or a meal.
볶음밥 is fried rice. 비빔밥 is mixed rice, and 김밥 names rice rolled in seaweed with fillings. In these food names, 밥 points to the cooked-rice part of the dish. Seeing 밥 inside a longer word does not mean the dish is simply a bowl of plain rice.
집밥 literally means “home rice” and refers to home-cooked food or meals. You may hear it when someone misses food made at home. The contrast concerns the kind of meal and where it comes from, rather than a different species of rice.
From Grain to Meal: Useful Nearby Words
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 쌀 | uncooked rice | The grain before it becomes cooked 밥. |
| 공기 | rice bowl; bowlful | Counts servings in 밥 한 공기. |
| 반찬 | side dishes | The dishes eaten alongside rice. |
| 밥솥 | rice cooker; rice pot | The vessel used to cook the rice. |
| 공깃밥 | bowl of cooked rice | A useful menu item when you want extra rice. |
The Korean dish vocabulary lesson connects 밥 with complete meals. When choosing between 쌀 and 밥, ask whether you mean raw grain or food ready to eat. When translating 밥 into English, the surrounding conversation then tells you whether “rice” or “meal” fits best.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word fits a bag of uncooked rice: 쌀 or 밥?
- What does 더 add to 밥 한 공기 더 주세요?
- Does 밥 먹자 always invite someone to eat plain rice?
Show answers
- 쌀 names uncooked rice.
- It asks for one more bowl.
- No. It can mean “let’s have a meal”.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say rice in Korean?
Rice in Korean is 밥 (bap) for cooked rice. Uncooked rice is 쌀, and 밥 also means a meal, as in 밥 먹었어요?, "Have you eaten?"
What is the difference between 밥 and 쌀?
쌀 is uncooked rice, the grain you buy and wash, and 밥 is the rice after cooking. 밥 can also mean a whole meal; 쌀 never does.
What is the honorific for meal?
The honorific word is 진지, used for the meal of a grandparent or another elder. 식사 is a neutral, polite alternative.
How do you say to cook rice?
Say 밥을 짓다, the traditional verb for cooking rice. In everyday speech 밥을 하다 is also common.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean dish words groups 밥 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z lists every single-word page.
- Practice: add rice in Korean to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list: side dishes, the dishes served with 밥.