Key Facts
- Hangul: 간장; Revised Romanization: ganjang
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: mixed
- Register: Neutral everyday word.
Soy Sauce in Korean: What Does 간장 Mean?
간장 is soy sauce, with a neutral everyday register. It is a thin, dark, salty liquid, which separates it from the pastes in the same cupboard. You add it to cooking, and you dip food into it.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Two syllables, gan-jang. The ㅈ in the second syllable is voiced after n, so it sounds closer to "j" than to "ch".
Example Sentences with 간장
간장을 넣어요.
Ganjangeul neoeoyo.
I add soy sauce.
넣어요 means "put in". The object marker 을 follows 간장 because it ends in a consonant.
간장이 짜요.
Ganjangi jjayo.
The soy sauce is salty.
짜요 means "is salty". The subject marker 이 follows 간장, so the sentence describes the sauce itself.
김밥을 간장에 찍어요.
Gimbabeul ganjange jjigeoyo.
I dip the gimbap in soy sauce.
찍어요 is "dip", and 에 marks what you dip into. The sentence describes dipping this particular food; it does not mean every gimbap serving needs a dipping sauce.
Common Phrases and Collocations
The phrases include 진간장, a regular dark soy sauce, and 간장 게장, crab marinated in soy. Both show that 간장 is a building block for compound words.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 간장을 넣다 | to add soy sauce |
| 간장 소스 | soy-based sauce |
| 진간장 | regular dark soy sauce |
| 간장 게장 | soy-marinated crab |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: reaching for 고추장 when a recipe calls for 간장.
Correct: 간장. 간장 is a thin, dark, salty liquid; 고추장 is a thick, red, spicy paste. Both are 장, but they cannot replace each other.
간장 Compared with Similar Words
Two pastes are near it. 된장 is soybean paste, thick and not a liquid sauce. 고추장 is chili paste, spicy and red. Remember the texture: 간장 pours, the other two spread.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 간장 | soy sauce | This page's word |
| 된장 | soybean paste | Thick paste, not a liquid sauce. |
| 고추장 | chili paste | Spicy red paste. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
간장 is a mixed word: 간 is native Korean, related to saltiness and seasoning, and 장 comes from Sino-Korean 醬, "fermented sauce".
Asking for Soy Sauce with Dumplings
A customer has received dumplings but cannot find the dipping sauce. The server offers to bring some.
Customer
간장 좀 주세요.
Ganjang jom juseyo.
Could I have some soy sauce, please?
Server
만두에 찍어 드실 거예요?
Mandue jjigeo deusil geoyeyo?
Will you be dipping the dumplings in it?
Customer
네, 조금만 주세요.
Ne, jogeumman juseyo.
Yes, just a little, please.
Server
작은 접시에 담아 드릴게요.
Jageun jeopsie dama deurilgeyo.
I will put some in a small dish for you.
좀 softens the request, and 조금만 limits the amount to “just a little”. The server uses 드시다 to refer respectfully to the customer eating. Neither speaker needs to repeat 간장 once the sauce is clear from the situation.
What Do Recipe Phrases Tell You to Do?
간장을 넣다 means adding soy sauce into a dish during preparation. 간장에 찍어 먹다 means dipping food into soy sauce and then eating it. The particles show the difference: 을 marks the sauce being added, while 에 marks the sauce used for dipping. The same bottle can appear in either situation.
간장으로 간을 맞추다 means “adjust the seasoning with soy sauce”. Literally, 간을 맞추다 is to get the seasoning right; it is about the dish’s overall saltiness, not about matching two objects. A recipe may use this instruction near the end, when the cook tastes the dish and decides how much seasoning to add.
간장 소스 is a sauce based on soy sauce. The name does not mean the small dish contains only plain 간장: it may include vinegar or other ingredients. On a menu, 간장 before a dish name points to its seasoning or preparation. For example, 간장 게장 is crab marinated in soy sauce, rather than a bottle of sauce served beside crab.
Reading a Bottle or Menu
간장 is the broad ingredient name. 진간장 is a more specific bottle label, so a recipe that names 진간장 is giving more detail than one that only says 간장. Keep the full label when comparing a shopping list with bottles on a shelf; recognizing 장 at the end is not enough to identify the product.
In cooking videos, listen for the amount before 간장 or just after it. A phrase such as 간장 한 큰술 means “one tablespoon of soy sauce”. 한 큰술 is a measured quantity, while 조금 means “a little” without a fixed measure. If you are following a recipe, the amount matters as much as the ingredient name.
At a restaurant, 간장 있어요 asks whether soy sauce is available. 간장 좀 주세요 asks for it to be brought. The noun is neutral in both sentences; the request ending carries the politeness. When pointing to a dipping dish, the shorter request in the dialogue is enough.
Seasoning Words That Help Next
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 소금 | salt | Another way to add saltiness. |
| 식초 | vinegar | Adds sourness to a dipping sauce. |
| 참기름 | sesame oil | Names an oil, rather than a salty sauce. |
| 간 | seasoning / saltiness | The word in 간을 맞추다. |
The ingredient vocabulary lesson teaches the wider kitchen set. In a recipe, identify the ingredient first, then the quantity, then whether it is added to the food or served as a dip.
Quick Self-Test
- Which particle completes “dip in soy sauce”: 간장__ 찍어요?
- Does 간장 소스 always mean plain soy sauce with nothing added?
- What does 한 큰술 tell you in a recipe?
Show answers
- 에: 간장에 찍어요.
- No. It can be a sauce made with soy sauce and other ingredients.
- The amount: one tablespoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "soy sauce" in Korean?
Soy sauce in Korean is 간장 (ganjang). It is the thin, dark, salty liquid used to season dishes and as a dip.
What is 진간장?
진간장 is regular dark soy sauce, the all-purpose kind used for braising and stir-frying. It is the bottle most Korean kitchens reach for first.
Is 간장 the same as 고추장?
No. 간장 is a thin dark liquid, and 고추장 is a thick red paste. Both are fermented 장, but they taste and behave differently.
How do you say "it is salty"?
Say 짜요, as in 간장이 짜요, "The soy sauce is salty." 짜요 is the adjective for a salty taste.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the Korean ingredient words page groups 간장 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 간장 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Compare with the page for chili paste.
- Plain salt is on the page for salt.