Key Facts
- Hangul: 시금치; Revised Romanization: sigeumchi
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: probably borrowed from Chinese 赤根菜 (red-root vegetable); uncertain
- Register: Neutral; a common vegetable side dish.
Spinach in Korean: What Does 시금치 Mean?
시금치 is spinach, a neutral everyday word. In Korean cooking it is rarely eaten raw: it is blanched, squeezed and seasoned into 시금치나물, one of the classic side dishes, or simmered into 시금치 된장국. That is why the cooking verbs matter as much as the noun.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Three syllables: si-geum-chi. The ㄱ between vowels is voiced, so it is a soft g, not a hard k, and the ㅊ in the last syllable is aspirated, with a puff of air.
Example Sentences with 시금치
시금치를 데쳐요.
Sigeumchireul dechyeoyo
I blanch spinach.
데쳐요 means "blanch" in the polite present. The object marker 를 follows the vowel-ending noun.
저는 시금치나물을 좋아해요.
Jeoneun sigeumchinamureul joahaeyo
I like seasoned spinach.
시금치나물 is the seasoned side dish. 좋아해요 is "like", with 저는 as the topic.
시금치 한 단 주세요.
Sigeumchi han dan juseyo
Please give me a bunch of spinach.
한 단 means "one bunch". 주세요 is the polite request, so this is a market sentence.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Two phrases name the cooking steps, 시금치를 데치다 and 시금치를 무치다. The others name dishes: 시금치나물 and 시금치 된장국.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 시금치를 데치다 | to blanch spinach |
| 시금치나물 | seasoned spinach side dish |
| 시금치 된장국 | spinach soybean paste soup |
| 시금치를 무치다 | to season spinach |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: si-keum-chi, with a hard k in the middle.
Correct: si-geum-chi. A plain ㄱ between vowels is voiced, so it sounds like the soft g in "begin".
시금치 Compared with Similar Words
나물 is the general term for a seasoned vegetable side dish, and 시금치나물 is one example. 배추 and 부추 are other vegetables, not types of spinach.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 시금치 | spinach | Broad, dark green leaves on short stems |
| 나물 | seasoned vegetable side dish | The dish category; 시금치나물 is one kind of 나물 |
| 배추 | napa cabbage | A large cabbage head, used for kimchi |
| 부추 | Chinese chives | Long, flat blades rather than broad leaves |
Where Does the Word Come From?
시금치 is usually traced to a Chinese name for spinach, 赤根菜 ("red-root vegetable", after the pink base of the stem), borrowed through its Chinese pronunciation. Some sources simply list it as a native word, so treat the origin as uncertain.
Buying Spinach at a Market
A shopper wants spinach for a side dish. The seller checks the amount before putting it in a bag.
Shopper
시금치 있어요?
Sigeumchi isseoyo?
Do you have spinach?
Seller
네, 몇 단 드릴까요?
Ne, myeot dan deurilkkayo?
Yes. How many bunches would you like?
Shopper
한 단만 주세요.
Han danman juseyo.
Just one bunch, please.
Seller
네, 봉투에 담아 드릴게요.
Ne, bongtue dama deurilgeyo.
Sure, I will put it in a bag for you.
몇 단 asks “how many bunches”, and 한 단만 answers “just one bunch”. The seller uses 드릴까요 to offer something politely to the customer. Once 시금치 is established, both speakers can discuss the quantity without repeating the vegetable name.
Reading a Spinach Recipe in Order
시금치를 데치다 means blanching spinach: briefly putting it in boiling water. 시금치를 무치다 means mixing it with seasoning, often by hand. These verbs describe different stages. If a recipe tells you to 데치다 first and 무치다 later, it is asking for a sequence, rather than offering two names for the same action.
물기를 짜다 means squeezing out moisture. In a spinach side-dish recipe, this can come between blanching and seasoning. 물기 is the moisture left on or in the leaves; it is not an extra ingredient. Recognizing this phrase helps you understand why a recipe mentions water even after the spinach has left the pot.
시금치나물 names a finished seasoned dish, while 시금치 names the vegetable. A shopping list may simply say 시금치 because you need the ingredient. A side-dish menu may say 시금치나물 because it is offering the prepared food. The extra 나물 tells you how to interpret the name in that setting.
Where Will You See 시금치?
At a produce stall, 시금치 may appear beside a quantity or price. 한 단 describes a bunch, not a single leaf or stem. A packaged product may instead be labelled by weight. Match your request to the way that particular shop is selling it; the vegetable name remains 시금치 in either case.
In a side-dish shop, 시금치나물 is the name to look for when you want ready-to-eat seasoned spinach. At home, the shorter 시금치 can also refer to spinach already served on the table, because the plate makes the preparation clear. Context can supply the dish information that a written menu spells out.
The phrase 시금치 된장국 tells you two things: spinach is an ingredient, and the soup uses soybean paste. The final 국 identifies the food category. You can recognize the spinach even if you have not learned every other part of the dish name yet.
Greens and Cooking Words to Learn Together
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 나물 | greens / seasoned vegetable dish | On a side-dish menu, often names prepared vegetables. |
| 부추 | Chinese chives | A different green vegetable, with long flat leaves. |
| 참기름 | sesame oil | A seasoning you may meet in spinach recipes. |
| 단 | bunch / bundle | Counts bunches of greens, not individual leaves. |
The vegetable vocabulary lesson helps you distinguish spinach from other greens at a market. The shared colour does not make the names interchangeable: 부추 and 시금치 refer to different plants.
Quick Self-Test
- What quantity are you requesting with 한 단?
- Which cooking step means blanching: 데치다 or 무치다?
- Which is the clearer menu name for a seasoned spinach side dish?
Show answers
- One bunch or bundle of greens.
- 데치다. 무치다 means mixing with seasoning.
- 시금치나물; 시금치 alone names the vegetable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "spinach" in Korean?
Spinach in Korean is 시금치 (sigeumchi). Say the middle syllable with a soft g: si-geum-chi. You will see it most often as 시금치나물, the seasoned spinach side dish.
How do you say "blanch spinach"?
Say 시금치를 데치다. In the polite present it becomes 시금치를 데쳐요, "I blanch spinach". Blanching is the first step before the leaves are squeezed and seasoned.
What is 시금치나물?
시금치나물 is a seasoned spinach side dish: blanched spinach dressed by hand, usually with sesame oil, garlic and salt. It is one of the most common 나물 on a Korean table.
How do you ask for a bunch?
Say 시금치 한 단 주세요, "Please give me a bunch of spinach." 단 is the counter for a tied bundle of greens.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the Korean vegetable words page groups 시금치 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 시금치 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Compare with the page for napa cabbage.
- The next word in the list is sweet potato.