Key Facts
- Hangul: 찌개; Revised Romanization: jjigae
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Native Korean
- Register: Neutral everyday word; usually appears in compound names like 김치찌개.
Stew in Korean: What Does 찌개 Mean?
찌개 means a Korean stew, often served bubbling in its pot. It can come as an individual portion or a shared dish. It is neutral, but you will mostly meet it inside compound names: 김치찌개 is kimchi stew, and 찌개 백반 is a set meal that comes with a stew, rice and side dishes. The verb that goes with it is 끓이다, to boil.
How Do You Pronounce 찌개?
Two syllables, and the first one starts with the tense ㅉ. Press the tongue against the roof of the mouth, tighten, and release with no puff of air. The second syllable is gae, close to "gay" with a soft g.
Example Sentences with 찌개
찌개가 뜨거워요.
Jjigaega tteugeowoyo.
The stew is hot.
뜨거워요 means "it is hot", the natural remark when the pot arrives. The subject marker 가 follows the vowel-final 찌개.
저는 김치찌개를 좋아해요.
Jeoneun gimchijjigaereul joahaeyo.
I like kimchi stew.
The compound 김치찌개 is built from kimchi and stew, and 를 marks it as the thing liked.
오늘 저녁에 찌개를 끓여요.
Oneul jeonyeoge jjigaereul kkeuryeoyo.
I am making stew this evening.
오늘 저녁에 means "this evening". 끓여요 is the cooking verb that goes with stews, so you are making it rather than buying it.
Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 찌개를 끓이다 | to make a stew (literally "boil") |
| 김치찌개 | kimchi stew |
| 찌개 백반 | set meal with stew |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: treating 찌개 as just a kind of 국 (soup).
Correct: 찌개 is its own dish category, usually richer and more concentrated than 국. The menu name is a better guide than the serving bowl: 찌개 can be served individually, and sharing a pot is not what defines it.
찌개 Compared with 국 and 전골
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 찌개 | stew | This page's word |
| 국 | soup | 국 has more broth and is thinner; 찌개 is thicker and saltier. |
| 전골 | hot pot | 전골 is cooked at the table in a shallow pot, often with more ingredients. |
Origin and Culture
찌개 is a native Korean word with no hanja form. Stews are often shared from one pot in the middle of the table, and a set meal with 찌개, a 찌개 백반, is a familiar lunch option in Korea.
Ordering Stew at a Small Restaurant
A customer asks a server about the menu before ordering lunch. The question concerns spiciness, not the temperature of the pot.
Customer
김치찌개 많이 매워요?
Gimchijjigae mani maewoyo?
Is the kimchi stew very spicy?
Server
네, 조금 매워요.
Ne, jogeum maewoyo.
Yes, it’s a little spicy.
Customer
그럼 된장찌개 하나 주세요.
Geureom doenjangjjigae hana juseyo.
Then one soybean paste stew, please.
Server
네, 잠시만 기다려 주세요.
Ne, jamsiman gidaryeo juseyo.
Of course. Please wait a moment.
하나 orders one serving here. It does not tell you the number of diners who will share it. The server’s 네 acknowledges the order. 매워요 describes spicy flavour, while 뜨거워요 in the earlier example describes physical heat. A stew can be hot in temperature without being especially spicy.
Reading a 찌개 Menu
김치찌개 names a stew based on kimchi, and 된장찌개 names one based on soybean paste. 순두부찌개 is a soft tofu stew. The part before 찌개 often identifies a central ingredient, but it is not a complete ingredient list. A dish named after tofu or vegetables may still contain meat, seafood, or stock made from them.
부대찌개 is another common dish name, often translated as “army base stew”. The name does not describe one ingredient in the way 김치찌개 does. Learn it as a whole dish name. Recognising 찌개 at the end still tells you the broad food category when the first part is new.
A menu may offer an individual stew or a larger pot for sharing. Look for serving information such as 인분, meaning “servings”, rather than assuming every 찌개 order feeds the whole table. The words 공깃밥 별도 mean that a bowl of rice is separate; a stew name alone does not guarantee that rice is included.
Cooking and Serving Phrases You Will Hear
찌개를 끓이다 literally means to boil a stew and naturally means to cook or make one. 찌개가 끓다 means the stew boils. The first phrase gives someone an action to perform; the second describes what the food is doing. This difference helps you follow a recipe without confusing the cook and the pot.
찌개를 데우다 means to heat up a stew, such as one already cooked. It is useful when discussing leftovers. Making a fresh stew and warming yesterday's stew are different kitchen tasks, so the verb adds information that the noun alone cannot supply.
국물 means the liquid or broth in the dish, and 건더기 means the solid pieces. A person may like the broth but leave some of the solids, or serve themselves more solids than broth. Both words apply within a stew; they do not rename the whole dish as 국.
In home conversation, 찌개 can stand alone when everyone knows which pot is being discussed. At a restaurant, use the full dish name to make your order clear. 주세요 is a polite way to request it. The food noun itself does not change with the customer's age or the formality of the restaurant.
Words to Use Alongside 찌개
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 된장 | soybean paste | The base named in 된장찌개. |
| 순두부 | soft tofu | The ingredient named in 순두부찌개. |
| 국물 | broth; cooking liquid | Refers to the liquid within the dish. |
| 공깃밥 | bowl of plain rice | May appear separately on a menu. |
Compare dish names in the Korean stew vocabulary lesson.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word describes spicy flavour: 매워요 or 뜨거워요?
- Does a tofu stew name guarantee there is no meat or seafood?
- What does 공깃밥 별도 tell you?
Show answers
- 매워요. 뜨거워요 describes temperature.
- No. The name highlights an ingredient, not the whole recipe.
- The bowl of rice is separate from the stew order.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "stew" in Korean?
Stew in Korean is 찌개 (jjigae). It usually appears as part of a dish name, such as 김치찌개 (kimchi stew), and names the thick, salty stews served bubbling in a pot.
What is the difference between 찌개 and 국?
국 has more broth and is thinner, and it is served in individual bowls. 찌개 is thicker and saltier, and it is usually shared from one pot.
What is 전골?
전골 is a hot pot cooked at the table in a shallow, wide pot, often with more ingredients than a 찌개. Diners watch it cook and serve themselves.
Which verb goes with 찌개?
Use 끓이다, to boil: 찌개를 끓이다 means to make a stew, and 찌개를 끓여요 means "I am making stew".
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the Korean stew words page puts 찌개 beside its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 찌개 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is the word for soybean paste stew: see soybean paste stew.
- Compare with soup: 국 has more broth and is thinner; 찌개 is thicker and saltier.