Key Facts
- Hangul: 설탕; Revised Romanization: seoltang
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 雪糖 (雪 snow + 糖 sugar)
- Register: Neutral everyday word.
Sugar in Korean: What Does 설탕 Mean?
설탕 means sugar, a neutral everyday word. The common set phrases are 설탕을 넣다 (to add sugar), 설탕물 (sugar water) and 흰 설탕 (white sugar), and it shows up in comments about food, as in 이 과자는 설탕이 많아요.
How Do You Pronounce 설탕?
Two syllables, seol and tang. The ㄹ at the end of the first syllable is a clear l. The second starts with ㅌ, an aspirated sound with a puff of air, and ends in ng.
Example Sentences with 설탕
설탕을 넣어요.
Seoltangeul neoeoyo.
I add sugar.
넣어요 means "put in", so this is the line you say while cooking. The object marker 을 follows 설탕 because it ends in a consonant.
커피에 설탕을 넣어요?
Keopie seoltangeul neoeoyo?
Do you put sugar in your coffee?
커피에 means "in coffee", and the question ending turns it into a café question. You can use it to ask a friend how they take their drink.
이 과자는 설탕이 많아요.
I gwajaneun seoltangi manayo.
This snack has a lot of sugar.
이 과자는 means "as for this snack". 설탕이 많아요 says there is a lot of sugar, a typical comment about sweets.
Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 설탕을 넣다 | to add sugar |
| 설탕물 | sugar water |
| 흰 설탕 | white sugar |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: 소금 when the recipe means sugar, or the other way round.
Correct: 설탕 is sugar (sweet) and 소금 is salt (salty). Both are white crystals, so learn the two words as a pair.
설탕 Compared with 소금 and 꿀
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 설탕 | sugar | Sweet white crystals |
| 소금 | salt | Also white crystals, but salty instead of sweet |
| 꿀 | honey | A natural liquid sweetener |
Origin and Culture
설탕 is Sino-Korean, written 雪糖 in hanja: 雪 (snow) plus 糖 (sugar), so it is literally "snow sugar".
Taking Sugar in Coffee
A host is making coffee for a guest at home. The guest asks for a small amount rather than a sweet drink in general.
Host
커피에 설탕을 넣어요?
Keopie seoltangeul neoeoyo?
Do you put sugar in your coffee?
Guest
네, 조금만 넣어 주세요.
Ne, jogeumman neoeo juseyo.
Yes, please add just a little.
Host
한 숟가락이면 돼요?
Han sutgaragimyeon dwaeyo?
Is one spoonful enough?
Guest
네, 고마워요.
Ne, gomawoyo.
Yes, thank you.
조금만 means “just a little”, and 넣어 주세요 asks the host to put it in. 한 숟가락 measures one spoonful; it is a conversational amount, not a precise recipe measurement. 설탕 does not need a plural ending when you discuss a quantity of it.
How Do You Ask for Less Sugar?
설탕을 빼다 means “to leave out the sugar” in an order or recipe. The literal meaning of 빼다 is to take something out, but in a drink request it usually asks the maker not to add it. 설탕 없이 means “without sugar” and describes the resulting preparation.
설탕을 줄이다 means “to reduce the sugar”. That leaves room for a smaller amount; it does not mean removing all of it. Compare 조금만, “only a little”, with 없이, “without”. The first changes the quantity and the second asks for absence.
설탕 한 숟가락 means “one spoonful of sugar”. A recipe may specify a tablespoon, teaspoon or weight, so an ordinary eating spoon is not automatically the intended measure. Read the unit beside the ingredient. 설탕 names what goes in, while the number and measure tell you how much.
What Do Recipes and Packages Call Sugar?
흰 설탕 is a transparent everyday description: white sugar. 백설탕 is another name you will meet on bags and ingredient lists. Recipe instructions often put 설탕 beside 소금 because both are measured seasonings. Their similar appearance does not make their roles in the recipe the same.
설탕물 literally combines “sugar” and “water”. It means water with sugar dissolved in it. The word describes the mixture, rather than a particular brand or a fixed level of sweetness. 시럽 means syrup, which is another word to recognize when a cafe adds a liquid sweetener instead of spooning in sugar.
Food packaging also uses 당류 for sugars as a nutrition category. 설탕 names the ingredient you add; 당류 is broader and can include sugars from other ingredients. Reading 설탕 in an ingredient list and reading 당류 in a nutrition table therefore answer different questions about the same product.
Words for Sweetness and Seasoning
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 달다 | to be sweet | Describes the taste rather than naming an ingredient. |
| 단맛 | sweetness / sweet taste | Names the taste itself. |
| 소금 | salt | Distinguishes the other white seasoning in a recipe. |
| 시럽 | syrup | Names a liquid sweetener used in drinks and desserts. |
The ingredient vocabulary lesson teaches the cooking set around 설탕. A comment about 단맛 concerns taste; a request about 설탕 concerns a specific ingredient. Honey or syrup can make a drink sweet even when no spoonful of table sugar goes in.
Quick Self-Test
- Which asks for no sugar: 설탕 없이 or 설탕 조금만?
- Does 설탕을 줄이다 mean removing every bit of sugar?
- Which names a taste rather than an ingredient: 단맛 or 설탕?
Show answers
- 설탕 없이. 조금만 asks for just a little.
- No. It means reducing the amount.
- 단맛 means sweetness or sweet taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "sugar" in Korean?
Sugar in Korean is 설탕 (seoltang). It is the everyday word in recipes, cafes and on food labels.
How do you say "white sugar" in Korean?
Say 흰 설탕. 흰 means white and goes in front of the noun.
What is the difference between 설탕 and 소금?
설탕 is sugar and tastes sweet; 소금 is salt and tastes salty. Both are white crystals, which is why learners mix them up.
What is 꿀?
꿀 is honey, a natural sweetener. Korean uses it in teas and desserts, sometimes in place of 설탕.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the Korean ingredient words page puts 설탕 beside its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 설탕 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is the word for tofu: see tofu.
- Compare with salt: also white crystals, but salty instead of sweet.