Key Facts
- Hangul: 고구마; Revised Romanization: goguma
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: loanword, usually traced to a Japanese (Tsushima) dialect word
- Register: Neutral; a winter street-food favorite.
Sweet Potato in Korean: What Does 고구마 Mean?
고구마 means sweet potato and is neutral in every register. It appears in many cooked forms: 군고구마 (roasted), 고구마를 찌다 (to steam) and 고구마 라떼, a sweet potato latte sold in cafes. 호박고구마 is a popular variety with moist, deep-orange flesh; 호박 means pumpkin, so the name describes its colour and texture.
How Do You Pronounce 고구마?
Three syllables, go-gu-ma, with even weight. The first ㄱ is a light, unaspirated sound, and the ㄱ between vowels is a soft g. In 군고구마 the first syllable ends in ㄴ: gun-go-gu-ma.
Example Sentences with 고구마
고구마를 구워 먹어요.
Gogumareul guwo meogeoyo
I eat roasted sweet potatoes.
구워 comes from 굽다, to roast, so 구워 먹어요 is literally "roast and eat". 를 marks 고구마 as the object.
저는 군고구마를 좋아해요.
Jeoneun gungogumareul joahaeyo
I like roasted sweet potatoes.
군고구마 is the roasted version as a single word. 좋아해요 states a preference.
고구마가 달고 맛있어요.
Gogumaga dalgo masisseoyo
The sweet potato is sweet and tasty.
달고 means "is sweet and", linking to 맛있어요 (tasty), so two descriptions fit in one sentence.
Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 고구마를 굽다 | to roast a sweet potato |
| 군고구마 | roasted sweet potato |
| 고구마를 찌다 | to steam a sweet potato |
| 고구마 라떼 | sweet potato latte |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: 단 감자, a word-for-word "sweet potato".
Correct: 고구마. Korean does not treat the sweet potato as a kind of 감자; it has its own word.
고구마 Compared with 감자 and 군고구마
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 고구마 | sweet potato | The raw or cooked vegetable |
| 감자 | potato | A different vegetable with white, starchy flesh |
| 군고구마 | roasted sweet potato | 고구마 after roasting; the winter street snack |
| 호박고구마 | moist, orange-fleshed sweet potato | A variety of 고구마 named after 호박 (pumpkin) |
Origin and Culture
고구마 is usually traced to a Japanese dialect word from Tsushima, brought to Korea in the 1700s together with the plant. Treat that as the common account rather than settled fact.
Roasted sweet potatoes, 군고구마, are a classic winter street snack.
Buying a Warm Winter Snack
A customer stops at a stall selling roasted sweet potatoes. The food is already cooked, so the customer asks for 군고구마.
Customer
군고구마 있어요?
Gungoguma isseoyo?
Do you have roasted sweet potatoes?
Seller
네. 따뜻해요. 몇 개 드릴까요?
Ne. Ttatteutaeyo. Myeot gae deurilkkayo?
Yes. They’re warm. How many would you like?
Customer
두 개 주세요.
Du gae juseyo.
Two, please.
Seller
네. 봉투에 넣어 드릴게요.
Ne. Bongtue neoeo deurilgeyo.
Certainly. I’ll put them in a bag for you.
개 counts individual sweet potatoes: 두 개 is two of them. 몇 개 드릴까요? is the seller’s polite offer, “How many shall I give you?” After the first line, both speakers leave out 군고구마 because the food is already clear. The seller’s 넣어 드릴게요 offers to bag the purchase for the customer.
What Changes When 고구마 Is Cooked?
고구마 can name the ingredient or the food after cooking. 군고구마 specifically names the roasted version. 찐 고구마 means steamed sweet potato, with 찐 describing how it was cooked. A recipe might list raw 고구마 at the start and describe 찐 고구마 later after the steaming step.
고구마를 굽다 and 고구마를 찌다 name cooking actions, while 군고구마 and 찐 고구마 name the resulting food. The distinction helps when reading a recipe versus buying a prepared snack. A stall sign usually needs a food name; an instruction needs a verb telling you what to do with the ingredient.
What Will You See on Menus and in Shops?
고구마 라떼 is a sweet potato latte. Here 고구마 identifies the flavor or main ingredient. The drink name does not itself promise coffee; check the menu description if you want to know whether it contains espresso. On a cafe menu, 라떼 can name a milk-based drink flavored with something other than coffee.
고구마 케이크 means sweet potato cake, and 고구마 피자 means sweet potato pizza. The first word identifies an ingredient or flavor rather than a separate side dish. A menu item containing 고구마 may therefore arrive as a dessert or topping, not as a whole roasted root.
밤고구마 is a sweet potato type named for its chestnut-like texture, while 호박고구마 is associated with a moister texture and orange flesh. 밤 means chestnut and 호박 means pumpkin. These names describe kinds of sweet potato; neither means that the root is a mixture of two vegetables.
Words for Choosing and Preparing Sweet Potatoes
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 감자 | potato | Names the separate vegetable, not a shorter form of 고구마. |
| 껍질 | skin / peel | Names the outer layer you may remove before eating. |
| 찌다 | to steam | Gives the cooking method for 찐 고구마. |
| 굽다 | to roast / bake / grill | Gives the cooking method for 군고구마. |
The vegetable vocabulary lesson teaches the wider produce set. Learn the cooking verb beside the ingredient so that a packet of raw sweet potatoes, a recipe instruction and a ready-to-eat snack do not all look like the same kind of information.
Quick Self-Test
- Which specifically names the roasted snack: 고구마 or 군고구마?
- What does 두 개 mean in the stall dialogue?
- Does 호박고구마 mean a sweet potato mixed with pumpkin?
Show answers
- 군고구마. 고구마 is the general word.
- Two individual sweet potatoes.
- No. It names a kind of sweet potato; 호박 describes its pumpkin-like qualities.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "sweet potato" in Korean?
Sweet potato in Korean is 고구마 (goguma). It is its own word, not a kind of 감자 (potato). Roasted, it becomes 군고구마, the winter street snack.
How do you say "roasted sweet potato" in Korean?
Say 군고구마 (gungoguma). In winter, vendors sell it hot from street ovens, and it is also a common home snack. The verb for roasting it yourself is 굽다, as in 고구마를 굽다.
Is 고구마 a kind of 감자?
No. 감자 is the potato and 고구마 is a different vegetable with its own name. Saying 단 감자 for sweet potato is a common learner mistake.
How do you say "steam a sweet potato"?
Say 고구마를 찌다. Steamed sweet potatoes are a common breakfast or afternoon snack in Korea, eaten plain or with kimchi.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the Korean vegetable words page puts 고구마 beside its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 고구마 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is the word for tomato: see tomato.
- Compare with potato: 감자 is a separate vegetable.