Korean Food Guide Introduction:

Whether it’s the dishes that you see in your favorite Korean drama or foods you got to eat at your Korean family’s house, Korean food has this amazing ability to take hold of your eyes and taste buds and never let go.

Meaning, once you see Korean food, you’ll want to try it!
And once you try Korean food, it’s tough not to want it again!

In this “Korean Food Guide” series, you will find an in-depth explanation of how to eat Korean food, the Korean terms about eating, the best Korean dishes, mouthwatering pictures of Korean food, links to our favorite simple Korean recipes, and interesting Korean food facts.

In this post, “How do I eat Korean food?”, we’ll teach you about the basic terminology you will need to know when eating Korean cuisine. These can be used whether you’re at a Korean restaurant or Korean cafe near you, or at a friend’s house.

Let’s go! 가자! (Ga-ja!)

How do you talk about Korean food in Korean?

You may not be able to memorize the pronunciation of every dish you love, but there are a few staples that are good to memorize! Try using them with your friends or with the chef that’s cooking you the delicious Korean meal.

Major Korean Food Terms

English	Korean	Pronunciation
Main dish	주요리	Joo-yo-ri
Side dish	반찬	Ban-chan
Dessert	후식	Hoo-shik
Beverage	음료수	Eum-ryo-soo
Beef	소고기	Soh-goh-gi
Chicken	닭고기	Dak-goh-gi
Pork	돼지고기	Dwe-ji-goh-gi
Fish	생선	Saeng-sun
Soup	국	Gook
Stew	찌개	Jji-gae
Rice	밥	Bab
Noodles	국수	Gook-soo
Vegetables	야채	Yah-cheh
Fried food	튀김	Twee-gim
Spoon	수저	Soo-juh
Fork	포크	Same as “fork”
Chopsticks	젓가락	Juht-gah-rak

Now that you know how say major food categories in Korean, you need to find someone to eat it together with! Experiencing Korean food together with a friend is the best way to do so. That way, you can ask questions, have the courage to try new things, get recommendations, and have a fun time with eating new dishes like pig blood sausage (soon-dae)!

The people who give you their food give you their heart.

Cesar Chavez

How do you ask a Korean to eat Korean food with you?

Maybe you have your eye on that cute Korean girl in class, or the good-looking Korean guy that your friend introduced you to. Maybe you have a Korean-speaking friend you want to practice Korean with.

Whoever it is, we will teach you how to successfully ask someone to eat Korean food together with you in Korean.

The secret? Ask them if they’ve eaten yet.

“Did you eat?” = “I care about you!”

One way that Koreans greet one another is by saying “did you eat?” instead of “how are you”. It’s our way of asking the other person if they are doing well (implying that if you’ve eaten, then you are doing pretty ok.)

If the other person says that they haven’t eaten yet, then great! Invite them to go eat some delicious Korean food with you.

If they say that they have eaten already, then ask them what they ate and invite them to go eat with you next time.

How to ask someone about breakfast in Korean

How do you say “breakfast” in Korean?
아침 : Ah-chim

How do you say “did you eat breakfast” in Korean?
아침 드셨나요? : Ah-chim deu shut nah yo? (Formal, respectful)
아침 먹었어요?: Ah-chim-mug-ut-uh-yo? (Less formal, towards peers)

How to ask someone about lunch in Korean

How do you say “lunch” in Korean?
점심: Juhm-shim

How do you say “did you eat lunch” in Korean?
점심 드셨나요? : Juhm-shim deu-shut nah yo? (Formal, respectful)
점심 먹었어요?: Juhm-shim mug-ut-uh-yo? (Less formal, towards peers)

How do you say “Do you want to eat lunch together?” in Korean?
점심 같이 드실래요?: Juhm-shim gat-chi deu-shil-leh-yo?
점심 같이 먹을래요? : Juhm-shim gat-chi muk-eul-leh-yo?

How do you say “Do you want to eat lunch together next time?” in Korean?
다음에 점심 같이 드실래요?: Da-eum-eh Juhm-shim gat-chi deu-shil-leh-yo?
다음에 점심 같이 먹을래요? : Da-eum-eh Juhm-shim gat-chi muk-eul-leh-yo?

Bonus phrase: Add “I know a great Korean place! Let’s go together!” at the end
제가 좋은 한식집 알아요! 같이 가요! : Jeh-gah jo-eun han-shik-jib ahl-ah-yo! Gat-chi gah-yo!

Bonus phrase: Add “I want to try Korean-style lunch!” at the end
한식 점심 먹어보고 싶어요! : Han-shik Juhm-shim muk-uh-bo-go ship-uh-yo!

How to ask someone about dinner in Korean

How do you say “dinner” in Korean?
저녁: Juh-nyuk

How do you say “did you eat dinner” in Korean?
저녁 드셨나요? : Juh-nyuk deu shut nah yo? (Formal, respectful)
저녁 먹었어요?: Juh-nyuk mug-ut-uh-yo? (Less formal, towards peers)

How do you say “Do you want to eat dinner together?” in Korean?
저녁 같이 드실래요?: Juh-nyuk gat-chi deu-shil-leh-yo?
저녁 같이 먹을래요? : Juh-nyuk gat-chi muk-eul-leh-yo?

How do you say “Do you want to eat dinner together next time?” in Korean?
다음에 저녁 같이 드실래요?: Da-eum-eh Juh-nyuk gat-chi deu-shil-leh-yo?
다음에 저녁 같이 먹을래요? : Da-eum-eh Juh-nyuk gat-chi muk-eul-leh-yo?

Bonus phrase: Add “I know a great Korean place! Let’s go together!” at the end
제가 좋은 한식집 알아요! 같이 가요! : Jeh-gah jo-eun han-shik-jib ahl-ah-yo! Gat-chi gah-yo!

Bonus phrase: Add “I want to try Korean-style dinner!” at the end
한식 저녁 먹어보고 싶어요! : Han-shik Juh-nyuk muk-uh-bo-go ship-uh-yo!

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There you have it! This is part 1 of a long guide that we have coming up for you here at Be Korean. Meanwhile, keep practicing these terms and try them out! Yes, it’s difficult to memorize new vocabulary or feel comfortable with a new language, unless you make it a part of your daily conversations.

And if you do have the guts to ask out that Korean cute girl or hot guy you’ve been crushing on with these terms, let us know how it goes below.
We’d love to hear what you want to learn about next!