Food and drinks in Korean: all 20 words
| Korean | Sounds like | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 밥 | bap | cooked rice, meal | |
| 김치 | gimchi | kimchi | |
| 라면 | ramyeon | instant noodles (ramyeon) | |
| 국 | guk | soup | |
| 빵 | ppang | bread | |
| 고기 | gogi | meat | |
| 생선 | saengseon | fish (as food) | |
| 계란 | gyeran | egg | |
| 우유 | uyu | milk | |
| 물 | mul | water | |
| 커피 | keopi | coffee | |
| 차 | cha | teaalso "car" | |
| 떡 | tteok | rice cake | |
| 만두 | mandu | dumplings | |
| 김밥 | gimbap | gimbap (seaweed rice roll) | |
| 치킨 | chikin | fried chicken | |
| 소금 | sogeum | salt | |
| 설탕 | seoltang | sugar | |
| 맥주 | maekju | beer | |
| 비빔밥 | bibimbap | bibimbap (mixed rice) |
Good to know
밥 (bap) means cooked rice, but it also means "a meal". That is why a common Korean greeting is 밥 먹었어요? ("Have you eaten?"), which works a lot like "How are you?".
Restaurant menus are full of loanwords you already know, like 커피, 치킨 and 피자, and the rest is a short list of everyday staples. Learn the words on this page and you can order, read most menus and ask for 물 (water) or 김치 refills.
Want to practice typing these words? Play Hangul Rain with the food and drinks words.
Frequently asked questions
How do I order food in Korean?
Say the dish and add 주세요 ("please give me"): 김밥 하나 주세요 is "One gimbap, please." To call the staff, say 저기요 ("excuse me").
Is 치킨 the same as 닭?
닭 is the bird, and 닭고기 is chicken meat. 치킨 means fried chicken, the kind you order with beer (치맥).
Romanization: Revised Romanization of Korean, with sound changes. Audio: a recorded native-sounding Korean voice.
Last checked: 2026-10-20