“Coffee” in Korean – Useful vocabulary & phrases

Hello, coffee lovers! In this article, you’ll learn how to say “coffee” in Korean. As you may have already realized, knowing some quick phrases for coffee shops can be mighty helpful. However, before you can get started on speaking out sentences, perhaps you need to learn some actual Korean vocabulary for coffee, as well as related terms.

A coffee cup placed on a saucer with a teaspoon beside it

These words, in combination with the phrases you’re about to learn, will have you mastering ordering coffee and other related conversations for your next visit to a Korean coffee shop!

How to say “coffee” in Korean

The Korean word for “coffee” is 커피 (keopi). It’s a loan word from English, so it’s an easy one to remember; just need to make sure you get that small tweak in pronunciation right! Mostly this means replacing the double “ff” in English with “p.”

Additionally, be careful not to stress the vowel ㅓ so much it turns into ㅗ, as there is a similar word, 코피 (kopi), which means “nose bleed,” and you do not want to accidentally order that in the store!

Here’s a quick list of words related to “coffee” in Korean.

EnglishKorean
coffee bean커피 콩 (keopi kong)
coffee maker커피 메이커 (keopi meikeo)
coffee pot커피 주전자 (keopi jujeonja)
hand drip핸드 드립 (haendeu deurip)
coffee shop커피 샵 (keopi shyap),
커피숍 (keopisyop),
커피 전문점(keopi jeonmunjeom)
cafe카페 (kape)
barista바리스타 (bariseuta)
take-away cup휴대용 컵 (hyudaeyong keop)

A girl inside a cafe with cup of coffee, and people passing by outside

Most common coffee and hot beverages you can order in a cafe

Here’s another quick list you’ll usually find in the menu that Koreans really love! You can pick out and memorize your favorite coffee order to request in a Korean coffee shop from this list. Note that, many times, when you order in a cafe, the coffee drinks are presented with the word “cafe” or “coffee” in front of them. So, a latte may be a cafe latte, and so on.

EnglishKorean
black coffee블랙 커피 (beullaek keopi)
filter coffee필터 커피 (pilteo keopi)
drip coffee드립 커피 (deurip keopi)
hand drip coffee핸드드립커피 (haendeudeuripkeopi)
americano아메리카노 (amerikano)
cappuccino카푸치노 (kapuchino)
latte라떼 (latte)
mocha모카 (moka)
macchiato마끼아또 (makkiatto)
caramel macchiato카라멜 마끼아또 (karamel makkiatto)
espresso에스프레소 (eseupeureso)
espresso shot에스프레소 샷 (eseupeureso syat)
cold brew콜드브루 (koldeubeuru)
dutch coffee더치커피 (deochikeopi)
vanilla latte바닐라라떼 (banillalatte)
affogato아포가또 (apogatto)
shakerato샤케라또 (syakeratto)
hot chocolate핫 초코릿 (hat chokolit), 핫 초코렛 (hat chokolet)
tea차 (cha)
green tea녹차 (nokcha)
black tea홍차 (hongcha)
chai tea latte차이 티 라떼 (chai ti latte)
green tea latte녹차라떼 (nokchalatte), 그린티라떼 (geurintilatte)
black tea latte홍차라떼 (hongchalatte)
chocolate latte초코라떼 (chokolatte)
sweet potato latte고구마라떼 (gogumalatte)

Other beverages you can order in a cafe

Here are some more drinks you can typically find in a coffee shop. It’s great to have this information so you can order once you hit the local Starbucks or  indie cafe in Seoul !

EnglishKorean
chamomile tea캐모마일차(kaemomailcha)
citron tea유자차 (yujacha)
earl grey tea얼그레이차 (eolgeureicha)
grapefruit tea자몽차 (jamongcha)
peppermint tea페퍼민트차 (pepeominteucha)
milk tea밀크티 (milkeuti)
jujube tea대추차 (daechucha)
lemonade레몬에이드 (lemoneideu)
grapefruit ade자몽에이드 (jamongeideu)
green grape ade청포도에이드 (cheongpodoeideu)
strawberry ade딸기에이드 (ttalgieideu)
smoothie스무디 (seumudi)
milkshake쉐이크 (sweikeu)
watermelon juice수박주스 (subakjuseu)
strawberry juice딸기주스 (ttalkijuseu)
green grape juice청포도주스 (cheongpodojuseu)
grapefruit juice자몽주스 (jamongjuseu)
sikhye식혜 (sikhye)

A female barista holding a cup of coffee and a male barista preparing a cup of coffee

Sample sentences to use in a Korean coffee shop

Although the quick Korean phrases for the cafe will give you a quick roundabout for how to order coffee, here are some more example sentences you may find useful when talking about coffee. With these, you can be specific with your preference, whether you like black coffee, latte, or iced coffee. As a motivation, you can’t drink coffee in South Korea unless you get familiar with these phrases, so give it a try!

나는 커피를 블랙으로 마시는 것을 좋아해. (naneun keopireul beullaegeuro masineun geoseul joahae.)

I like to drink my coffee black.

커피에 우유와 설탕을 넣어 주시겠어요? (keopie uyuwa seoltangeul neoeo jusigesseoyo?)

Can I have milk and sugar in my coffee, please?

죄송하지만 저는 녹차 라떼를 싫어해요. (joesonghajiman jeoneun nokcha rattereul sileohaeyo.)

I’m sorry, but I dislike green tea latte.

매일매일 커피를 마셔요. (maeilmaeil keopireul masyeoyo.)

I drink coffee every single day.

If you’d like to learn more phrases to use in coffee shops, like when you want to pay in cash, order for takeout, etc., here’s our article dedicated to that.

Wrap Up

Whether you love Iced Americano, brewed coffee, instant coffee, or just enjoy being in a coffee shop, you’ll find these words helpful! Now you’ve been equipped with a lot of knowledge of the vocabulary for coffee in the Korean language, plus the most common coffee and other types of drinks you can buy in coffee shops in Korea. As you learn Korean, why don’t you try ordering a good cup of coffee and perhaps a slice of cake, too?

Do you think you’ll be ready to fall in love with Korean coffee culture now? We hope you’ll get to experience this and along with Korean culture in general.

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