Assorted fruits, nuts and vegetables

Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables in Korean

Ready to learn the names of fruits in Korean? We will cover those, as well as the names for vegetables and nuts in the Korean language.

If you plan to go grocery shopping in Korea or visit a Korean restaurant, learning these terms is for you! We’re going to cover the most important words you should learn first, as well as give you some example sentences so you can put them to use.

Assorted fruits, nuts and vegetables

These Korean nouns are going to be a key part of your plan if you’re learning Korean or have an interest in Korean culture. The good news is that you already know a lot of these Korean words (we’ll explain how).

Below is a free PDF guide that you can download and take with you:

As we cover the terms for fruits, vegetables, and nut vocabulary words in the Korean language, you’ll notice that they’re written in both Hangeul (Korean Alphabet) and in romanized Korean. The English spelling is just an approximation of the sounds. Your pronunciation will improve significantly if you learn Hangeul.

Grab your free guide here and learn Korean in about 1 hour.

List of Fruit Names in Korean

Here is a list of different fruits in Korean and most of these can be found within Korea. Keep in mind that some of the fruit names will sound very similar to the English word. For example, 레몬 (remon | lemon) sounds just like “lemon.” That’s the beauty of Konglish and Korean loan words: You already know them!

We’ve also added sample sentences in some vocabulary below. Use them to practice speaking and reading. They’re useful for understanding Korean grammar better. You might also try combining sentences with Korean conjunctions or Korean particles.

If you’re craving freshly squeezed fruit ades while in South Korea, knowing these terms will help. Let’s start off with the word for fruit.

“Fruit” in Korean

The word for “fruit” in Korean is 과일 (gwail). Korean fruits are categorized into different kinds below.

List of fruits in Korean (Berries)

Next, we’ll cover some of the berry fruits. Most of these fruits sound like their English counterparts, except for Korean strawberries and raspberries. Both of those words have Korean double consonants, so make sure you pronounce them correctly.

Fruit in KoreanEnglish
블랙베리 (beullaekberi)blackberry
블루베리 (beulluberi)blueberry
산딸기 (santtalgi)raspberry
크랜베리 (keuraenberi)cranberry
딸기 (ttalgi)strawberry

“Strawberry” in Korean

The “strawberry” in Korean is 딸기 (ttalgi). If you like fresh whole strawberries, there are plenty of areas in South Korea where you can go strawberry picking.

Fruits in Korean (Infographic)

List of fruits in Korean (Citrus)

Here are some of the citrus fruit names in Korean. They are known to have plenty of health benefits.

Fruit in KoreanEnglish
레몬 (remon)lemon
라임 (raim)lime
오렌지 (orenji)orange
귤 (gyul)tangerine
자몽 (jamong)grapefruit

“Orange” in Korean

오렌지 (orenji) is the Korean word for “orange” that refers to the fruit. However, a different term is used for the color orange, which is 주황색 (juhwangsaek).

Sample Sentence:

매일 아침에 오랜지주스를 마셔요. (maeil achime oraenjijuseureul masyeoyo.)

I drink orange juice every morning.

Other fruits

And now for the remainder of the fruits. If you want an easy way to remember the Korean word for “apple,” there’s a Korean joke about it that makes it hard to forget.

Fruit in KoreanEnglish
banana
apple
kiwi
망고 (manggo)mango
pear, also called Korean pears or Korean apples
포도 (podo)grapes
파인애플 (painaepeul)pineapple
복숭아 (boksunga)peach
수박 (subak)watermelon
체리 (cheri)cherry
자두 (jadu)plum
살구 (salgu)apricot
감 (gam)persimmon
석류 (seongnyu)pomegranate
멜론 (mellon)melon
올리브 (ollibeu)olive
파파야 (papaya)papaya
코코넛 (kokoneot)coconut
용과 (yonggwa)dragonfruit
대추 (daechu)jujube
승도복숭아 (seungdoboksunga)nectarine

various illustrations of fruit

“Banana” in Korean

In the Korean language, this fruit is still called 바나나 (banana). Remembering it is easy as it is pronounced the same way as its English word. There’s also a famous banana-flavored drink called Banana Milk (바나나맛 우유 | bananamat uyu). A sweet flavor that is an ultimate must-try!

“Peach” in Korean

The word for “peach” in Korean is 복숭아 (boksunga). If you’re familiar with Kakaotalk, one character named Apeach (어피치) was created based on the peach fruit. Peaches are seasonal fruits that are popular during summer.

“Apple” in Korean

The Korean word for “apple” is 사과 (sagwa). However, some also use its Konglish term, 애플 (aepheul).

Fun fact: 사과 (sagwa) also means “apology” in Korean.  So in Korea, when people want to apologize to someone, they sometimes give an apple to express how sorry they are.

“Persimmon” in Korean

The word for “persimmon” in Korean is 감 (gam). This fruit is used for the Korean drink 수정과 (sujeonggwa) mixed with ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

“Pear” in Korean

The Korean word for “pear” is 배 (bae). The same term is also used for Korean pears, Korean snow pears, or Korean apples.

“Pineapple” in Korean

“Pineapple” in Korean, which sounds very similar to its English counterpart is called 파인애플 (painaepeul). This tropical fruit is known to be a great source of Vitamin C!

Sample Sentence:

제가 가장 좋아하는 과일은 파인애플이에요 (Jega gajang joahaneun gwaireun painaepeurieyo)

My favorite fruit is pineapple.

“Watermelon” in Korean

The Korean word for “watermelon” is 수박 (subak). This huge fruit is typically sliced and shared by many, especially during summer in South Korea. This is different from Korean yellow musk melons or 참외 (chamoe), or the Korean melon 멜론 (mellon).

Sample Sentence:

수박을 몇 조각 먹을래요? (subageul myeot jogak meogeullaeyo?)

How many slices of watermelon do you want to eat?

Now that you know the fruit names in Korean, let’s cover the Korean vegetables.

Vegetable Names in Korean

Food plays an important role in Korean culture. This cuisine includes vegetables in most recipes too, so if you’re interested in anything about Korean food, learning this vocabulary along with other food-related words is essential. After all, this makes Korean dishes very healthy! Here are some vegetable names in Korean.

various illustrations of vegetables

“Vegetable” in Korean

Before we learn the terms for different vegetables in Korean, let’s start with “vegetable” first. The word for vegetable in Korean is 야채 (yachae).

 List of different vegetables in Korean

Below is the list of the different vegetables and how they’re called in Korean.

Vegetables in KoreanEnglish
야채 (yachae)vegetables
샐러드 (saelleodeu)salad
lettuce
양배추 (yangbaechu)cabbage
배추 (baechu)Chinese cabbage
cucumber
tomato
potato
시금치 (sigeumchi)spinach
당근 (danggeun)
carrot
아보카도 (abokado)avocado
옥수수 (oksusu)corn
셀러리 (selleori)celery
애호박 (aehobak)zucchini
무 (mu)radish
껍질콩 (kkeobjilkong)
green beans
bell pepper, paprika
garlic
버섯 (beoseot)mushrooms
beans
골파 (golpa)
대파 (daepa)
spring onion, leek
부추 (buchu)chives, leek
여주 (yeoju)balsam pear
연근 (yeongeun)lotus root
고구마 (goguma)sweet potato
고추 (gochu)red pepper
생강 (saenggang)ginger
양파 (yangpa)onion
인삼 (insam)ginseng
후추 (huchu)pepper
브로콜리 (beurokolli)broccoli
호박 (hobak)pumpkin
순무 (sunmu)turnip

“Pumpkin” in Korean

The word “pumpkin” in Korean is 호박 (hobak). This vegetable is often used to make porridge or soup by Koreans. 호박죽 (hobakjuk) is used to call “pumpkin porridge” while 단호박죽 (danhobakjuk) is used to call “sweet pumpkin porridge.” This vegetable is also often seen during Halloween.

“Carrot” in Korean

“Carrot” in Korean is called 당근 (danggeun). The same term is used as a Korean slang to say “of course” which is 당연하지 (dangyeonhaji), since they sound very similar.

An image with 9 different kinds of vegetables.

“Onion” in Korean

The Korean word for “onion” is 양파 (yangpa). If you mean to say “spring onion” in Korean, the term you can use is 골파 (golpa).

“Cucumber” in Korean

The word for “cucumber” in Korean is 오이 (oi). This is the key ingredient in the Korean side dish, 오이무침 (oimuchim).

Sample Sentence:

슈퍼에 갈때 오이를 3개 사 주세요. (syupeoe galttae oireul 3gae sa juseyo.)

Please buy three cucumbers when you go to the grocery store.

Names of Nuts in Korean

Lastly, below are the different names of nuts in Korean.

An image with 8 different kinds of nuts.

Nuts in KoreanEnglish
견과 (gyeongwa)nut
아몬드 (amondeu)almond
땅콩 (ttangkong)peanut
호두 (hodu)walnut
chestnut
잣 (jat)pine nuts
캐슈넛 (kaesyuneot)cashew
해바라기씨 (haebaragissi)sunflower seed

Wrap Up

Now that you’ve learned all about what completes a Korean meal, a.k.a. Korean fruits, nuts, and vegetables, it’s time to start making sentences like the examples above! They’ll definitely come in handy if you’re living in Korea or plan on shopping at a Korean supermarket abroad. Perhaps you also plan to visit Korea or specific areas like Jeju Island for a taste of these Korean fruits and Korean vegetables and a taste of Korean culture too!

What’s your favorite fruit? Is it a banana, orange, pineapple, or peach? Or maybe it’s a lemon or plum? Do you prefer citrus or tropical fruit? Show us your Korean fruit, vegetable, and nut skills in the comments below!

Picture Credit: Bigstock

73 thoughts on “Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables in Korean”

  1. This site is literally the best Korean learning site I’ve come across. You guys should keep up with the good work

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