Welcome, meat lovers! In this lesson, we’ll be teaching you everything you need to know about “meat” in Korean.
Whether you plan to shop at the butcher’s shop for a stir-fried dish, make your own Korean food at home, or go out for a round of delicious Korean barbecue in Korea, you’ll find yourself at an advantage in learning how to say “meat” in Korean.
And not only the word “meat” but all the different meats available for you to devour in Korea.
At the end of the article, we’ve also included some useful phrases, including a way to simply describe your diet in Korean if you do not eat meat. Let’s get to learning!
Below is a free PDF guide that you can download and take with you:
How to say “meat” in Korean
The word for “meat” in Korean is 고기 (gogi). This word encompasses all the different types of meat. Sometimes all you need is this word, but oftentimes you may wish to know the specific type of Korean meat you’re talking about. Thus we’ll go over them all today!
Different types of meat in Korean
There are different types of meat used in Korean cuisine. Here are the most common ones in Korean:
“Beef” in Korean
The Korean word for “beef” is 쇠고기 (soegogi). It is typically the most expensive type of meat in Korea. Nevertheless, it has a lot of cultural value for Koreans and is the meat you’ll want to go for when celebrating, for example. You can eat beef raw, roasted, grilled, in soups, and in other ways as well.
“Chicken” in Korean
The word for “chicken” in Korean is 닭고기 (dalgogi). It is another old and valuable part of Korean cuisine. You can eat chicken meat from various dishes like braised chicken, roasted chicken, fried chicken, and fried boneless chicken thighs to soups and noodle dishes.
Plus, one favorite thing to snack on during a night out with friends is chicken feet!
Video: How to Say “Chicken” in Korean
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“Pork” in Korean
The word for “pork” in Korean is 돼지고기 (dwaejigogi). Just like beef, pork has been eaten in South Korea since ancient times, with various parts of pork being cooked in various methods. It’s widely used meat for when you go out for Korean BBQ, for example.
“Fish” in Korean
The word for “fish” in Korean is 물고기 (mulgogi), although each type of fish also has its own representative name.
Fish and shellfish are another big part of Korean cuisine, eaten raw, grilled, broiled, dried, in stews and soups, and so on.
Vocabulary for Meat in Korean
Here are the Korean words for different meat in South Korea and their English counterpart. This list of words may come in handy on your next plan to eat out at a Korean restaurant or if you will buy these from a meat shop.
The vocabulary below is also part of our list of Korean nouns. And if you want to explore a wider range of words, we have a list of common English words translated into Korean here to help you know more vocabulary.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Meat | (gogi) |
| Beef | (soegogi) |
| Pork | (dwaejigogi) |
| Chicken | (dalgogi) |
| Lamb | (yanggogi) |
| Duck | (origogi) |
| Venison | (saseumgogi) |
| Turkey | (chilmyeonjo gogi) |
| Pheasant | (kkwonggogi) |
| Partridge | (jagosae gogi) |
| Quail | (mechuragi gogi) |
| Ham | (haem) |
| Bacon | (beikeon) |
| Sausage | (sosiji) |
| Rib, Chop | (galbisal) |
| Beef brisket | (chadolbagi) |
| Sirloin | (deungsim) |
| Tenderloin | (ansim) |
| Top blade | (buchaesal) |
| Outside skirt steal | (anchangsal) |
| Flank steak | (chimasal yangji) |
| Spicy chicken ribs | (dakgalbi) |
| Pork belly | (samgyeopsal) |
“Duck” in Korean
The Korean word for “duck” is 오리고기 (origogi) which refers to its meat.
However, if you’re referring to the animal “duck,” you can remove the “고기 (gogi)” part and say 오리(ori).
“Lamb” in Korean
You can say “lamb” in Korean as 양고기 (yanggogi).
“Beef Brisket” in Korean
The Korean word for “beef brisket” is 치돌박이 (chadolbagi). You can often find thin-sliced brisket as Korean BBQ meats in restaurants.
Vocabulary for Seafood in Korean
The list below shows the Korean words for different kinds of seafood.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Fish | (mulgogi) |
| Salmon | (yeoneo) |
| Tuna | (chamchi) |
| Mackerel | (godeungeo) |
| Herring | (cheongeo) |
| Shrimp | (saeu) |
| Crab | (ge) |
| Clams | (jogae) |
| Oyster | (gul) |
| Abalone | (jeonbok) |
| Octopus | (muneo), (nakji) |
| Squid | (ojingeo) |
“Salmon” in Korean
You can say “salmon” in Korean as 연어 (yeoneo).
“Octopus” in Korean
There are two ways to say “octopus” in Korean, which are 문어 (muneo) and 낙지 (nakji).
However, the latter refers to a small octopus.
“Mackerel” in Korean
The word for “mackerel” in Korean is 고등어 (godeungeo).
“Squid” in Korean
You can say “squid” in Korean as 오징어 (ojingeo).
You might have also heard this used in the Korean translation of the series Squid Game which is 오징어 게임 (Ojingeo Geim).
“Crab” in Korean
The Korean word for “crab” is 게 (ge), while “crab meat” is called 게살 (gesal).
“Abalone” in Korean
You can say “abalone” in Korean as 전복 (jeonbok).
“Tuna” in Korean
The word for “tuna” in Korean is 참치 (chamchi). The term for “canned tuna” in Korean 참치 통조림 (chamchi tongjorim).
If you enjoyed learning Korean so far through the vocabulary for meats above, you’ll likely enjoy our courses too. Our structured online courses can help you have a 3-minute conversation in Korean in just 90 days!
What is Korean BBQ?
When talking about meat, the first thing that often comes to mind is Korean Barbecue (Korean BBQ). This is a method of cooking in Korean cuisine that mainly involves grilling meat indoors or outdoors, with grilling stations built into each dining table in a Korean restaurant.
The grilled meat can either be beef, pork, or chicken, plain or marinated.
How to eat Korean BBQ?
When dining here, you will usually be the one to grill the South Korean bbq meats, but you don’t need to be a great cook to do that. All you need is your table and equipment for grilling, the meat, and the rest of the condiments.
If you love to cook, or if you just love to eat, you will really enjoy the experience in Korean barbecue restaurants. This has grown to be an activity enjoyed not only by Koreans but people all around the globe.
Korean BBQ Meat
There are different ways of enjoying Korean barbecue. The whole Korean barbecue experience is beyond just eating the meat by itself, as it also comes with many different side dishes and sauces. You also get to choose if you want it spicy or not. After grilling the meat and cutting it into pieces, this is usually wrapped in lettuce together with some side dish and sauce.
If you’re the type of person who loves to try and taste different flavors, you can mix and match the meat with different sauces and side dishes. To know more about them, here are the Korean words for these K-bbq meats.
불고기 (Bulgogi)
One of the popular grilled Korean meat dishes that people order in a Korean restaurant is called 불고기 (bulgogi). Beef bulgogi is made of thin slices of marinated meat. This dish is usually marinated in soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, garlic, and brown sugar before grilling it.
“Bulgogi” pronunciation
At first glance, reading the word 불고기 (bulgogi) might be confusing especially if you mainly rely on romanization. Below you can listen to the audio to know how to properly pronounce 불고기 (bulgogi).
삼겹살 (Samgyeopsal)
삼겹살 (Samgyeopsal), similar to bulgogi meat, is also thinly sliced, but this dish is made of pieces of pork belly. Its English translation means “three-layer-meat.” The meat is already sliced and is usually served unseasoned or only lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and sesame oil.
So, what to say if you don’t eat meat?
Here are a couple of ways to say, “I don’t eat meat in Korean.”
저는 고기를 먹지 않습니다 (jeoneun gogireul meokji anhseupnida)
I don’t eat meat.
물고기(와 닭고기를) 먹지만 고기를 먹지 않습니다 (mulgogi (wa dalgogireul) meokjiman gogireul meokji anseumnida)
I eat fish (and chicken) but not meat.
“Vegetarian” in Korean
The word for “vegetarian” in Korean is 채식주의자 (chaesikjuuija).
저는 채식주의자입니다 (jeoneun chaesikjuuijaipnida)
I am a vegetarian.
Wrap Up
Do you eat meat? Have you tried out samgyeopsal, short ribs, or generally Korean barbecue before? Let us know about your favorite meat in the comments! Next up, do you feel ready to tackle our bigger vocabulary article about food in Korean?
Nothing just wanted to say 감사 해요 ???? for your hard work nd i get to know so many things nd also I’m not confuse anymore .
Great, thanks for the kind words!
Hi!
I’m confused right now. In a Korean book I am currently using to learn Korean Language, beef in Korean is written as 소고기, while on your reference above, it’s 쇠고기. Are these two words similar or what?
Thank you!
소고기 and 쇠고기 both can be used for “beef.” ^^
Hi!
In what context would I use 생선 over 물고기?
Thank you!
Good question, Holly! Both mean ‘fish’, but 물고기 is a general term for fish as an animal and 생선 is used in the context of food. ^^
Hello
Question, if I say 치킨 it means fried chicken and if I say 닭고기 it means any other form of chicken dish?
Thanks
Hi, Banniee! That’s correct! ^^