At the table — 밥, 물, 김치, 맛있다, 먹다

You use these five words to talk about food and meals. 밥 can mean cooked rice or a meal in general.

01밥bap

rice · also a meal in general.

Note Both meanings are common. 밥을 짓다 means to cook rice. 밥 먹었어요? means Have you eaten? and does not always mean rice.

Examples 밥을 먹다 (to eat) · 밥이 맛있다 (the food is good)

밥 먹었어요? Have you eaten? | People also use it as a casual greeting or to show that they care

02물mul

water · a clear liquid that people drink.

Note Water goes with 마시다, not 먹다. You also hear 물 먹다 in casual speech.

Examples 물을 마시다 (to drink water) · 물 한 잔 (a glass of water) · 찬물 (cold water)

여기 물 좀 주세요. Could I have some water? | 좀 makes the request sound softer | At a restaurant, water is usually free

03김치gimchi

kimchi · salted, seasoned and fermented vegetables.

Note Kimchi is a 반찬, a side dish that comes with almost every Korean meal.

Examples 김치를 담그다 (to make kimchi) · 김치가 맵다 (the kimchi is spicy) · 김치찌개 (kimchi stew)

저는 김치를 아주 좋아해요. I really like kimchi. | 아주 = very

04맛있다masitda🔊 [마싣따]

to be tasty · to taste good. The opposite is 맛없다.

Pronunciation [마싣따]. The final consonant moves to the next syllable. The ㄷ after it becomes a strong (tense) sound ㄸ.

Examples 음식이 맛있다 (the food is tasty) · 맛있는 식당 (a good restaurant)

이 음식 정말 맛있어요. This food is really delicious. | 정말 = really | When someone serves you food, this one phrase is enough

05먹다meokda🔊 [먹따]

to eat · to take food in.

Pronunciation [먹따]. The ㄷ after the final consonant ㄱ is said as a strong sound ㄸ.

Note 드시다 is the polite form of 먹다 and 마시다. Say 드세요 when you offer food or drink to an elder. 먹으세요 is also possible, but 드세요 sounds more polite.

Examples 밥을 먹다 (to eat a meal) · 같이 먹다 (to eat together)

점심에 뭐 먹을까요? What shall we have for lunch? | 점심 = lunch

Quick check3 questions

Fill in each blank in Korean. Every answer appears above.

Show answers

1. 물 2. 맛있어요 3. 먹을

Study tip 밥 먹었어요? is often not a real question about food. It is closer to asking how someone is doing. A short answer like 네, 먹었어요 is enough.

TOPIK I Core Vocabulary · Food & Ordering ①