Beginner Korean 26: Food Expressions – Hungry, Full, Thirsty & Delicious
Beginner Korean 26: Food Expressions – Hungry, Full, Thirsty & Delicious
Food is one of the easiest subjects to talk about when you are beginning to learn Korean.
You can say that you are hungry, tell someone that a dish is delicious, explain that something is too spicy, or simply say that you are full.
These are small expressions, but they come up constantly in everyday life.
In this lesson, we will focus on the Korean you need to talk about food and how you feel about it. If your main goal is learning how to read an actual Korean restaurant menu, I have linked a separate practical guide later in the lesson.
1. How to Say “I’m Hungry” in Korean
The expression you will hear most often is:
배고파요.
Baegopayo.
I'm hungry.
This is a very common everyday expression.
You can make it stronger by adding 너무 (neomu), meaning “very” or “so.”
지금 너무 배고파요.
Jigeum neomu baegopayo.
I'm so hungry right now.
You may also hear:
밥 먹고 싶어요.
Bap meokgo sipeoyo.
I want to eat / I want to have a meal.
Here, 밥 (bap) literally means cooked rice, but in everyday Korean it can also refer more generally to a meal.
2. How to Say “I’m Full”
After eating, you can say:
배불러요.
Baebulleoyo.
I'm full.
This is the natural opposite of 배고파요.
For example:
많이 먹어서 배불러요.
Mani meogeoseo baebulleoyo.
I'm full because I ate a lot.
3. How to Say “I’m Thirsty”
The everyday expression is:
목말라요.
Mongmallayo.
I'm thirsty.
If you simply want water, you can say:
물 좀 주세요.
Mul jom juseyo.
Some water, please.
The word 좀 literally has meanings such as “a little,” but in requests like this it also helps make the sentence sound softer and more natural.
4. How to Say Food Is Delicious
One of the first Korean food expressions worth learning is:
맛있어요.
Masisseoyo.
It's delicious.
If you really like something, add 정말:
이거 정말 맛있어요.
Igeo jeongmal masisseoyo.
This is really delicious.
You can also use:
너무 맛있어요.
Neomu masisseoyo.
It's so good.
In everyday conversation, Koreans use 너무 very frequently this way.
5. Useful Words for Describing Taste
Once you can say whether something is delicious, the next step is describing how it tastes.
| Korean | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 매워요 | maewoyo | It's spicy. |
| 짜요 | jjayo | It's salty. |
| 달아요 | darayo | It's sweet. |
| 셔요 | syeoyo | It's sour. |
| 싱거워요 | singgeowoyo | It's bland / not salty enough. |
You can combine these ideas naturally.
조금 매워요.
It's a little spicy.
맵지만 맛있어요.
It's spicy, but delicious.
조금 짜요.
It's a little salty.
6. A Few Basic Food Words
You do not need a huge food vocabulary at this stage. These words are enough to start:
| Korean | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 음식 | eumsik | food |
| 밥 | bap | rice / meal |
| 면 | myeon | noodles |
| 고기 | gogi | meat |
| 채소 | chaeso | vegetables |
| 물 | mul | water |
You will also hear 야채 (yachae) for vegetables in everyday Korean. Both 야채 and 채소 are commonly understood.
7. Three Restaurant Phrases Worth Knowing
This lesson is mainly about talking about food rather than restaurant etiquette, but three expressions are useful enough to learn now.
이거 주세요.
Igeo juseyo.
This one, please.
하나 더 주세요.
Hana deo juseyo.
One more, please.
계산할게요.
Gyesanhalgeyo.
I'd like to pay.
These are enough for a beginner. You do not need to memorize a long restaurant dialogue yet.
8. A Short Everyday Conversation
Here is a more realistic beginner conversation:
A: 배고파요?
Baegopayo?
Are you hungry?
B: 네, 너무 배고파요. 밥 먹고 싶어요.
Ne, neomu baegopayo. Bap meokgo sipeoyo.
Yes, I'm really hungry. I want to eat.
A: 이거 어때요?
Igeo eottaeyo?
How about this?
B: 좋아요. 이거 주세요.
Joayo. Igeo juseyo.
Sounds good. This one, please.
A: 맛있어요?
Masisseoyo?
Is it good?
B: 네. 조금 맵지만 맛있어요.
Ne. Jogeum maepjiman masisseoyo.
Yes. It's a little spicy, but delicious.
9. Try It Yourself
Choose the best answer.
1. How do you say “I'm hungry”?
A. 배불러요
B. 배고파요
C. 목말라요
Answer: B. 배고파요
2. What does 배불러요 mean?
A. I'm thirsty.
B. It's delicious.
C. I'm full.
Answer: C. I'm full.
3. How do you say “It's a little spicy”?
A. 조금 매워요.
B. 조금 달아요.
C. 조금 짜요.
Answer: A. 조금 매워요.
What to Remember from This Lesson
You do not need dozens of restaurant expressions yet. For a beginner, I would remember these first:
배고파요. — I'm hungry.
배불러요. — I'm full.
목말라요. — I'm thirsty.
맛있어요. — It's delicious.
매워요. — It's spicy.
이거 주세요. — This one, please.
Once these expressions feel familiar, you can move from simply talking about food to understanding what is actually written on a Korean menu.
Learn More About Eating in Korea
If you are visiting Korea and want to understand a real restaurant menu, continue with:
How to Read Korean Menus: 35 Essential Food Words Every Traveler Should Know
This guide explains words such as 찌개, 구이, 볶음, 1인분 and other menu clues that help you work out what a dish actually is.