Korean for Beginners: Asking 'What Is in This?' and 'Does This Have ___?'
Learn to ask what is inside a dish and whether it contains a common ingredient in Korean, using 이게 뭐예요? and ___ 들어 있어요? with everyday food words.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you are curious about Korean food, the two most useful questions are "What is this?" and "Does this have ___ in it?" This lesson teaches both. You will learn 이게 뭐예요? (What is this?) and the pattern ___ 들어 있어요? (Does this have ___ in it? / Is there ___ in it?). You will also learn ten common ingredient words, including 고기 (meat), 야채 (vegetables), 밥 (rice), 계란 (egg), 우유 (milk), and 땅콩 (peanut). The goal is curiosity, not avoidance: you are asking what is inside because you want to know, not because you are refusing the food.
By the end, you can…
- ask what a dish or item is in Korean.
- ask whether a dish contains a specific ingredient.
- name several common ingredients in Korean.
- understand a simple yes/no answer about ingredients.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
이게 뭐예요?
What is this?
i-ge mwo-ye-yo?
Point to a dish or item near you. 이게 is the casual spoken form of 이것이; the full written form is 이것이 뭐예요? (or 이것은 뭐예요? with the topic particle).
이거 안에 뭐가 들어 있어요?
What is inside this?
i-geo an-e mwo-ga deul-eo iss-eo-yo?
Use when you want to know the contents of a dish, drink, or package. 안에 means 'inside'.
고기 들어 있어요?
Does this have meat in it?
go-gi deul-eo iss-eo-yo?
Replace 고기 with any ingredient. The particle 이/가 is often dropped in speech.
계란 들어 있어요?
Does this have egg in it?
gye-ran deul-eo iss-eo-yo?
계란 is the common word for egg; 알 is a more general word for egg or roe.
땅콩 들어 있어요?
Does this have peanut in it?
ttang-kong deul-eo iss-eo-yo?
Useful for checking a common allergen. The answer may be 네 (yes) or 아니요 (no).
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is [ingredient] + 들어 있어요? This literally means 'is [ingredient] contained?' and is the natural way to ask whether something is inside a dish. For example: 고기 들어 있어요? (Does this have meat in it?), 우유 들어 있어요? (Does this have milk in it?), 야채 들어 있어요? (Does this have vegetables in it?). To ask what is inside, use 이거 안에 뭐가 들어 있어요? (What is inside this?). You can also say 이게 뭐예요? (What is this?) when you simply want the name of the dish.
When to use it
Use 이게 뭐예요? when you see an unfamiliar dish and want its name. Use 이거 안에 뭐가 들어 있어요? when you want a list of ingredients. Use [ingredient] 들어 있어요? when you have a specific ingredient in mind, such as 땅콩 (peanut), 새우 (shrimp), or 돼지고기 (pork). These questions are neutral and curious. If you need to avoid an ingredient for a dietary or medical reason, you can add 못 먹어요 (I can't eat it) after hearing the answer: 땅콩 못 먹어요. This lesson focuses on asking and understanding, not on refusing food.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
이게 뭐예요?
What is this?i-ge mwo-ye-yo?김치찌개예요.
It's kimchi stew.gim-chi-jji-gae-ye-yo.돼지고기 들어 있어요?
Does it have pork in it?dwae-ji-go-gi deul-eo iss-eo-yo?네, 돼지고기 들어 있어요.
Yes, it has pork in it.ne, dwae-ji-go-gi deul-eo iss-eo-yo.A little context goes a long way
In Korean restaurants, asking about ingredients is normal and usually welcomed. With servers, use the polite -요 style shown here. Among friends, you can drop -요: 이게 뭐야? and 고기 들어 있어? The answer 네 means 'yes' and 아니요 means 'no'; sometimes you may hear 없어요, meaning 'there isn't any.' If you have a serious allergy, it is safest to show a written card in Korean as well as asking aloud.
One thing to watch for
Using 있어요? by itself to mean 'Does this have ___?' without the ingredient, or saying 이거 뭐 있어요? when you mean 'What is this?'
Try this instead: Include the ingredient before 들어 있어요?: 땅콩 들어 있어요? (Does this have peanut in it?). For the name of a dish, use 이게 뭐예요? (What is this?). 이거 뭐 있어요? is understandable but sounds like 'What is there here?' rather than 'What is this?'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'Does this have milk in it?' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
우유 들어 있어요?
Place the ingredient 우유 before 들어 있어요? The polite ending -요 makes it suitable for most situations. 우유가 들어 있어요? is also correct and slightly more explicit.
2You point at a dish and want to know its name. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
이게 뭐예요?
This asks 'What is this?' The more formal written form is 이것은 뭐예요? Both are correct; 이게 뭐예요? is common in speech.
3Someone asks 땅콩 들어 있어요? and there is no peanut. What is a natural answer?
Show a sample answer
아니요, 안 들어 있어요.
This means 'No, it doesn't have any.' You may also hear 없어요 (there isn't any). Both are natural; 안 들어 있어요 emphasizes that the ingredient is not included.
To satisfy your curiosity about Korean food, ask 이게 뭐예요? for the name and [ingredient] 들어 있어요? for the contents. Keep the ingredient right before 들어 있어요?, and listen for 네 or 아니요 in the answer.
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