Korean for Beginners: Asking 'How Do You Cook ___?' and Understanding Simple Answers
Learn to ask how to cook a dish in Korean using '어떻게 요리해요?' and understand simple recipe answers with basic verbs and ingredients.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you want to learn how to make a Korean dish, you need to ask for guidance. In Korean, the key question is '어떻게 요리해요?' (eotteoke yorihaeyo?), meaning 'How do you cook (it)?' You can insert a food name before '요리' (yori, cooking) to ask about a specific dish. This lesson teaches you that question pattern and how to understand simple answers that use basic cooking verbs like '넣어요' (neo-eoyo, put in), '볶아요' (bokkayo, stir-fry), and '끓여요' (kkeuryeoyo, boil). You will also learn to recognize ingredients and sequence words like '먼저' (meonjeo, first) and '그다음에' (geudaeume, then). By the end, you can ask for cooking instructions and follow a short, simple response.
By the end, you can…
- ask 'How do you cook ___?' in Korean using '어떻게 요리해요?'.
- understand simple cooking instructions that use basic verbs like '넣어요', '볶아요', and '끓여요'.
- recognize common ingredients and sequence words in a short recipe answer.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
이거 어떻게 요리해요?
How do you cook this?
i-geo eo-tteo-ke yo-ri-hae-yo?
Use when pointing at a specific dish or ingredient you want to cook.
김치찌개 어떻게 요리해요?
How do you cook kimchi stew?
gim-chi-jji-gae eo-tteo-ke yo-ri-hae-yo?
Replace '김치찌개' with any dish name to ask about that dish.
먼저 김치를 넣어요.
First, put in the kimchi.
meon-jeo gim-chi-reul neo-eo-yo.
A simple first step in a recipe. '먼저' means 'first'.
그다음에 물을 끓여요.
Then, boil water.
geu-da-eu-me mul-eul kkeu-ryeo-yo.
Use '그다음에' to connect steps. '끓여요' means 'boil'.
마지막으로 볶아요.
Finally, stir-fry.
ma-ji-ma-geu-ro bo-ga-yo.
Use '마지막으로' for the last step. '볶아요' means 'stir-fry'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To ask how to cook something, use the pattern '[dish] 어떻게 요리해요?'. '어떻게' means 'how', and '요리해요' means 'cook' in the polite present tense. For example, '불고기 어떻게 요리해요?' (bulgogi eotteoke yorihaeyo?) means 'How do you cook bulgogi?'. You can also use '만들어요' (mandeureoyo, make) instead of '요리해요' for a slightly broader sense: '김밥 어떻게 만들어요?' (gimbap eotteoke mandeureoyo?) means 'How do you make gimbap?'. Both are correct and common.
When to use it
Use this question when you genuinely need guidance, such as asking a friend, a family member, or a cooking teacher. It is polite and neutral, suitable for most situations. If you want to be more formal, you can say '어떻게 요리합니까?' (eotteoke yorihamnikka?) but the '해요' form is fine for everyday conversation. When you receive an answer, listen for sequence words like '먼저' (first), '그다음에' (then), and '마지막으로' (finally), and for verbs like '넣어요' (put in), '끓여요' (boil), and '볶아요' (stir-fry). These tell you the order and method.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
저기요, 김치찌개 어떻게 요리해요?
Excuse me, how do you cook kimchi stew?jeo-gi-yo, gim-chi-jji-gae eo-tteo-ke yo-ri-hae-yo?먼저 김치를 넣어요. 그리고 돼지고기도 넣어요.
First, put in the kimchi. And put in pork, too.meon-jeo gim-chi-reul neo-eo-yo. geu-ri-go dwae-ji-go-gi-do neo-eo-yo.그다음에 어떻게 해요?
Then what do you do?geu-da-eu-me eo-tteo-ke hae-yo?물을 끓여요. 그리고 마지막으로 볶아요.
Boil water. And finally, stir-fry.mul-eul kkeu-ryeo-yo. geu-ri-go ma-ji-ma-geu-ro bo-ga-yo.A little context goes a long way
In Korean, asking for a recipe is often a friendly, communal activity. It is common to ask a friend or older family member, and they may give you a rough sequence rather than exact measurements. Politeness matters: use '해요' with acquaintances and '합니까?' in very formal settings. Also, many Korean recipes are passed down orally, so you may hear '대충' (daechung, roughly) or '적당히' (jeokdanghi, appropriately) instead of precise amounts. Do not be surprised if the answer is not a strict list; it is still helpful guidance.
One thing to watch for
Using '어떻게 요리해?' without the polite ending '요' when speaking to someone older or less familiar.
Try this instead: Add '요' to make it polite: '어떻게 요리해요?' (eotteoke yorihaeyo?). The plain form '요리해' is only for close friends or children. For extra politeness, use '어떻게 요리합니까?' (eotteoke yorihamnikka?).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you ask 'How do you cook bibimbap?' in Korean?
Show a sample answer
비빔밥 어떻게 요리해요? (bibimbap eotteoke yorihaeyo?)
This uses the pattern '[dish] 어떻게 요리해요?'. You could also say '비빔밥 어떻게 만들어요?' (bibimbap eotteoke mandeureoyo?) which is equally correct.
2What does '그다음에 물을 끓여요' mean?
Show a sample answer
Then, boil water.
'그다음에' means 'then', '물' means 'water', and '끓여요' means 'boil'. This is a common step in recipes.
3You want to say 'First, put in the kimchi.' Which Korean phrase fits?
Show a sample answer
먼저 김치를 넣어요. (meonjeo gimchi-reul neo-eoyo.)
'먼저' means 'first', '김치를' is the object 'kimchi', and '넣어요' means 'put in'. The particle '를' marks the object; in casual speech it is often dropped, but the full form is clearer.
To ask how to cook a dish, say '[dish] 어떻게 요리해요?' and listen for sequence words and basic cooking verbs like '넣어요', '끓여요', and '볶아요' to follow simple instructions.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Korean into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr