Korean for Cooking: Saying What You Need for a Simple Dish
Learn to say what you need to make a simple Korean dish using the pattern 'First, I need ___' (Meonjeo, ___i/ga piryohaeyo), with ingredients and cooking verbs.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you cook, you often need to say what a recipe requires before you start. In Korean, the useful pattern is 'First, I need ___': meonjeo, ___i/ga piryohaeyo. This lesson focuses on preparing a simple dish, not on shopping. You will learn ingredient words, the particle i/ga, and how to list steps in order. You will also practice asking and answering what is needed for a basic dish such as kimchi fried rice or egg rice. The phrases are polite and work in everyday conversation.
By the end, you can…
- say 'First, I need ___' for a simple dish.
- name basic ingredients and cooking actions in Korean.
- ask and answer what is needed to make a simple dish.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
먼저, 밥이 필요해요.
First, I need rice.
meonjeo, bami piryohaeyo
Use when the needed item ends in a consonant, like bap (rice). The particle i attaches to bap, and the final consonant ㅂ becomes ㅁ before the i sound: bami piryohaeyo.
먼저, 계란이 필요해요.
First, I need eggs.
meonjeo, gyerani piryohaeyo
gyeran (egg) ends in a consonant, so use i. Korean does not mark plural here; context shows one or more eggs.
먼저, 양파가 필요해요.
First, I need an onion.
meonjeo, yangpaga piryohaeyo
yangpa (onion) ends in a vowel, so use ga instead of i.
그다음에, 기름을 넣어요.
Next, I add oil.
geudaeume, gireumeul neoeoyo
Use this to describe the next cooking step. eul marks oil as the object of neoeoyo (add).
다 됐어요. 이제 먹어요.
It is done. Now I eat.
da dwaesseoyo. ije meogeoyo
Say this when the dish is finished and you are ready to eat.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 'First, I need ___': meonjeo, ___i/ga piryohaeyo. Choose i after a consonant and ga after a vowel. For example, bap (rice) becomes bami piryohaeyo (the final consonant ㅂ changes to ㅁ before i), while yangpa (onion) becomes yangpaga piryohaeyo. You can also say piryohan geon ___ieyo, meaning 'what I need is ___'. Keep the verb piryohaeyo at the end in polite speech.
When to use it
Use this pattern when you are about to cook and want to list what a dish requires. It is different from grocery shopping, where you might say I need to buy ___. Here you focus on preparation: meonjeo, bami piryohaeyo. Then add steps: geudaeume, gireumeul neoeoyo. If you are asking someone, say mwoga piryohaeyo? (What do you need?). This works for simple dishes like gyeran bap (egg rice) or kimchi bokkeumbap (kimchi fried rice).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
오늘은 간단한 요리를 만들어요. 뭐가 필요해요?
Today I am making a simple dish. What do you need?oneureun gandanhan yorireul mandeureoyo. mwoga piryohaeyo?먼저, 밥이 필요해요. 그리고 계란이 필요해요.
First, I need rice. And I need eggs.meonjeo, bami piryohaeyo. geurigo gyerani piryohaeyo.그다음에 뭐를 넣어요?
Next, what do you add?geudaeume mworeul neoeoyo?그다음에 기름을 넣어요. 다 됐어요. 이제 먹어요.
Next, I add oil. It is done. Now I eat.geudaeume gireumeul neoeoyo. da dwaesseoyo. ije meogeoyo.A little context goes a long way
In Korean cooking talk, it is common to list ingredients with piryohaeyo rather than a shopping verb. The polite -yo ending is safe with strangers and people older than you. Among close friends, you may drop -yo and say piryohae, but keep the polite form in a class or with a host. Also, Korean often omits plural endings, so gyerani can mean one egg or several eggs depending on context.
One thing to watch for
Using the wrong particle after a consonant, as in 밥가 필요해요 (bapga piryohaeyo).
Try this instead: Use i after a consonant and ga after a vowel. Say 밥이 필요해요 (bami piryohaeyo) for rice, and 양파가 필요해요 (yangpaga piryohaeyo) for onion.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'First, I need eggs' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
먼저, 계란이 필요해요. (meonjeo, gyerani piryohaeyo)
gyeran ends in a consonant, so the particle i is correct. If you said gyeranga, that would be wrong because ga follows vowels.
2Which particle goes after 양파 (onion) in 'I need an onion'?
Show a sample answer
양파가 필요해요. (yangpaga piryohaeyo)
yangpa ends in a vowel, so use ga. Using i after a vowel, like yangpai, is not standard.
3What phrase means 'Next, I add oil'?
Show a sample answer
그다음에, 기름을 넣어요. (geudaeume, gireumeul neoeoyo)
geudaeume means 'next', and gireumeul neoeoyo means 'add oil'. You could also say geurigo for 'and then' in some contexts.
Remember: meonjeo, ___i/ga piryohaeyo for 'First, I need ___'. Choose i after a consonant and ga after a vowel, then add steps with geudaeume. This keeps your cooking talk clear and polite.
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