How to Say Drinks in Korean: Water, Coffee, Tea, Juice, Milk, and Soda
Learn six common Korean drink words and use the polite pattern 'I drink ___' with 마셔요 (masyeoyo), including pronunciation and everyday examples.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn the Korean words for six common drinks and how to say 'I drink ___' in polite everyday speech. Korean does not use articles like 'a' or 'the', so you can simply put the drink word before the verb. The key verb is 마시다 (masida), 'to drink'. In polite conversation you change it to 마셔요 (masyeoyo). The pattern is: drink word + 마셔요. For example, 물 마셔요 (mul masyeoyo) means 'I drink water.' You can also add the subject marker 제가 (jega) or 저는 (jeoneun) to say 'I' clearly, but it is often left out when the meaning is obvious. This lesson stays focused on drinks, so you will practice only beverage words and the polite present-tense verb form.
By the end, you can…
- name six common drinks in Korean: water, coffee, tea, juice, milk, and soda.
- say 'I drink ___' using the polite present-tense verb 마셔요 (masyeoyo).
- recognize the difference between a drink word alone and a full sentence with 저는 (jeoneun).
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
물
water
mul
A basic everyday drink; use it alone or before 마셔요 (masyeoyo).
커피
coffee
keopi
Common in cafes and offices; often used with 마셔요 (masyeoyo).
차
tea
cha
Refers to tea in general; green tea is 녹차 (nokcha).
주스
juice
juseu
A loanword from English; use it for fruit juice.
우유
milk
uyu
Everyday word for milk; common at breakfast.
탄산음료
soda; carbonated drink
tansan eumnyo
A general term for soda; 콜라 (kolla) is specifically cola.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The polite present-tense pattern is drink word + 마셔요 (masyeoyo). For example, 물 마셔요 (mul masyeoyo) means 'I drink water,' and 커피 마셔요 (keopi masyeoyo) means 'I drink coffee.' You can add 저는 (jeoneun), meaning 'as for me,' at the beginning: 저는 주스 마셔요 (jeoneun juseu masyeoyo), 'I drink juice.' Korean often omits the subject when it is clear from context. The verb 마시다 (masida) is the dictionary form; 마셔요 (masyeoyo) is the polite form used in everyday conversation.
When to use it
Use this pattern when talking about what you usually drink or what you are drinking now. For example, 아침에 우유 마셔요 (achime uyu masyeoyo) means 'I drink milk in the morning.' In a cafe, you can say 저는 커피 마셔요 (jeoneun keopi masyeoyo) to mean 'I drink coffee' or 'I'll have coffee.' If you want to ask someone, say 뭐 마셔요? (mwo masyeoyo?), meaning 'What do you drink?' or 'What are you drinking?' The same verb works for both habits and current actions; context makes the meaning clear.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
저는 커피 마셔요.
I drink coffee.jeoneun keopi masyeoyo저는 차 마셔요.
I drink tea.jeoneun cha masyeoyo주스도 마셔요?
Do you drink juice too?juseudo masyeoyo네, 주스도 마셔요.
Yes, I drink juice too.ne, juseudo masyeoyoA little context goes a long way
In Korean cafes and restaurants, drinks are often ordered with the same polite verb form. 차 (cha) can mean tea in general, but if you want a specific type, name it, such as 녹차 (nokcha) for green tea. 탄산음료 (tansan eumnyo) is a broad term for soda; many people say 콜라 (kolla) for cola. Using 마셔요 (masyeoyo) is polite and natural in most everyday situations.
One thing to watch for
Saying 저는 물을 마시다 (jeoneun mureul masida) as a complete everyday sentence.
Try this instead: 마시다 (masida) is the dictionary form, not the polite conversational form. In everyday polite speech, say 저는 물을 마셔요 (jeoneun mureul masyeoyo) or simply 물 마셔요 (mul masyeoyo). The object marker 을/를 (eul/reul) can be added, but it is often omitted in casual conversation.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I drink water' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
물 마셔요. (mul masyeoyo)
The drink word 물 (mul) comes before the polite verb 마셔요 (masyeoyo). You may also say 저는 물을 마셔요 (jeoneun mureul masyeoyo) for a fuller sentence.
2What is the Korean word for 'milk'?
Show a sample answer
우유 (uyu)
우유 (uyu) is the everyday word for milk. It can be used in the pattern 우유 마셔요 (uyu masyeoyo), meaning 'I drink milk.'
3Translate into Korean: 'I drink coffee and tea.'
Show a sample answer
커피하고 차 마셔요. (keopihago cha masyeoyo)
하고 (hago) means 'and' between nouns. You can also say 커피와 차 마셔요 (keopiva cha masyeoyo), which is slightly more formal.
To talk about drinks in polite Korean, put the drink word before 마셔요 (masyeoyo): 물 마셔요 (mul masyeoyo), 커피 마셔요 (keopi masyeoyo), and so on. Add 저는 (jeoneun) only when you need to say 'I' clearly.
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