How to Say 10 Staple Foods in Korean and Use 'I Eat' and 'I Like'
Learn 10 common food words in Korean and build simple sentences with meogeoyo (I eat) and joahaeyo (I like), with Hangul, Revised Romanization and beginner-friendly notes.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn the Korean names of ten everyday foods: bread, rice, apple, egg, cheese, chicken, fish, banana, tomato and potato. You will also learn two very useful verb patterns: meogeoyo, which means 'I eat' or 'I am eating', and joahaeyo, which means 'I like'. These are polite everyday forms, so you can use them with strangers, shopkeepers and people you have just met. The focus here is on individual food items, not on meals or mealtimes. By the end, you will be able to point at a food and say that you eat it or like it.
By the end, you can…
- name 10 staple foods in Korean using Hangul and Revised Romanization.
- say 'I eat ___' using the polite pattern ___eul/reul meogeoyo.
- say 'I like ___' using the polite pattern ___eul/reul joahaeyo.
- ask a simple yes-or-no question about food with the polite ending -yo.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
빵을 먹어요.
I eat bread.
ppang-eul meo-geo-yo
Use this when talking about eating bread in general. The object marker eul comes after a consonant-ending noun.
밥을 먹어요.
I eat rice. / I eat a meal.
bap-eul meo-geo-yo
Bap means cooked rice, and it also commonly means 'a meal'. Context makes the meaning clear.
사과를 좋아해요.
I like apples.
sa-gwa-reul jo-a-hae-yo
Use joahaeyo for things you like. The object marker is reul after a vowel-ending noun.
계란을 먹어요.
I eat eggs.
gye-ran-eul meo-geo-yo
Korean nouns do not usually change for plural, so gyeran can mean 'egg' or 'eggs'.
치즈를 좋아해요.
I like cheese.
chi-jeu-reul jo-a-hae-yo
Cheese is a loanword written in Hangul as chijeu. Use reul because it ends in a vowel.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To say 'I eat ___', put the food word first, then the object marker, then meogeoyo. Use eul after a consonant and reul after a vowel: bap-eul meogeoyo (I eat rice), sagwa-reul meogeoyo (I eat apples). To say 'I like ___', use the same object marker with joahaeyo: bap-eul joahaeyo (I like rice), sagwa-reul joahaeyo (I like apples). The subject 'I' is usually left out when it is clear from context. If you want to be explicit, na-neun can come at the start: na-neun bap-eul meogeoyo.
When to use it
Use these polite -yo forms in most everyday situations: at a restaurant, at a market, with a host, or with someone you do not know well. They are safe and natural for beginners. If you are talking to a close friend, you may hear the shorter casual forms meogeo and joahae, but you do not need to produce them yet. To ask a simple question, keep the same word order and let your voice rise at the end: bap-eul meogeoyo? means 'Do you eat rice?' The -yo ending stays the same.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
빵을 먹어요?
Do you eat bread?ppang-eul meo-geo-yo?네, 빵을 좋아해요.
Yes, I like bread.ne, ppang-eul jo-a-hae-yo치즈도 좋아해요?
Do you like cheese too?chi-jeu-do jo-a-hae-yo?아니요, 치즈는 안 먹어요.
No, I do not eat cheese.a-ni-yo, chi-jeu-neun an meo-geo-yoA little context goes a long way
In Korean, the polite -yo ending is the default for everyday conversation with people you do not know well or who are older. It is not stiff or formal; it is simply polite and safe. When you talk about food, it is common to use the topic marker -neun to contrast: chi-jeu-neun an meogeoyo means 'as for cheese, I do not eat it'. This is a natural way to single out one item from a list.
One thing to watch for
Using the wrong object marker, for example saying bap-reul meogeoyo or sagwa-eul joahaeyo.
Try this instead: Choose eul after a consonant and reul after a vowel. Bap ends in a consonant, so say bap-eul meogeoyo. Sagwa ends in a vowel, so say sagwa-reul joahaeyo. The same rule applies with joahaeyo: bap-eul joahaeyo, sagwa-reul joahaeyo.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I eat an apple' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
사과를 먹어요. (sagwa-reul meogeoyo)
Sagwa ends in a vowel, so the object marker is reul. Meogeoyo is the polite present form. Sagwa-reul meogeoyo is the standard answer; adding na-neun at the start is also correct if you want to say 'I' explicitly.
2How do you say 'I like potatoes' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
감자를 좋아해요. (gamja-reul joahaeyo)
Gamja ends in a vowel, so use reul. Joahaeyo means 'I like'. Korean does not require a plural ending here, so gamja-reul joahaeyo can mean 'I like potatoes' or 'I like a potato' depending on context.
3Which food word means 'egg', and which object marker follows it?
Show a sample answer
계란 (gyeran); it ends in a consonant, so use eul: 계란을 먹어요 (gyeran-eul meogeoyo).
Gyeran ends in the consonant n, so the object marker is eul. Gyeran-eul meogeoyo means 'I eat eggs'. The same noun can be used for one egg or several eggs.
Learn each food word together with the pattern bap-eul meogeoyo or sagwa-reul joahaeyo, and remember the object marker rule: eul after a consonant, reul after a vowel.
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