How to read a Korean menu

A Korean menu with no English and no photos can stop you cold. But most menus follow the same few patterns, and once you can spot them, ordering gets easy fast. Here are the words and habits that do the heavy lifting.

Common menu sections

Korean menus group dishes by type, so the first job is recognizing the categories.

Main dishes (주요리)

• 밥 (bap) — rice, the base of most meals.
• 국 (guk) / 탕 (tang) — soups. 김치찌개 (kimchi jjigae) is a kimchi stew.
• 면 (myeon) — noodles. 냉면 (naengmyeon) is a cold noodle dish.
• 구이 (gui) — grilled. 삼겹살 (samgyeopsal) is grilled pork belly.
• 볶음 (bokkeum) — stir-fried. 제육볶음 (jeyuk bokkeum) is spicy stir-fried pork.

Side dishes (반찬)

• 김치 (kimchi) — fermented vegetables, usually spicy.
• 나물 (namul) — seasoned vegetables.
• 전 (jeon) — savory pancakes.

Drinks (음료)

• 소주 (soju) — clear distilled liquor.
• 막걸리 (makgeolli) — milky, lightly sweet rice wine.
• 맥주 (maekju) — beer.

How menus are laid out

Most menus read the same way: a category header, the dishes under it (sometimes with a short description), and a price in Korean won. A dish at ₩9,000 runs about USD 6 to 7.

Portion sizes and prices

Sizes are marked 대 (dae, large), 중 (jung, medium) and 소 (so, small). At barbecue places, meat is sold per serving (인분, inbun), and a two-serving minimum is common. Prices at everyday restaurants already include tax, and there is no tipping in Korea.

Spice levels and allergens

Many menus flag heat with little chili icons: one for mild, two for medium, three for spicy. Some list allergens too, but if you have a restriction, it is safest to ask the staff directly.

How to order

You will run into three systems:

• Flag down a server — call out "여기요! (yeogiyo!)" and order.
• Kiosk — common in fast-casual spots; choose and pay at the screen.
• Table tablet — some places have a tablet on each table.

A couple of phrases cover most of it:

• "이거 주세요. (igeo juseyo.)" means "This one, please," while pointing.
• "하나 / 둘 / 셋 주세요. (hana / dul / set juseyo.)" means "One / two / three, please."

Our 20 survival Korean phrases covers more of these.

When in doubt, use your phone

If the script is still a wall, a translation app earns its keep. Google Translate's camera mode reads menu text on the fly and gives you a rough English version to work from.

A few table habits

Those little side dishes (반찬, banchan) are free and refillable, a legacy of Korea's shared-table tradition where the middle of the table belongs to everyone. It is also normal to wait until everyone is served before you start.

A few more tips

• Ask what's good — "뭐가 제일 맛있어요? (mwo-ga jeil masisseoyo?)" means "What's the tastiest?"
• Ask for an English menu — tourist-area restaurants often have one on request.
• Expect some self-service — at many places, water and utensils are yours to grab.

Learn a handful of these words and you'll order with confidence, and probably eat better than the table sticking to the English menu. For where to start, see what to order as a first-timer and our wider food and dining section.