Korean for English speakers Supermarket · Lesson 0

I'm hungry!

Express hunger in Korean — 배가 고파요 (I'm hungry) — and the sound of a growling stomach 꼬르륵.

Conversation

  1. Cassian Cassian

    어? 꼬르륵 소리?

    Eo? Kkoreureuk sori?

    Eh? Growl?

    Tip: <꼬르륵> = onomatopoeia for stomach growling (rumbling) <소리> = sound

  2. Kyle Kyle

    죄송해요. 저예요. 배가 고파요.

    Joesonghaeyo. Jeoyeyo. Baega gopayo.

    Sorry. It's me. Hungry.

    Tip: <죄송해요> = formal way to apologise <배가 고파요> = formal way to say "I'm hungry"

  3. Cassian Cassian

    저도 엄청 배고파요. 뭐를 먹고 싶어요?

    Jeodo eomcheong baegopayo. Mworeul meokgo sipeoyo?

    I am very hungry too. What do you want to eat?

    Tip: <엄청> = very <배고파요> = more simple way to say "I'm hungry" <뭐> = what <먹고 싶어요> = verb "to want to eat" (in present tense)

  4. Kyle Kyle

    음... 떡볶이를 먹고 싶어요.

    Eum... tteokbokkireul meokgo sipeoyo.

    Um... I want to eat Tteokbokki.

    Tip: <떡볶이> = Tteokbokki (Korean street food made of chewy rice cakes and korean chili paste)

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you say 'I'm hungry' in Korean?

배고파요 (polite) or 배가 고파요 (with subject particle). 배 = stomach, 고프다 = to be hungry.

What is 꼬르륵?

Onomatopoeia for a growling stomach. Korean has many such sound words (의성어). 꼬르륵 소리 = growling sound.

Common Korean hunger expressions?

배고파요 (hungry), 배불러요 (full), 목말라요 (thirsty), 먹고 싶어요 (want to eat).

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Korean lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.

Next lesson in Supermarket Making tteokbokki →