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Meat and Seafood

Keywords
고기 / 생선
Lesson #
S
Done
Section
Basic Vocabulary
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TL;DR: Today's words cover the meat and seafood counter — 고기 (meat), 생선 (fish, as food), 닭고기 (chicken), 돼지고기 (pork), and 새우 (shrimp). These are essential for grocery shopping, ordering at restaurants, and reading menus.
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Iru Helper Note: Notice how 고기 combines with animal names to form new words — 닭고기, 돼지고기, and even 소고기 (beef)? That same building-block pattern shows up again in the next lesson, <mention-page url="https://app.notion.com/p/344be37590c081f2-8176-c20139cc932d">, where you'll learn fruits and vegetables — another category full of compound food words. Quick example using all five: 오늘 시장에서 고기랑 생선을 좀 살 거예요 — 닭고기, 돼지고기, 새우 다 필요해요. (Today I'm going to buy some meat and fish at the market — I need chicken, pork, and shrimp, all of it.)

🎯 Big Picture

Korean cuisine revolves around meat (고기) and seafood (생선, 새우, and more), whether it's 삼겹살 (grilled pork belly), 치킨 (fried chicken), or 새우튀김 (fried shrimp). 고기 is the general word for meat, and it combines with animal names to form specific meats — 닭고기 (chicken), 돼지고기 (pork), 소고기 (beef). 생선 and 새우 round out the seafood side. With these five words, you can navigate a Korean market, order at a BBQ restaurant, or read a menu with confidence.

📖 Core Vocabulary Family

1. 고기 (Meat)

고기 is the general word for meat — the base word that combines with animal names.
  • 저는 고기를 좋아해요. (I like meat.)
  • 고기를 구워서 먹어요. (We grill the meat and eat it.)
Grammar note: 고기 alone is often understood as a general/casual reference to meat, but combine it with an animal name for precision — 닭고기, 돼지고기, 소고기.

2. 생선 (Fish)

생선 means fish — specifically fish prepared as food.
  • 생선은 건강에 좋아요. (Fish is good for your health.)
  • 이 생선은 비려요. (This fish smells/tastes fishy.)
Grammar note: 생선 = fish as FOOD. A living fish (like in an aquarium or a river) is called 물고기. Don't mix these two up!

3. 닭고기 (Chicken)

닭고기 means chicken meat — 닭 (chicken, the bird) + 고기 (meat).
  • 닭고기를 튀기면 치킨이 돼요. (When you fry chicken, it becomes "chikin" — Korean fried chicken.)
  • 닭고기는 단백질이 많아요. (Chicken has a lot of protein.)
Grammar note: This is a compound noun: [animal] + 고기. 닭 (chicken/bird) + 고기 (meat) = 닭고기, written as one word with no space.

4. 돼지고기 (Pork)

돼지고기 means pork — 돼지 (pig) + 고기 (meat).
  • 삼겹살은 돼지고기예요. (Samgyeopsal is pork.)
  • 돼지고기를 좋아하세요? (Do you like pork?)
Grammar note: Same compound pattern as 닭고기 — 돼지 (pig) + 고기 (meat) = 돼지고기. Once you know this pattern, 소고기 (beef, 소 = cow) and 양고기 (lamb, 양 = sheep) are easy too.

5. 새우 (Shrimp)

새우 means shrimp — a standalone word, not a compound with 고기.
  • 새우튀김을 좋아해요. (I like fried shrimp.)
  • 새우는 해산물이에요. (Shrimp is seafood.)
Grammar note: Unlike meats, shrimp doesn't combine with 고기 — never say 새우고기. 해산물 (seafood) is the umbrella term covering 새우, 생선, and other sea creatures.

🗣️ How They Work in a Sentence

  1. 오늘 시장에서 고기랑 생선을 좀 살 거예요. (Today I'm going to buy some meat and fish at the market.)
  1. 닭고기와 돼지고기 중에 어떤 걸 더 좋아하세요? (Which do you like more, chicken or pork?)
  1. 이 식당은 새우튀김과 생선구이가 유명해요. (This restaurant is famous for fried shrimp and grilled fish.)

🧱 General Formation Rule

  • [Animal] + 고기 = meat from that animal: 소고기 (beef), 돼지고기 (pork), 닭고기 (chicken), 양고기 (lamb).
  • 생선 vs. 물고기: 생선 = fish as food, 물고기 = fish as a living animal.
  • 해산물 = seafood, the umbrella term covering 새우, 생선, and more.
  • Cooking verbs commonly follow these nouns: 굽다 (to grill), 튀기다 (to fry), 삶다 (to boil), 찌다 (to steam).
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Cross-check: Search 고기, 생선, 닭고기, 돼지고기, and 새우 on the 국립국어원 표준국어대사전 (National Institute of Korean Language's Standard Korean Dictionary) for official definitions and example sentences.

🔁 Synonym Alert

  1. 생선 vs. 물고기 — 생선 is fish prepared/sold as food (생선을 구워 먹어요, we grill and eat fish), while 물고기 is fish as a living creature (수족관에는 물고기가 있어요, there are fish in the aquarium).
  1. 고기 vs. 육류 — 고기 is the everyday spoken word for meat, while 육류 is the more formal/written term you'll see on nutrition labels or menu category headers.

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

  1. 생선 (fish to eat) ≠ 물고기 (fish as a living animal) — don't use them interchangeably.
  1. 닭고기 and 돼지고기 are single compound words — written with no space between the animal name and 고기.
  1. Never say 새우고기 — shrimp doesn't combine with 고기.
  1. 고기 alone can be ambiguous — specify 소고기/돼지고기/닭고기 when precision matters.
  1. 생선 ≠ all seafood — 생선 specifically means fish; 새우 (shrimp) and other sea creatures fall under the broader term 해산물.
이제 고기, 생선, 닭고기, 돼지고기, 새우로 음식 재료를 자유롭게 이야기해 보세요! 🥩🐟🍤
Try this exercise
  1. 저는 ___를 좋아해요. (meat, general)
  1. ___은 건강에 좋아요. (fish, as food)
  1. ___를 튀기면 치킨이 돼요. (chicken meat)
  1. 삼겹살은 ___예요. (pork)
  1. ___튀김을 좋아해요. (shrimp)
  1. 수족관에는 ___가 있어요. (fish, living animal)
  1. 와 중에 어떤 걸 더 좋아하세요? (chicken, pork)
  1. 새우는 ___이에요. (seafood)
  1. 소 + 고기 = ___ (beef)
  1. 양 + 고기 = ___ (lamb)
Answer Key
  1. 고기
  1. 생선
  1. 닭고기
  1. 돼지고기
  1. 새우
  1. 물고기
  1. 닭고기, 돼지고기
  1. 해산물
  1. 소고기
  1. 양고기
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Vocabulary Box: 고기 (meat) · 생선 (fish) · 닭고기 (chicken) · 돼지고기 (pork) · 새우 (shrimp)
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Pitfalls Recap: 생선 ≠ 물고기 · [animal]+고기 is one word · never 새우고기 · 고기 alone is ambiguous · 생선 ≠ all seafood (해산물 is broader).
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Want more reps? Head down to the Practice Hub below for 10 more food words and 5 extra exercises!
 
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Practice Hub — Meat & Seafood Bonus Round! Here are 10 more food and cooking words: 소고기 (beef), 양고기 (lamb), 해산물 (seafood), 오징어 (squid), 조개 (clam/shellfish), 굽다 (to grill), 튀기다 (to fry), 삶다 (to boil), 찌다 (to steam), and 비리다 (to be fishy/smell of fish). Try the 5 exercises below!

Exercise 1 — Word Recall: Korean → English 🇰🇷➡️🇬🇧

  1. 소고기
  1. 양고기
  1. 해산물
  1. 오징어
  1. 조개
  1. 굽다
  1. 튀기다
  1. 삶다
  1. 찌다
  1. 비리다
Answer Key
  1. beef
  1. lamb
  1. seafood
  1. squid
  1. clam/shellfish
  1. to grill
  1. to fry
  1. to boil
  1. to steam
  1. to be fishy / smell of fish

Exercise 2 — Word Recall: English → Korean 🇬🇧➡️🇰🇷

  1. beef
  1. lamb
  1. seafood
  1. squid
  1. clam/shellfish
  1. to grill
  1. to fry
  1. to boil
  1. to steam
  1. to be fishy / smell of fish
Answer Key
  1. 소고기
  1. 양고기
  1. 해산물
  1. 오징어
  1. 조개
  1. 굽다
  1. 튀기다
  1. 삶다
  1. 찌다
  1. 비리다

Exercise 3 — Conjugation Practice ✍️

  1. 굽다 → ___ (present, polite)
  1. 튀기다 → ___ (present, polite)
  1. 삶다 → ___ (present, polite)
  1. 찌다 → ___ (present, polite)
  1. 비리다 → ___ (present, polite)
Answer Key
  1. 구워요 (ㅂ-irregular: ㅂ drops, 워 added)
  1. 튀겨요 (ㅣ+어→여 contraction)
  1. 삶아요
  1. 쪄요 (ㅣ+어→여 contraction)
  1. 비려요 (ㅣ+어→여 contraction)
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Quick Reference: 굽다 is ㅂ-irregular → 구워요, just like 맵다 → 매워요. 튀기다, 찌다, and 비리다 all end in ㅣ and follow the ㅣ+어→여 contraction, just like 마시다 → 마셔요. 삶다 is regular.

Exercise 4 — Sentence Translation: English → Korean 🌍

  1. I'm going to grill some beef today.
  1. Do you like lamb?
  1. This restaurant's seafood is fresh.
  1. Squid is delicious when fried.
  1. I bought clams at the market.
  1. Let's grill some pork tonight.
  1. I steamed the fish.
  1. This chicken smells a little fishy.
  1. Boiled shrimp is healthy.
  1. Seafood and meat are both popular in Korea.
Answer Key
  1. 오늘 소고기를 구울 거예요.
  1. 양고기를 좋아하세요?
  1. 이 식당의 해산물은 신선해요.
  1. 오징어는 튀기면 맛있어요.
  1. 시장에서 조개를 샀어요.
  1. 오늘 밤에 돼지고기를 구워요.
  1. 생선을 쪘어요.
  1. 이 닭고기는 좀 비려요.
  1. 삶은 새우는 건강에 좋아요.
  1. 한국에서는 해산물과 고기 둘 다 인기가 많아요.

Exercise 5 — Contrast Pairs ↔️

  1. 생선 ↔ ?
  1. 굽다 ↔ ?
  1. 튀기다 ↔ ?
  1. 고기 ↔ ?
Answer Key
  1. 생선 ↔ 물고기 (fish as food ↔ fish as a living animal)
  1. 굽다 ↔ 삶다 (to grill ↔ to boil)
  1. 튀기다 ↔ 찌다 (to fry ↔ to steam)
  1. 고기 ↔ 해산물 (meat ↔ seafood)
고기, 생선, 닭고기, 돼지고기, 새우부터 소고기, 오징어, 조개까지 — 이제 시장이나 식당에서 어떤 음식도 자유롭게 이야기할 수 있어요! 🥩🐟🍤