Vocab: Grocery Shopping

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🎧 Iru Helper Note

Type any Korean word or sentence from this lesson into

Korean Helper Widgets whenever you want to hear it read aloud. Grocery vocabulary loves real-life rhythm, so listen once for the phrase and once for the whole sentence. 🥕

🌈 The Big Picture

• 장보다 / 장을 보다 — to shop for groceries

• 신선도 — freshness level / degree of freshness

• 유통기한 — distribution deadline / sell-by-style expiration date

• 꼼꼼히 — carefully, thoroughly, meticulously

• 골고루 — evenly, in a balanced variety

🎨 The Core Grocery-Shopping Family

🛍️ 1. 장보다 / 장을 보다

• 장 보러 가다 — to go grocery shopping

• 장을 봐 오다 — to go grocery shopping and bring things back

• 장을 보고 오다 — to shop for groceries and come back

🥬 2. 신선도

• 신선도가 좋다 — the freshness is good

• 신선도가 높다 — the freshness level is high

• 신선도가 떨어지다 — freshness drops / becomes less fresh

• 신선도를 확인하다 — to check freshness

🏷️ 3. 유통기한

• 유통기한을 확인하다 — to check the expiration/sell-by date

• 유통기한이 남다 — time remains before the date

• 유통기한이 지나다 — the date has passed

• 유통기한이 짧다 / 길다 — the period is short / long

🔎 4. 꼼꼼히

• 꼼꼼히 확인하다 — to check carefully

• 꼼꼼히 살펴보다 — to look over carefully

• 꼼꼼히 비교하다 — to compare carefully

• 꼼꼼히 읽다 — to read carefully

🥗 5. 골고루

• 골고루 먹다 — to eat a balanced variety

• 골고루 담다 — to put in a balanced variety

• 골고루 섞다 — to mix evenly

• 골고루 고르다 — to choose a balanced variety

🛠️ How They Work in a Sentence

• 퇴근길에 반찬거리를 사려고 장을 봤어요. (I bought groceries on my way home from work to get side-dish ingredients. 🥢)
퇴근길 means “on the way home from work,” 반찬거리 means “ingredients for side dishes,” and -려고 shows purpose: “in order to.”

• 두부를 고르기 전에 유통기한을 꼼꼼히 확인했어요. (Before choosing tofu, I carefully checked the expiration date. 🧈)
고르다 means “to choose,” 전에 means “before,” and 꼼꼼히 adds the careful-checking feeling.

• 채소는 색과 향을 보고 신선도를 살펴보는 게 좋아요. (For vegetables, it is good to check freshness by looking at the color and smell. 🥬)
색 means “color,” 향 means “scent,” and 살펴보다 means “to examine/look over.”

• 장바구니에 과일과 채소를 골고루 담았어요. (I put fruit and vegetables into the shopping basket in a balanced variety. 🍎)
장바구니 means “shopping basket/cart,” and 담다 means “to put into / pack.”

🧩 General Formation Rule

• 장을 보다 + place/time: 시장에서 장을 봤어요. (I grocery-shopped at the market. 🧺)

• 신선도 + quality verb: 신선도가 좋아 보여요. (The freshness looks good. 🥒)

• 유통기한 + checking verb: 유통기한을 확인했어요. (I checked the expiration date. 🏷️)

• 꼼꼼히 + careful action: 가격표를 꼼꼼히 읽었어요. (I read the price tag carefully. 💳)

• 골고루 + balanced action: 재료를 골고루 섞었어요. (I mixed the ingredients evenly. 🥣)

📚 Cross-check note

🪞 Synonym Alert

• 장보다 / 장을 보다 — everyday grocery shopping; natural for markets, marts, ingredients, and home food. 🛒

• 쇼핑하다 — general shopping; natural for clothes, gifts, browsing, or online shopping. 👕

• 유통기한 — distribution/sell-by-style date; still familiar in everyday speech. 🏷️

• 소비기한 — use-by / consumption deadline; especially relevant on current food labels. 🧃

• 꼼꼼히 — carefully and thoroughly, with attention to detail. 🔎

• 자세히 — in detail; often about explaining, reading, or describing information. 📄

• 골고루 — evenly / in a balanced variety. 🥗

• 균형 있게 — in a balanced way; slightly more formal or explanatory. ⚖️

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

• ❌ 옷을 장봤어요. → ✅ 옷을 쇼핑했어요. (장보다 is for groceries/food-shopping contexts, not clothes. 👕)

• ❌ 신선도가 신선해요. → ✅ 신선도가 좋아요. (신선도 is a noun, so pair it with 좋다, 높다, or 떨어지다. 🥬)

• ❌ 유통기한이 남았어요 = “the date passed” → ✅ 유통기한이 지났어요. (남다 means time remains; 지나다 means the date has passed. 🧃)

• ❌ 꼼꼼히 = only “slowly” → ✅ 꼼꼼히 = carefully/thoroughly. (천천히 is “slowly.” 🔍)

• ❌ 골고루 = “many” → ✅ 골고루 = evenly or in a balanced variety. (For “many,” use words like 많이. 🥗)

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🎯 Practice Hub — Vocab: Grocery Shopping

 

Welcome to your grocery-shopping practice zone! 🛒 Here you’ll train the five main expressions — 장보다, 신선도, 유통기한, 꼼꼼히, and 골고루 — in realistic mart, market, label-checking, and meal-prep situations. By the end, your Korean shopping basket will have fewer mystery items and more confident collocations. 🥬

 

🔊 Audio reminder: Use

Korean Helper Widgets whenever you want to hear a sentence before repeating it aloud.

 

📝 Instructions: Complete each sentence with the best grocery-shopping word or phrase. Read the full sentence, notice the noun-action pair, then open the Answer toggle to check the reason. 🧺

 

Exercise 1 — Grocery Actions 🛍️

A. 냉장고가 비어서 저녁에 ＿＿＿＿.

(The refrigerator is empty, so I’m going grocery shopping tonight. 🧊)

Answer

장 보러 갈 거예요 — 장 보러 가다 is the natural “go grocery shopping” phrase.

B. 주말마다 시장에서 ＿＿＿＿.

(I grocery-shop at the market every weekend. 🧺)

Answer

장을 봐요 — 시장에서 장을 보다 means to shop for groceries at a market.

C. 김치찌개 재료를 사려고 마트에 ＿＿＿＿.

(I went to the mart to buy ingredients for kimchi stew. 🌶️)

Answer

장 보러 갔어요 — The purpose is buying ingredients, so 장 보러 가다 fits.

D. 엄마가 과일을 많이 ＿＿＿＿.

(My mom grocery-shopped and brought back a lot of fruit. 🍎)

Answer

장을 봐 왔어요 — 장을 봐 오다 emphasizes going out, buying groceries, and returning.

E. 온라인으로 옷을 ＿＿＿＿.

(I shopped for clothes online. 👕)

Answer

쇼핑했어요 — Clothes are general shopping, so 쇼핑하다 is better than 장보다.

F. 반찬거리가 부족해서 점심 전에 ＿＿＿＿.

(We were short on side-dish ingredients, so I grocery-shopped before lunch. 🥢)

Answer

장을 봤어요 — 반찬거리 makes this a grocery-shopping context.

G. 아빠는 생선을 사러 새벽시장에 ＿＿＿＿.

(My dad went grocery shopping at the early-morning market to buy fish. 🐟)

Answer

장 보러 갔어요 — Buying fish at a market fits 장 보러 가다.

H. 퇴근길에 두부와 파를 사면서 ＿＿＿＿.

(I grocery-shopped on the way home from work, buying tofu and green onions. 🧈)

Answer

장을 봤어요 — Ingredients like tofu and green onions make 장을 보다 natural.

I. 명절 선물을 백화점에서 ＿＿＿＿.

(I shopped for holiday gifts at the department store. 🎁)

Answer

쇼핑했어요 — Gifts and department stores are general shopping, so use 쇼핑하다.

J. 오늘은 집 앞 마트에서 간단히 ＿＿＿＿.

(I did a quick grocery run at the mart in front of my home today. 🏪)

Answer

장을 봤어요 — 간단히 장을 보다 means to do grocery shopping briefly/simply.

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Vocabulary Box

• 냉장고 → refrigerator

• 비다 → to be empty

• 저녁 → evening / dinner

• 장 보러 가다 → to go grocery shopping

• 주말마다 → every weekend

• 시장 → market

• 장을 보다 → to grocery-shop

• 김치찌개 → kimchi stew

• 재료 → ingredient

• 마트 → mart

• 장을 봐 오다 → to grocery-shop and bring things back

• 쇼핑하다 → to shop generally

• 반찬거리 → side-dish ingredients

• 생선 → fish

• 새벽시장 → early-morning market

• 퇴근길 → way home from work

• 두부 → tofu

• 파 → green onion

• 명절 선물 → holiday gift

• 백화점 → department store

• 간단히 → simply / briefly

Tip 💡 Use 장보다 for groceries and 쇼핑하다 for broader shopping.

 

Exercise 2 — Freshness & Label Checks 🥬

A. 오이는 단단해서 ＿＿＿＿가 좋아 보여요.

(The cucumber is firm, so its freshness looks good. 🥒)

Answer

신선도 — 신선도가 좋아 보이다 means the freshness looks good.

B. 새우를 사기 전에 냄새와 색으로 ＿＿＿＿를 확인했어요.

(Before buying shrimp, I checked freshness through smell and color. 🦐)

Answer

신선도 — Seafood often requires checking 신선도.

C. 치즈 포장지에 적힌 ＿＿＿＿을 읽어 봤어요.

(I read the expiration date written on the cheese package. 🧀)

Answer

유통기한 — Dates on packaged foods match 유통기한 or 소비기한.

D. 이 달걀은 ＿＿＿＿이 아직 많이 남았어요.

(These eggs still have a lot of time left before the date. 🥚)

Answer

유통기한 — 유통기한이 남다 means there is time left.

E. 상추 끝이 말라서 ＿＿＿＿가 떨어진 것 같아요.

(The lettuce tips are dry, so the freshness seems to have dropped. 🥬)

Answer

신선도 — 신선도가 떨어지다 means freshness decreases.

F. 잼은 뚜껑을 열기 전에 ＿＿＿＿을 꼭 보세요.

(Please check the expiration date before opening the jam. 🍓)

Answer

유통기한 — Packaged jam pairs naturally with 유통기한을 보다 or 확인하다.

G. 고등어는 눈이 맑으면 ＿＿＿＿가 높다고 해요.

(They say mackerel has high freshness if the eyes are clear. 🐟)

Answer

신선도 — 신선도가 높다 is a natural quality phrase.

H. 통조림은 ＿＿＿＿이 지나지 않았는지 확인했어요.

(I checked whether the canned food’s expiration date had not passed. 🥫)

Answer

유통기한 — 유통기한이 지나다 means the date has passed.

I. 복숭아 향이 좋아서 ＿＿＿＿가 괜찮아 보여요.

(The peach smells nice, so its freshness looks fine. 🍑)

Answer

신선도 — Smell can be part of judging 신선도.

J. 라면 봉지의 ＿＿＿＿을 확인하고 장바구니에 넣었어요.

(I checked the date on the ramen packet and put it in the basket. 🍜)

Answer

유통기한 — A packet label date is 유통기한 or sometimes 소비기한 in current labeling.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 오이 → cucumber

• 단단하다 → to be firm

• 신선도 → freshness level

• 좋아 보이다 → to look good

• 새우 → shrimp

• 냄새 → smell

• 색 → color

• 확인하다 → to check

• 치즈 → cheese

• 포장지 → packaging/wrapper

• 적히다 → to be written

• 유통기한 → expiration/sell-by-style date

• 달걀 → egg

• 아직 → still

• 남다 → to remain

• 상추 → lettuce

• 마르다 → to be dry

• 떨어지다 → to drop / decrease

• 잼 → jam

• 뚜껑 → lid

• 고등어 → mackerel

• 눈 → eye

• 맑다 → to be clear

• 높다 → to be high

• 통조림 → canned food

• 지나다 → to pass

• 복숭아 → peach

• 향 → scent

• 괜찮다 → to be okay

• 라면 봉지 → ramen packet

• 장바구니 → shopping basket

Tip 💡 신선도 judges quality; 유통기한 checks the package date.

 

Exercise 3 — Careful Checking 🔎

A. 가격표를 ＿＿＿＿ 읽고 더 싼 제품을 골랐어요.

(I carefully read the price tags and chose the cheaper product. 💳)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — 꼼꼼히 읽다 means to read carefully/thoroughly.

B. 사과에 멍이 있는지 ＿＿＿＿ 살펴보세요.

(Check carefully whether the apple has bruises. 🍎)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — 꼼꼼히 살펴보다 is perfect for inspecting produce.

C. 두 브랜드의 올리브유를 ＿＿＿＿ 비교했어요.

(I carefully compared two brands of olive oil. 🫒)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — 꼼꼼히 비교하다 means to compare carefully.

D. 계산서를 ＿＿＿＿ 확인하고 영수증을 받았어요.

(I carefully checked the bill and received the receipt. 🧾)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — Checking a bill line by line is 꼼꼼히 확인하다.

E. 양파 망 안쪽까지 ＿＿＿＿ 봤어요.

(I even looked carefully inside the onion bag. 🧅)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — The sentence emphasizes detailed inspection.

F. 행사 상품의 조건을 ＿＿＿＿ 읽어야 해요.

(You should carefully read the conditions for the promotional item. 🏷️)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — Conditions and fine print naturally go with 꼼꼼히 읽다.

G. 배달 목록과 실제 물건을 ＿＿＿＿ 대조했어요.

(I carefully compared the delivery list with the actual items. 📦)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — 대조하다 means to check against/compare; detailed checking calls for 꼼꼼히.

H. 비닐 포장이 찢어졌는지 ＿＿＿＿ 확인했어요.

(I carefully checked whether the plastic packaging was torn. 🛍️)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — Packaging damage is something you check thoroughly.

I. 원산지 표시를 ＿＿＿＿ 보고 고기를 샀어요.

(I carefully looked at the country-of-origin label and bought meat. 🥩)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — Label reading with attention to detail uses 꼼꼼히.

J. 쿠폰 적용 여부를 ＿＿＿＿ 확인한 뒤 결제했어요.

(I carefully checked whether the coupon applied, then paid. 🎟️)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — Payment details are checked 꼼꼼히, not merely slowly.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 꼼꼼히 → carefully, thoroughly

• 가격표 → price tag

• 읽다 → to read

• 싸다 → to be cheap

• 제품 → product

• 고르다 → to choose

• 사과 → apple

• 멍 → bruise

• 살펴보다 → to look over / inspect

• 브랜드 → brand

• 올리브유 → olive oil

• 비교하다 → to compare

• 계산서 → bill

• 확인하다 → to check

• 영수증 → receipt

• 양파 망 → onion net/bag

• 안쪽 → inside

• 행사 상품 → promotional item

• 조건 → condition

• 배달 목록 → delivery list

• 실제 물건 → actual item

• 대조하다 → to check against

• 비닐 포장 → plastic packaging

• 찢어지다 → to be torn

• 원산지 표시 → country-of-origin label

• 고기 → meat

• 쿠폰 적용 여부 → whether the coupon applies

• 결제하다 → to pay

Tip 💡 꼼꼼히 describes careful attention, not speed.

 

Exercise 4 — Balanced Variety & Even Mixing 🥗

A. 비빔밥 재료를 그릇에 ＿＿＿＿ 올렸어요.

(I placed the bibimbap ingredients evenly in the bowl. 🍲)

Answer

골고루 — 골고루 올리다 means to place things evenly.

B. 아이에게 채소와 고기를 ＿＿＿＿ 먹이고 싶어요.

(I want to feed the child vegetables and meat in a balanced way. 🥦)

Answer

골고루 — 골고루 먹이다 means to feed a balanced variety.

C. 양념이 잘 배도록 소스를 ＿＿＿＿ 섞어 주세요.

(Please mix the sauce evenly so the seasoning soaks in well. 🥣)

Answer

골고루 — 골고루 섞다 means to mix evenly.

D. 과일 바구니에 포도와 귤을 ＿＿＿＿ 담았어요.

(I put grapes and tangerines into the fruit basket in a balanced variety. 🍇)

Answer

골고루 — A balanced arrangement uses 골고루 담다.

E. 반죽에 견과류가 ＿＿＿＿ 들어가야 맛있어요.

(The nuts should be distributed evenly in the dough for it to taste good. 🥜)

Answer

골고루 — Distribution throughout a mixture is 골고루.

F. 일주일 식단에 생선과 콩을 ＿＿＿＿ 넣었어요.

(I included fish and beans in the weekly meal plan in a balanced way. 🫘)

Answer

골고루 — Meal planning across food types fits 골고루.

G. 샌드위치 속에 치즈와 양상추를 ＿＿＿＿ 넣어 주세요.

(Please put cheese and lettuce evenly inside the sandwich. 🥪)

Answer

골고루 — Even placement inside food is 골고루 넣다.

H. 아이들이 간식을 나눠 먹도록 접시에 ＿＿＿＿ 놓았어요.

(I placed the snacks evenly on the plate so the children could share them. 🍪)

Answer

골고루 — Even sharing/distribution is a classic 골고루 use.

I. 죽에 소금이 ＿＿＿＿ 퍼지도록 저었어요.

(I stirred so the salt would spread evenly through the porridge. 🥣)

Answer

골고루 — 골고루 퍼지다 means to spread evenly.

J. 도시락 칸마다 반찬을 ＿＿＿＿ 나눠 담았어요.

(I divided and packed the side dishes evenly into each lunchbox section. 🍱)

Answer

골고루 — 골고루 나눠 담다 means to distribute and pack evenly.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 골고루 → evenly / in a balanced variety

• 비빔밥 → bibimbap

• 재료 → ingredient

• 그릇 → bowl

• 올리다 → to place on / put up

• 아이 → child

• 채소 → vegetable

• 고기 → meat

• 먹이다 → to feed

• 양념 → seasoning

• 배다 → to soak in

• 소스 → sauce

• 섞다 → to mix

• 과일 바구니 → fruit basket

• 포도 → grape

• 귤 → tangerine

• 담다 → to put in / pack

• 반죽 → dough/batter

• 견과류 → nuts

• 들어가다 → to go in / be included

• 식단 → meal plan

• 생선 → fish

• 콩 → beans

• 넣다 → to put in

• 샌드위치 → sandwich

• 양상추 → lettuce

• 간식 → snack

• 나눠 먹다 → to share and eat

• 접시 → plate

• 놓다 → to place

• 죽 → porridge

• 소금 → salt

• 퍼지다 → to spread

• 젓다 → to stir

• 도시락 칸 → lunchbox section

• 반찬 → side dish

• 나눠 담다 → to divide and pack

Tip 💡 골고루 works for even mixing, even spreading, and balanced food choices.

 

Exercise 5 — Mixed Mastery + Pitfall Patrol 🛡️

A. 생선을 살 때는 ＿＿＿＿를 꼼꼼히 확인해야 해요.

(When buying fish, you should carefully check the freshness. 🐟)

Answer

신선도 — Fish quality often depends on 신선도. Notice 신선도를: the final 도 flows into the object particle 를 smoothly.

B. 우유를 사기 전에 ＿＿＿＿을 확인했어요.

(I checked the expiration date before buying milk. 🥛)

Answer

유통기한 — 유통기한을 확인하다 is a key label-checking phrase. The final ㄴ links naturally into 을.

C. ❌ 신선도가 신선해요. ✅ 신선도가 ＿＿＿＿.

(The freshness is good. 🥬)

Answer

좋아요 — 신선도 is a noun, so use 신선도가 좋아요, 높아요, or 떨어져요.

D. ❌ 유통기한이 남았어요 = 날짜가 지났어요. ✅ 유통기한이 ＿＿＿＿.

(The expiration date has passed. 🧃)

Answer

지났어요 — 남다 means time remains. 지나다 means the date passed.

E. 옷을 사러 백화점에 가면 보통 ＿＿＿＿.

(When going to the department store to buy clothes, you usually shop. 👗)

Answer

쇼핑해요 — ❌ 옷을 장봐요 sounds wrong because 장보다 is grocery-focused.

F. 채소와 단백질을 ＿＿＿＿ 먹으면 식단이 더 균형 있어요.

(If you eat vegetables and protein in a balanced variety, your diet is more balanced. 🥗)

Answer

골고루 — 골고루 먹다 means to eat a balanced variety. It does not simply mean “a lot.”

G. 행사 가격만 보지 말고 조건도 ＿＿＿＿ 읽으세요.

(Don’t look only at the sale price; read the conditions carefully too. 🏷️)

Answer

꼼꼼히 — 꼼꼼히 means carefully/thoroughly, not merely 천천히 (slowly).

H. 현재 식품 표시에서는 ＿＿＿＿도 자주 볼 수 있어요.

(On current food labels, you can often see the use-by date too. 🧃)

Answer

소비기한 — 소비기한 is the consumption/use-by date. It is related to, but not identical with, 유통기한.

I. 마트에서 필요한 재료만 사려고 메모를 보고 ＿＿＿＿.

(At the mart, I grocery-shopped while looking at my note so I would buy only the ingredients I needed. 📝)

Answer

장을 봤어요 — A mart + needed ingredients = 장을 보다. Nice, efficient cart energy. 🛒

J. 샐러드 소스가 한쪽에 몰리지 않게 ＿＿＿＿ 섞으세요.

(Mix the salad sauce evenly so it doesn’t gather on one side. 🥗)

Answer

골고루 — 골고루 섞다 means to mix evenly. This fixes the “골고루 = many” pitfall.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 생선 → fish

• 신선도 → freshness level

• 꼼꼼히 → carefully, thoroughly

• 확인하다 → to check

• 우유 → milk

• 유통기한 → expiration/sell-by-style date

• 신선하다 → to be fresh

• 좋다 → to be good

• 남다 → to remain

• 지나다 → to pass

• 옷 → clothes

• 백화점 → department store

• 쇼핑하다 → to shop generally

• 장보다 → to grocery-shop

• 채소 → vegetable

• 단백질 → protein

• 골고루 → evenly / in a balanced variety

• 먹다 → to eat

• 식단 → meal plan / diet

• 균형 있다 → to be balanced

• 행사 가격 → sale/promotional price

• 조건 → condition

• 읽다 → to read

• 천천히 → slowly

• 식품 표시 → food label

• 소비기한 → use-by / consumption deadline

• 마트 → mart

• 필요하다 → to be necessary

• 재료 → ingredient

• 메모 → note

• 장을 보다 → to grocery-shop

• 샐러드 소스 → salad sauce

• 한쪽 → one side

• 몰리다 → to gather / be concentrated

• 섞다 → to mix

Tip 💡 Pitfall patrol: 장보다 is groceries, 신선도 is a noun, 유통기한이 지나다 means “the date passed,” 꼼꼼히 is careful, and 골고루 is balanced/even.

 

🎉 You finished the cart run! You can now talk about grocery shopping with freshness, dates, careful checking, and balanced choices — basically, your Korean just became the friend who reads labels and saves everyone from suspicious yogurt. 🛒🥛✨