5 Korean Grain Words You Should Know

Hello! Many Koreans mix different grains into white rice to add flavor, texture, and variety to their meals.

Today, let’s learn five useful Korean grain words.

1. 보리 (Bori)

보리 means barley.

The Korean word bori and the English word barley sound surprisingly similar, so this one may be easy to remember.

Koreans often mix barley with rice to make 보리밥 (boribap).

• 보리를 쌀과 섞어 먹어요.
  Bori-reul ssal-gwa seokkeo meogeoyo.
  We mix barley with rice and eat them together.

2. 메밀 (Memil)

메밀 means buckwheat.

Despite its English name, buckwheat is not a type of wheat. In Korea, it is commonly used to make noodles and pancakes.

You may recognize it from 메밀국수 (memilguksu), meaning “buckwheat noodles.”

• 메밀로 국수를 만들어요.
  Memil-lo guksu-reul mandeureoyo.
  We make noodles with buckwheat.

3. 현미 (Hyeonmi)

현미 means brown rice.

It is rice with its outer husk removed but with the bran layer still intact. Koreans often eat it alone or mix it with white rice.

Cooked rice made with brown rice is called 현미밥 (hyeonmibap).

• 저는 현미밥을 자주 먹어요.
  Jeo-neun hyeonmibap-eul jaju meogeoyo.
  I often eat brown rice.

4. 귀리 (Gwiri)

귀리 means oats.

Compared with barley or brown rice, oats were not traditionally a common part of everyday Korean meals. For many Koreans, they are still a relatively unfamiliar grain. However, oats have become more popular in recent years through oatmeal, granola, oat milk, and multigrain rice.

• 귀리로 오트밀을 만들어요.
  Gwiri-ro oteumil-eul mandeureoyo.
  We make oatmeal with oats.

5. 수수 (Susu)

수수 means sorghum.

Koreans traditionally use sorghum to make foods such as 수수팥떡 (susu-pattteok) and 수수부꾸미 (susu-bukkumi).

• 수수로 떡을 만들어요.
  Susu-ro tteok-eul mandeureoyo.
  We make rice cakes with sorghum.

Note!

The Korean expression 잡곡밥 (japgokbap) means rice cooked with a mixture of grains, beans, or both.

• 잡곡밥에는 여러 가지 곡물이 들어가요.
  Japgokbap-eneun yeoreo gaji gongmul-i deureogayo.
  Multigrain rice contains several kinds of grain.

✨ Today’s Korean Words

보리 (bori): barley
메밀 (memil): buckwheat
현미 (hyeonmi): brown rice
귀리 (gwiri): oats
수수 (susu): sorghum
잡곡밥 (japgokbap): Korean multigrain rice

Which grain would you like to add to your rice?

One Korean expression a day, make it yours!

하루에 한 표현을 내 것으로!