What Should We Eat Tonight? 🍳

2. Introduction

Hello, K-Culture fans! 👋 It’s your friendly Korean tutor, Daily Hangul!

Have you ever watched a K-Drama where the characters make delicious Kimchi-jjigae or Ramyeon together in the evening? 🍜 Cooking and eating together is a huge part of Korean culture and a way to show love!

Today, we are going to learn how to prepare dinner in Korean. Whether you are with your Korean friends or just talking to yourself while watching Squid Game, these expressions are super useful! Let’s get cooking! 🔥

3. Key Expressions

Here are 4 must-know expressions for dinner time!

1. 뭐 먹을까?

• Pronunciation: [Mwo meogeulkka?]
• English Meaning: What shall we eat?
• Explanation: This is the starting point of every meal! It is a casual way to ask friends or family what they want for dinner.
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip: When saying 먹을까 (meogeulkka), the ‘k’ sound in ‘meok’ slides over to the next vowel. So it sounds more like [meo-geul-kka].

2. 내가 요리할게.

• Pronunciation: [Naega yorihalge.]
• English Meaning: I will cook.
• Explanation: Want to impress your friends? Use this! ‘내가 (Naega)’ means ‘I’, and ‘요리할게 (yorihalge)’ means ‘will cook’. Use this when you volunteer to be the chef! 👩‍🍳

3. 좀 도와줘.

• Pronunciation: [Jom dowajwo.]
• English Meaning: Please help me a little.
• Explanation: Cooking is hard work! Use this to ask for help setting the table or washing vegetables. ‘좀 (Jom)’ softens the request, making it sound polite but casual.

4. 진짜 맛있다!

• Pronunciation: [Jinjja masitda!]
• English Meaning: It’s really delicious!
• Explanation: The best compliment for the cook! You will hear this in every Korean variety show when they eat something good.
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip: In 맛있다 (masitda), the ‘s’ (ㅅ) at the bottom sounds like a ‘t’. And the following ‘d’ (ㄷ) becomes a strong ‘t’ sound. So it sounds like [ma-shit–ta]!

4. Real-life Dialogue

Let’s see how two friends, Minji and Jason, decide on dinner! 🏠

Minji: 배고파… 오늘 저녁 뭐 먹을까?
(Baegopa… Oneul jeonyeok mwo meogeulkka?)
(I’m hungry… What shall we eat for dinner tonight?)

Jason: 비빔밥 어때? 내가 재료 샀어.
(Bibimbap eottae? Naega jaeryo sasseo.)
(How about Bibimbap? I bought ingredients.)

Minji: 좋아! 그럼 내가 요리할게.
(Joa! Geureom naega yorihalge.)
(Good! Then I will cook.)

Jason: 오, 진짜? 그럼 난 뭐 할까?
(Oh, jinjja? Geureom nan mwo halkka?)
(Oh, really? Then what should I do?)

Minji: 상 차리는 거 좀 도와줘.
(Sang charineun geo jom dowajwo.)
(Please help me set the table.)

(After eating)

Jason: 와, 이거 진짜 맛있다!
(Wa, igeo jinjja masitda!)
(Wow, this is really delicious!)

5. Culture Tip & Drama Scene 🎬

🍚 “Did you eat rice?” (밥 먹었어?)
In many K-Dramas, you might notice people asking “Did you eat?” instead of “How are you?”. In Korea, caring about someone’s meal is the ultimate sign of affection!

Also, before you start eating the dinner you just cooked, don’t forget to say:
“잘 먹겠습니다!” (Jal meokgetseumnida!)
It means “I will eat well” (Thank you for the meal). It shows gratitude to the person who cooked (even if you cooked it together!).

6. Wrap-up & Quiz

Great job today! Now you know how to suggest a menu, volunteer to cook, and praise the food in Korean. Try using these phrases next time you make Ramyeon! 🍜

📝 Mini Quiz

1. How do you say “I will cook” in Korean?
   ( ________ 요리할게. )
2. True or False: “Jinjja masitda” means “I am hungry.”
   ( O / X )

Answers:
1. 내가 (Naega)
2. X (It means “It’s really delicious!”)

See you next time! 안녕! (Annyeong!) 👋