Order Like a K-Drama Star: “I’ll Have This, Please!”
Hello! Welcome to [Maeil Hangul], where we upgrade your Korean skills!
Have you ever watched a K-drama or a mukbang video and thought, “Wow, I want to eat that!”? Today, we’re going to learn the most essential phrase you need to order that delicious-looking food in Korea. It’s super easy and incredibly useful!
Lately in Korea, food trends spread like wildfire on Instagram and TikTok. From trendy new cafés to sizzling Korean BBQ spots, knowing how to order is your ticket to tasting the real Korea. Let’s learn how to point at what you want and say, “I’ll have this one!”
Core Expressions You Need to Know
Here are the key building blocks for ordering like a pro.
- 한국어 표현: 이거 (igeo) / 저거 (jeogeo)
- 발음 [로마자]: i-geo / jeo-geo
- 영어 뜻: This one / That one
- 상세 설명: These are your magic pointing words! Use 이거 (igeo) for something that is close to you (like an item on the menu in your hands). Use 저거 (jeogeo) for something that is far away from you (like the food on someone else’s table or a sign on the wall). These are casual and very common.
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한국어 표현: 주세요 (juseyo)
- 발음 [로마자]: ju-se-yo
- 영어 뜻: Please give me…
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상세 설명: 주세요 (juseyo) is one of the most important words for any Korean learner! You can attach it to the end of any noun to politely ask for it. It’s the key to getting anything you want, from a coffee to a concert ticket.
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한국어 표현: 이것으로 주세요 (igeo-seu-ro juseyo)
- 발음 [로마자]: i-geot-seu-ro ju-se-yo
- 영어 뜻: I’ll have this one, please.
- 상세 설명: This is the full, polite, and natural-sounding sentence! It combines 이것 (igeot – the full form of ‘this’) with the particle -으로 (-euro), which means ‘with’ or ‘as’. So you are literally saying, “As for this, please give it to me.” It sounds very fluent and is perfect for any restaurant situation.
Example Dialogue
Let’s see how these phrases work in a real conversation! Imagine you are at a bustling market in Seoul.
- A (You): (Pointing to a plate of spicy rice cakes (떡볶이) at a food stall) “Wow, that looks so good!”
- B (Vendor): “Welcome! What can I get for you?” (어서오세요! 뭘 드릴까요?)
- A (You): “이것으로 주세요.” (I-geot-seu-ro ju-se-yo.)
- B (Vendor): “One Tteokbokki, coming right up!” (네, 떡볶이 하나요! 금방 드릴게요!)
See? Simple and effective!
Culture Tip & Trend Deep Dive
In Korea, many restaurants, especially casual ones (like for tteokbokki or gimbap), have plastic food models in the window or large pictures on the wall. This is a perfect chance for you to practice! Instead of struggling with the menu, you can simply point and say, “저것으로 주세요!” (jeogeot-seu-ro juseyo!).
You’ll also see this phrase constantly in Korean ‘Mukbang’ (먹방) videos. When a YouTuber is trying a new, trendy dish for the first time, they often show the menu to the camera, point, and excitedly say, “이거 주세요!” (igeo juseyo!). Now you know exactly what they are saying! By using this phrase, you’re not just ordering food; you’re participating in a part of modern Korean food culture.
Let’s Review and Practice!
Great job today! We learned how to point and order the food we want using:
* 이거 (igeo) – This one
* 저거 (jeogeo) – That one
* 이것으로 주세요 (igeo-seu-ro juseyo) – I’ll have this one, please.
Now, it’s your turn to practice!
Quick Quiz:
You are sitting at a table in a Korean fried chicken restaurant. You see a picture of delicious-looking chicken on the menu right in front of you. What do you say to the waiter?
- 저것으로 주세요. (jeogeot-seu-ro juseyo)
- 이것으로 주세요. (igeo-seu-ro juseyo)
(The answer is 2, because the menu is close to you!)
What Korean food do you want to order using today’s phrase? Leave a comment below using the expressions we learned
