The largest list of cereals and beans in Korean

After vegetables, fruit, mushrooms and seaweed, how about focusing on grain seeds now? Grains are largely distinguished into cereals and legumes. What are legumes? 🤔 Legumes are plants that produce pulses such as beans, lentils and peas. They are essential sources of nutrients, minerals and flavor – especially for people on a plant-based diet. 💚🌱

And Korea offers a vast diversity of grains! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤 White bread or plain rice might seem boring, if you have such a large field of tastes and textures to explore! 🤩 Or do you have a gluten intolerance or a soy allergy? Then hopefully you can apply your language skills to identify critical ingredients, when you travel in Korea or shop Korean groceries! Additionally, you can check out the list with Korean names for allergens.

Below word list provides the names of cereals and beans in Korean language. 🗒🌾🇰🇷🇰🇵 Do you know an important ingredient that’s missing? ❓ Let’s add it and make this vocabulary list as extensive as possible! ❗️ Comment below or send me a message! [Btw, if you don’t know how to read Korean yet, here’s a free and easy guide to learning the alphabet!]

The vocabulary begins with grains and cereals that are common in Korean cuisine. Afterwards, the Korean names of pulses like beans, lentils and peas are listed. [Some items may appear double when comparing it to this list of nuts and seeds.] Cereals and beans are followed by popular food items, e.g. noodles 🍜, bread 🥪, pizza 🍕, Korean teas 🍵, which are made from those grains and are also worth knowing in Korean language.

Are you hungry (for knowledge), yet? 🧐 Let’s study!! 🤓 And maybe eat something tasty, too. 😋

⚠️ UPDATE: There are now pictures of food items along with the respective Korean name, pronunciation and English translation. Find the slideshows below!👇

Containers filled with grains and beans at a traditional Korean market, Seoul 2019.

Names of grains / cereals and beans in Korean

plant-based ingredients 식물성 재료 植物性材料 singmulseong jaeryo

🍚 cereal grains 🌾🌽

cereals in general – 곡물 穀物 gongmul / 곡식 穀食 goksik
- mixed grains – 잡곡 雜穀 japgok
- cereals, corn, grain – 양곡 糧穀 yang-gok
🍚 rice – 쌀 ssal (uncooked, raw rice)
- short-grain rice, sinica rice, japonica rice, sushi rice (Oryza sativa japonica) – 멥쌀 mep-ssal
  - glutinous rice, sticky rice, sweet rice – 찹쌀 chap-ssal
  - ⬜ white rice, polished rice – 백미 白米 baengmi / 흰쌀 huin-ssal
  - 🟫 brown rice, unpolished rice, whole grain rice – 현미 玄米 hyeonmi
    - glutinous brown rice – 찰현미 chal-hyeonmi
    - 🌱 sprouted brown rice – 발아현미 bara-hyeonmi
  - ⬛ black rice – 흑미 黑米 heungmi / 검은쌀 geomeun-ssal / 검정쌀 geomjeong-ssal
    - glutinous black rice – 찰흑미 chal-heungmi / 찰진주 chal-jinju
  - 🟥 red rice – 적미 赤米 jeongmi / 홍미 紅米 hongmi
  - 🟥 red yeast rice, red fermented rice, Jap. red koji rice – 홍국미 紅麴米 hong-gung-mi / 홍국쌀 hong-guk-ssal
  - 🟩 green rice – 녹미 綠米 nongmi
- long-grain rice, indica rice (Oryza sativa indica) – 인디카쌀 indika ssal / 안남미 annam-mi / 월남쌀 wollam-ssal / 베트남쌀 beteunam-ssal
  - Basmati rice – 바스마티(쌀) baseumati (ssal)
  - 🌸 Jasmine rice – 재스민쌀 jaeseumin-ssal
- ♨️ parboiled rice – 찐쌀 jjin-ssal
- 🍚 cooked rice – (쌀)밥 (ssal-)bap
- rice bran – 쌀겨 ssal-gyeo / 미강 米糠 migang
🌾 wheat – 소맥 小麥 somaek / 밀 mil
- whole wheat, whole-grain – 통밀 tongmil
- wheat bran – 밀기울 mil gi-ul
- durum wheat – 듀럼밀 dyureom mil
🌾 barley – 보리 bori
- Korean type of barley, “glutinous barley” – 찰보리 chal-bori
- Korean type of barley – 늘보리 neul-bori
- ⚫️ Korean type of barley, “black barley” – 흑보리 heuk-bori
- 🔵 Korean type of barley, “blue / green barley” – 청보리 cheong-bori
🌾 rye – 호밀 homil
🌾 oat – 귀리 gwiri
🌾 kamut, Khorasan wheat, oriental wheat – 카무트 kamuteu
🌽 corn – 옥수수 oksusu / 강냉이 gangnaengi
- glutinous corn, waxy corn – 찰옥수수 chal oksusu [most common type of corn in Korea]
- sweet corn – 스위트콘 seuwiteu kon / 사탕옥수수 satang oksusu
  - variety of sweet corn – 초당옥수수 chodang oksusu
millet – 조 jo
- foxtail millet (Setaria italica) – 조 jo / 좁쌀 jopssal
- Korean type of millet, “glutinous millet” – 차조 chajo
- proso millet, common millet, broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) – 기장 gijang
- sorghum, great millet (Sorghum bicolor) – 수수 susu
Job’s tear, Chinese pearl barley, adlay millet (Coix lacryma-jobi), Chin. yìyǐ 薏苡 (薏米) – 율무 yulmu / 염주 念珠 yeomju

⚠️ For quick learning and easy remembering: Here’s a slideshow illustrating the vocabulary! 👇 More images will be added soon!

🌿 Pseudo-cereal grains 🌱🌾

buckwheat – 메밀 memil / 모밀 momil
quinoa – 퀴노아 kwinoa
- tri-color quinoa – 삼색 퀴노아 samsaek kwinoa
- white quinoa – 화이트 퀴노아 hwa-iteu kwinoa
- red quinoa – 레드 퀴노아 redeu kwinoa
- black quinoa – 블랙 퀴노아 beullaekeu kwinoa
amaranth – 아마란스 amaranseu
chia seeds – 치아씨 chi-assi

⚠️ For quick learning and easy remembering: Here’s a slideshow illustrating the vocabulary! 👇 More images will be added soon!

🥜 Beans and pulses / grain legumes 🥜🥜

beans in general – 콩 kong
🟡 soybean, soy bean, soya bean (Glycine max) – 대두 大豆 daedu
- 🟡 regular yellow soybean – 대두 大豆 daedu / 노란콩 noran-kong
- 🟡 small soybean (used for making meju, soybean sprouts etc.) – 메주콩 mejukong / 백태(콩) 白太 baektae (kong)
- ⚫️ black soybean with yellow inside – 흑태 黑太 heuktae / 흑대두 黑大豆 heuk-daedu
- ⚫️ black soybean with green inside, green kernel black soybean – 서리태 seoritae
- 🟢 green soybean – 청태(콩) 靑太 cheongtae (kong) / 청서리태 cheong seoritae
- 🟢 unripe, green soybean, unskinned (like Japanese edamame) – 풋콩 putkong
- 🌱 soybean sprouts – 콩나물 kongnamul
⚫️ black bean (in Korea often either 흑태, 서리태 or 서목태) – 검은콩 geomeun-kong / 검정콩 geomjeong-kong
⚫️ small black bean (Rhynchosia nulubilis?) – 서목태 鼠目太 seomoktae / 쥐눈이콩 jwinuni-kong / 약콩 yak-kong
🔴 kidney bean, red variety of Phaseolus vulgaris – 강낭콩 gang-nang-kong
⚫️ black turtle bean, black variety of Phaseolus vulgaris– 검정강낭콩 geomjeong gang-nang-kong
⚪️ navy bean, white variety of Phaseolus vulgaris – 흰 강낭콩 huin gang-nang-kong / 하얀 강낭콩 hayan gang-nang-kong
🔴 cranberry bean, borlotti bean, striped variety of Phaseolus vulgaris – 호랑이(강낭)콩 horangi-(gangnang)-kong [lit. “tiger (kidney) bean”]
덩굴콩 deonggul-kong / 넝쿨콩 neongkul-kong
🔴 울타리콩 ultari-kong / 울콩 ulkong / 밤콩 bamkong
🔴 painted pony bean, variety of Phaseolus vulgaris – 반달콩 bandal-kong
🟣 hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus) – 편두 扁豆 pyeondu / 제비콩 jebi-kong / 까치콩 kkachi-kong
⚪️ sword bean (Canavalia gladiata) – 작두콩 斫刀 jakdu-kong
🟢 mung bean, green gram (Vigna radiata) – 녹두 綠豆 nokdu
- 🌱 mung bean sprouts – 녹두나물 nokdu-namul / 숙주나물 sukju-namul
🔴 red bean, adzuki bean, Jap. azuki bean (Vigna angularis) – 팥 pat / 적두 赤豆 jeokdu
- ⚫️ black pat, black adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) – 검은팥 geomeun pat / 흑소두 黑小豆 heuksodu / 거두 geodu
- ⚫️ grey pat, gray adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) – 회색팥 hoesaek pat
- ⚪️ white pat, white adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) – 흰팥 huin pat / 하얀팥 hayan pat
- hulled adzuki beans – 거피팥 去皮- geopi pat / 기피팥 gipi pat
⚪️ cowpea, black-eyed pea (Vigna unguiculata)- 동부(콩) dongbu (kong)
🟢 green pea, immature seeds of Pisum sativum – 완두콩 豌豆 wandu-kong
- 🌱 pea sprouts, Chin. dòumiáo 豆苗 – 완두순 wandu-sun
🟠 chick pea, chickpea (Cicer arietinum) – 병아리콩 byeong-ari-kong
🟤 lentil (Lens culinaris / Lens esculenta) – 렌틸콩 rentil-kong
🟡 lupin, lupini, lupin bean (Lupinus) – 루핀콩 rupin-kong
🥜 peanut, groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) – 땅콩 ttangkong
- whole peanut (unskinned) – 피땅콩 pittangkong
broad bean, fava bean (Vicia faba) – 누에콩 nu-e kong / 잠두 蠶豆 jamdu
flat bean, runner bean, unripe fruit of Phaseolus coccineus
green bean, French bean, string bean, unripe fruit of Phaseolus vulgaris – 그린빈 geurin-bin / 프렌치빈 peurenchi-bin
sugar pea, snow pea, snap pea, edible pod pea, unripe fruit of Pisum sativum – 스위트피 seu-witeu-pi / 백설콩 baekseol kong
☕️ coffee bean, seed of Coffea plant – 커피빈 keopibin / 원두 原豆 wondu [botanically not a legume!]
🍫 cocoa bean, cacao, seed of Theobroma cacao – 코코아콩 kokoakong [botanically not a legume!]

⚠️ For quick learning and easy remembering: Here’s a slideshow illustrating the vocabulary! 👇 More images will be added soon!

🥣 Common foods produced from cereals 🧁🍡

🍚 cooked rice – 밥 bap / 쌀밥 ssal-bap
- cooked white rice – 흰쌀밥 huin-ssal-bap
- cooked brown rice – 현미밥 hyeonmi-bap
- cooked sprouted brown rice – 발아현미밥 bara hyeonmi-bap
- cooked glutinous rice – 찰밥 chalbap
- cooked rice mixed with grains – 잡곡밥 japgok-bap
- cooked rice with beans – 콩밥 kongbap
- cooked rice with millet – 조밥 jobap
- cooked rice mixed with five different kinds of grain – 오곡밥 ogok-bap
- intentionally or accidentally scorched rice, cooked and roasted rice – 누룽지 nurungji
🥣 rice porridge, congee – 죽 粥 juk
🌾 flour (in general) – 가루 garu
- wheat flour – 소맥분 小麥粉 somaekbun / 밀가루 mil-garu
  - cake flour, soft flour with lower gluten-content – 박력분 薄力粉 bangnyeok-bun
  - all-purpose flour, medium flour – 중력분 中力粉 jungnyeok-bun
  - bread flour, strong flour with high gluten-content – 강력분 強力粉 gangnyeok-bun
- whole wheat – 통밀 tongmil
- whole grain – 통곡식 tong-goksik
- semolina, coarsely ground durum wheat – 세몰리나 semollina
- flour of various grains (cereals and beans) – 미숫가루 misut-garu
- rice flour – 쌀가루 ssal-garu
  - non-glutinous rice flour – 멥쌀가루 mepssal-garu
  - glutinous rice flour – 찹쌀가루 chapssal-garu
  - rice bran – 쌀겨 ssalgyeo / 미강 米糠 migang
- starch – 전분 澱粉 jeonbun / 녹말(가루) 綠末 nongmal-garu
- powder – 분말 粉末 bunmal
🌾 malt, germinated cereal (often barley) – 엿기름 yeotgireum
🍞 bread – 빵 ppang
- 🥖 baguette – 바게트 bageteu
- 🥖 ciabatta – 치아바타 chi-abata
- 🍞 toast – 토스트 toseuteu
- 🥪 sandwich – 샌드위치 saendeu-wichi
- 🍔 burger – 버거 beogeo
🧁 sweet bakery products
- 🍰 cake – 케이크 ke-ikeu (sometimes 케익 ke-ik)
- 🥧 tarte – 타르트 tareuteu
- 🥧 pie – 파이 pa-i
- 🧁 muffin – 머핀 meopin
- 🍩 donut, doughnut – 도넛 doneot / 도너츠 doneocheu
- 🍪 cookie – 쿠키 kuki
🍡 Korean rice cakes – 떡 tteok
🍕 pizza – 피자 pija
🍜 noodles – 국수 guksu / 면 麵 myeon
- 🍜 ramen noodles – 라면 ramyeon
- hand-cut noodles – 칼국수 kalguksu
- hand-pulled noodles – 수타면 手打麵 sutamyeon
- hand-torn noodles – 수제비 sujebi
- 🍝 pasta – 파스타 paseuta
- 🥟 dumplings – 만두 mandu
🥞 pancake – 팬케이크 paen-ke-ikeu / 핫케익 hatke-ik
🥞 waffle – 와플 wapeul
🥣 breakfast cereal – 시리얼 siri-eol
🥣 oatmeal – 오트밀 oteumil
🍿 popcorn – 팝콘 papkon
🍿 Korean-style puffed grains – 뻥튀기 ppeong-twigi
- Korean-style puffed corn – 옥수수 뻥튀기 oksusu-ppeong-twigi
- Korean-style puffed rice – 쌀뻥튀기 ssal-ppeong-twigi
🍵 cereal teas
- 🍚 green tea with roasted brown rice – 현미녹차 hyeonmi-nokcha
- 🌾 tea from ground Job’s tears – 율무차 yulmucha
- 🌾 buckwheat tea – 메밀차 memil-cha
- 🌾 roasted barley tea – 볶은보리 bokkeun bori / 보리차 boricha
- 🌽 roasted corn tea – 옥수수차 oksusucha
🍶 other cereal-based drinks
- 🍺 beer – 맥주 麥酒 maekju
- 🍶 Korean rice wine, rice beer – 막걸리 makgeolli
- 🍚 Sikhye, Korean rice drink (made from fermented rice and malt) – 식혜 sikhye
- 🌾 Misu, nutritious drink made from mixed grains – 미수 misu
  - mixed grain powder – 미숫가루 misutgaru

⚠️ For quick learning and easy remembering: Here’s a slideshow illustrating the vocabulary! 👇 More images will be added soon!

🥛Common products based on soy and other pulses 🌶🍮

🥛 soy milk – 두유 豆乳 duyu
🥛 thick soy broth – 콩물 kongmul [e.g. for Kong-guksu]
🍮 tofu – 두부 豆腐 dubu
- hand-made tofu – 손두부 sondubu
- silken tofu – 순두부 sundubu
- soft tofu – 연두부 yeondubu
- firm tofu – 단단한 두부 dandanhan dubu
soy pulp leftover from making soy milk or tofu, Jap. okara (おから雪花菜), Chin. dòuzhā (豆渣) – 비지 biji / 두부박 豆腐粕 dububak
tempeh – 템페 tempe
roasted soy bean powder, Jap. kinako (きなこ黄粉) – (볶은) 콩가루 (bokkeun) kong-garu [e.g. in Injeolmi]
soy sauce – 간장 ganjang
Korean-style fermented bean paste – 된장 doenjang
🌶 Korean-style fermented chili paste – 고추장 gochujang
🌶 seasoning paste with doenjang and gochujang – 쌈장 ssamjang
Korean-style fermented bean paste – 청국장 cheonggukjang
block of fermented soy beans (basic ingredient in many Korean seasoning pastes) – 메주 meju
douchi, tochi, fermented black soybeans, Chinese fermented black beans, Chin. dòuchǐ – 두시 豆豉 dusi
doubanjiang, Chinese fermented chili bean paste, Chin. dòubànjiàng – 두반장 豆瓣酱 dubanjang