맥주
maekju[mɛk̚t͡ɕ͈u]
The Korean word for beer is 맥주 (maekju).
맥주 is a noun referring to the alcoholic drink made from malt.
Meaning: alcoholic drink made of malt (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 맥주 is the general term for beer, the specific term 생맥주 is used to refer to draft beer or fresh beer.
How does it change in a sentence?
When 맥주 is the direct object of a verb, such as in the phrase 'drinking beer', the object marker '-를' is often added to form 맥주를.
How do you pronounce it?
maekju
Did you know?
- Korean beer culture often involves 'gan-be', the act of clinking glasses, but the lower-ranking person will often tilt their glass slightly lower than the senior person's glass.
- Although the word 맥주 uses Sino-Korean characters, it was actually adopted into the Korean vocabulary via the Japanese pronunciation of the same characters.
- In many Korean bars, the concept of 'maekju' is often linked to 'chimak', a portmanteau of 'chicken' and 'maekju' used to describe the popular combination of fried chicken and beer.
Examples in context
- 맥주 한 잔 어때요?What about a glass of beer?This sentence is useful for suggesting a glass of 맥주.Tatoeba #11106416 by intertime, translation #34838 by CK
- 톰은 맥주를 쭉 들이켰다.Tom downed his beer.This sentence is useful for describing the action of drinking 맥주.Tatoeba #11110721 by intertime, translation #2647535 by CK
- 목요일 밤엔 맥주가 공짜야.Thursday night is free beer night.This sentence is useful for talking about free 맥주.Tatoeba #4748055 by kimhkng, translation #323663 by kimhkng
- 맥주 주세요Please give me beer.
- 오래된 친구에게 맥주 한 잔을 사주었어요.I bought a glass of beer for an old friend.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minji and Dohyeon are deciding what to drink at a restaurant.
- 민지 Min-ji도현 씨, 맥주 마실래요?Do-hyeon ssi, maek-ju ma-sil-lae-yo?Dohyeon, do you want to drink beer?
- 도현 Do-hyeon네, 맥주 좋아요.ne, maek-ju jo-a-yo.Yes, beer sounds good.
- 민지 Min-ji그럼 맥주 두 잔 시킬까요?geu-reom maek-ju du jan si-kil-kka-yo?Then shall we order two glasses of beer?
- 도현 Do-hyeon좋아요, 제가 주문할게요.jo-a-yo, je-ga ju-mun-hal-ge-yo.Great, I will order.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beer” translations and entries 맥주, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 맥주, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
