밥 한 공기
bap han gonggi
In Korean, a bowl of rice is 밥 한 공기 (bap han gonggi).
The phrase 밥 한 공기 is used specifically to count servings of rice rather than just the physical bowls themselves. The word 그릇 means 'bowl'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 밥 (rice), 한 (one) and 공기 (bowl/cup/unit of volume).
How does it change in a sentence?
When changing the quantity from one to two, the number 한 (one) changes to 두 (two) to follow the native Korean counting system used with counters, such as in the phrase 밥 두 공기.
How do you pronounce it?
bap han gonggi
Did you know?
- In Korean culture, asking someone if they have eaten 밥 is often a way of showing love and care, acting as a substitute for 'I love you' or 'How are you'.
- While 공기 is used as a counter for a bowl of rice, it is the same word used for 'air' in modern Korean.
- The word for rice, 밥, might share a common origin with the word 맘마, a universal form of baby-talk used to mean 'food' or 'to eat'.
Examples in context
- 밥 한 공기 주세요.bap han gong-gi ju-se-yo.Please give me a bowl of rice.
- 밥 한 공기 더 필요해요.bap han gong-gi deo pil-yo-hae-yo.I need one more bowl of rice.
- 식당에서 밥 한 공기를 주문했어요.sik-dang-e-seo bap han gong-gi-reul ju-mun-hae-sseo-yo.I ordered a bowl of rice at the restaurant.
Example conversation
At a Korean restaurant, Ji-eun and Ji-hoon are ordering food.
- 지은 Ji-eun지훈 씨, 밥 한 공기 더 먹을래요?Ji-hun ssi, bap han gong-gi deo meog-eul-lae-yo?Ji-hoon, do you want to eat another bowl of rice?
- 지훈 Ji-hun아니요, 괜찮아요. 배가 불러요.a-ni-yo, gwaen-chan-a-yo. bae-ga bul-leo-yo.No, I'm fine. I'm full.
- 지은 Ji-eun그럼 밥 한 공기만 더 시킬게요.geu-reom bap han gong-gi-man deo si-kil-ge-yo.Then I will order just one more bowl of rice.
- 지훈 Ji-hun좋아요, 제가 계산할게요.jo-a-yo, je-ga gye-san-hal-ge-yo.Okay, I will pay for it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 공기, 밥, 한, CC BY-SA 4.0.
