옥수수
oksusu[o̞ks͈usʰu]
The English word "corn" is translated into Korean as 옥수수 (oksusu).
옥수수 refers to the tall plant that produces large yellow seeds used as a vegetable or for animal feed.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is oksusu.
Did you know?
- In a slang context, the word 강냉이 (a dialect word for corn) is sometimes used to refer to human teeth because of their similar appearance.
- The word 옥수수 is a partial translation of a Chinese term where the first character 옥 means 'jade'. This suggests that when corn first arrived in East Asia, its bright yellow kernels were compared to precious gemstones.
- In Korea, 옥수수 is often eaten as a street food snack steamed with salt, but it is rarely eaten 'on the cob' as a primary dinner side dish like in the US.
Examples in context
- 오늘 저녁에 옥수수를 요리할 거예요.I am going to cook corn for dinner tonight.
- 친구들과 함께 옥수수를 구워 먹었어요.I grilled and ate corn with my friends.
- 여기에 옥수수가 있어요.yeogiye oksusuga isseoyo.There is corn here.
- 여름에는 옥수수가 아주 맛있어요.yeoreumeneun oksusuga aju masisseoyo.Corn is very delicious in summer.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Dohyun are deciding what to eat for a snack.
- 서연 Seo-yeon도현 씨, 옥수수 먹을래요?Dohyun ssi, oksusu meogeullaeyo?Dohyun, do you want to eat some corn?
- 도현 Do-hyeon네, 좋아요. 어디에 있어요?ne, joayo. eodie isseoyo?Yes, I'd love to. Where is it?
- 서연 Seo-yeon부엌 식탁 위에 있어요.bueok siktak wie isseoyo.It is on the kitchen table.
- 도현 Do-hyeon와, 옥수수 냄새가 정말 좋네요.wa, oksusu naemsaega jeongmal jonneyo.Wow, the corn smells really great.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 옥수수, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 옥수수, CC BY-SA 4.0.
