껌
kkeom[k͈ʌ̹m]
The Korean word for gum is 껌 (kkeom).
껌 refers to a single piece of chewing gum.
Meaning: single piece of chewing gum (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 껌 is used nationwide in South Korea.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 껌 as the direct object of a verb, such as "to chew" or "to buy", you must add the object marker –을 to the noun, forming 껌을.
How do you pronounce it?
kkeom
Did you know?
- The phrase 껌이다 literally means 'it is gum' but is used as an idiom to describe a task that is incredibly easy or a 'piece of cake'.
- While 껌 is a loanword from English, it is a 'doublet' of the Korean word 고무, which means 'rubber'. Both words share the same linguistic ancestor, making 'gum' and 'rubber' distant cousins in Korean vocabulary.
- While 껌 is the word for the candy, the anatomical gums in a person's mouth are called 잇몸, which shares no linguistic root with the candy.
Examples in context
- 어떤 맛의 껌을 좋아하세요?What flavor of gum do you like?
- 이 껌 맛있어!This gum is delicious!
- 껌 하나만 줄 수 있어?kkeom hana-man jul su isseo?Can you give me a piece of gum?
- 이 껌은 향이 좋아.i kkeom-eun hyang-i jo-a.This gum smells good.
- 껌을 다 씹었어.kkeom-eul da ssib-eosseo.I finished chewing the gum.
Example conversation
Two friends are sitting in a classroom during a break.
- 도현 Do-hyeon지은아, 껌 있어?Ji-eun-a, kkeom isseo?Ji-eun, do you have any gum?
- 지은 Ji-eun응, 여기 껌 하나 있어.Eung, yeogi kkeom hana isseo.Yes, here is a piece of gum.
- 도현 Do-hyeon고마워, 정말 고마워.Go-ma-wo, jeong-mal go-ma-wo.Thanks, thank you so much.
- 지은 Ji-eun아니야, 도현아.A-ni-ya, Do-hyeon-a.No problem, Do-hyeon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 껌, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 껌, CC BY-SA 4.0.
