음식 좋아해요
eumsik joahaeyo
The English phrase "I love food" is translated into Korean as 음식 좋아해요 (eumsik joahaeyo).
This phrase is used to express that someone enjoys eating or has a strong liking for food. When discussing specific types of cuisine, you can use terms like 중식 for Chinese food, 일식 for Japanese food and 양식 for Western food. Related words include 맛 (taste), 맛있다 (to be tasty) and 맛있는 (delicious). To talk about eating or meals, you can use 식사 (meal) and 식사하다 (to have a meal).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 음식, which means food and 좋아해요, which means to like or love.
Which one should you use?
While 좋아해요 is the standard way to say you like or love something, using 사랑해요 (to love) instead sounds much more dramatic and intense in Korean. That form is often reserved for people or deep passions.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you are speaking with close friends or people younger than you, you can use the informal version 음식 좋아해 by dropping the 요 at the end.
How does it change in a sentence?
In more formal or grammatically complete written Korean, the object marker 을 is often added between the noun and the verb, resulting in 음식을 좋아해요.
How do you pronounce it?
eumsik joahaeyo
Did you know?
- In Korea, asking 'Have you eaten?' 밥 먹었어? is often used as a greeting similar to 'Hello' rather than a literal question about hunger.
- The word for food, 음식, literally combines the characters for 'drinking' and 'eating'.
- If you find a specific food particularly delicious, you can add the prefix 꿀 (kkul), meaning 'honey', to words like 꿀맛 (kkulmat) to mean a 'honey-sweet' or heavenly taste.
Examples in context
- 저는 음식을 사랑합니다.I love food
- 나는 한식을 진짜 좋아해.I really love Korean food
- 그는 정말 음식 좋아해요.geuneun jeongmal eumshik joahae-yo.He really loves food.
- 다들 음식 좋아해요?dadeul eumshik joahae-yo?Does everyone love food?
Example conversation
Minjun and Jieun are talking about their hobbies.
- 민준 Min-jun지은 씨는 취미가 뭐예요?Jieun ssineun chwimiga mwo-yeyo?Jieun, what is your hobby?
- 지은 Ji-eun저는 음식 좋아해요.Jeoneun eumsik joahae-yo.I love food.
- 민준 Min-jun저도 그래요. 맛집 가요!Jeodo geuraeyo. Matjip gayo!Me too. Let's go to a famous restaurant!
- 지은 Ji-eun좋아요, 같이 가요.Joayo, gachi gayo.Sounds good, let's go together.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 음식, CC BY-SA 4.0.
