올리브
ollibeu[o̞ʎʎibɯ]
The English word olive is translated into Korean as 올리브 (ollibeu).
올리브 is used to refer to the olive fruit. If you wish to describe the color olive, you should use the related form 올리브색.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Which one should you use?
올리브 functions as the noun for the fruit, whereas 올리브색 is the adjective used to describe the color olive.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
ollibeu
Did you know?
- In Korea, the word 올리브 is frequently associated with the 'Olive Young' health and beauty store chain, which is so ubiquitous that the word often evokes skincare and cosmetics before the fruit.
- The color 올리브색 is often grouped under the broader category of 카키 'khaki' in Korean fashion, leading to frequent interchangeable use of the two terms.
- Because the fruit is not native to Korea, the word 올리브 is a direct loanword from English rather than a traditional Korean term.
Examples in context
- 나는 올리브를 좋아해요.I like olives.
- 오늘 저녁 메뉴에 올리브를 추가해야 할까요?Should we add olives to tonight's menu?
- 이 피자 위에는 검은 올리브가 있어요.i pija wi-eneun geom-eun ollibu-ga iss-eo-yo.There are black olives on this pizza.
- 올리브를 좋아해서 샐러드에 많이 넣어요.ollibu-reul jo-a-hae-seo saelleodeu-e mani neo-eo-yo.I like olives, so I put a lot in my salad.
Example conversation
Jihoon and Seoyeon are at a cafe looking at a menu.
- 지훈 Ji-hun서연 씨, 이 샐러드에 올리브가 들어있어요?Seoyeon ssi, i saelleodeu-e ollibu-ga deureo-iss-eo-yo?Seoyeon, are there olives in this salad?
- 서연 Seo-yeon네, 초록색 올리브가 아주 많이 들어있어요.Ne, chorok-saek ollibu-ga aju mani deureo-iss-eo-yo.Yes, there are many green olives in it.
- 지훈 Ji-hun그럼 저는 올리브가 없는 메뉴로 할게요.Geureom jeo-neun ollibu-ga eom-neun menyu-ro hal-ge-yo.Then I will choose a menu without olives.
- 서연 Seo-yeon그럼 파스타를 주문하는 건 어때요?Geureom pasutareul jumun-haneun geon eo-ttae-yo?Then how about ordering pasta?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “olive” translations and entries 올리브, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 올리브, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
