음식을 주문하다
eumsigeul jumunhada
To order food in Korean is 음식을 주문하다 (eumsigeul jumunhada).
This phrase is used when you request a specific meal or drink from a menu, whether you are in a restaurant or using a delivery service.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of 음식 (eumsik), meaning food and the verb 주문하다 (jumunhada), meaning to order.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
When you are ready to tell a server that you are ready to order, you should use the polite form 음식 주문할게요.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that you have already ordered food, use the past tense 음식을 주문했어요. If you want to suggest ordering food to someone else, you can use the form 음식을 주문할까요? to say "Shall we order food?" In many restaurant settings, it is very common to omit the object 음식을 and simply say 주문할게요 to mean "I'll order".
How do you pronounce it?
eumsigeul jumunhada
Did you know?
- The word 주문 (jumun) is also used in other contexts to mean a 'magic spell' or 'incantation' in fantasy settings.
- Korean has a specific culture of 'delivery food' called 배달 문화 (baedal munhwa), where ordering food to a park or riverbank is a common social activity.
- The term 주문하다 is derived from the Hanja characters 注 (pour/concentrate) and 文 (writing/text), reflecting a historical process of documenting a request.
Examples in context
- 음식을 주문하고 싶어요.I would like to order food.
- 메뉴판을 볼 수 있을까요?May I see the menu?
- 뭐 추천해 주시겠어요?What do you recommend?
- 이거 주세요. / 이걸로 주세요.Please give me this one.
- 음식 주문하고 싶어.I want to order food.
- 메뉴 보여 줘.Show me the menu.
- 뭐 좋을까?What's good?
- 이거 주라. / 이걸로 해 줘.Give me this one.
- 앱으로 음식을 주문하다.aeb-euro eum-sig-eul ju-mun-ha-da.Order food using an app.
Example conversation
Jihoon and Seoyeon are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- 지훈 Ji-hun배고픈데 이제 음식을 주문하다가 어때요?baegopeunde ije eumsigeul jumunhadaga eottaeyo?I'm hungry, how about we order food now?
- 서연 Seo-yeon좋아요. 어떤 음식을 주문할까요?joayo. eotteon eumsigeul jumunhalkkayo?Sounds good. What food shall we order?
- 지훈 Ji-hun저는 매콤한 떡볶이가 먹고 싶어요.jeoneun maekomhan tteokbokkiga meokgo sipeoyo.I want to eat some spicy tteokbokki.
- 서연 Seo-yeon그럼 제가 바로 주문할게요.geureom jega baro jumunhalkeyo.Then I will order it right away.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 주문하다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
