연어
yeoneo[jʌ̹nʌ̹]
The English word salmon is translated into Korean as 연어 (yeoneo).
연어 refers to the salmon fish.
Meaning: fish (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
yeoneo
Did you know?
- In Korean internet slang, 연어 is used as a metaphor for 'returning to an ex-partner', referencing the fish swimming back upstream to its origin.
- Beyond the fish, 연어 is a linguistic term meaning 'collocation' or a 'connected word', derived from the characters for 'join' and 'word'.
- In certain traditional Korean fish markets, the 'salmon head' is not discarded but is prepared as a delicacy to minimize waste.
Examples in context
- 연어가 정말 맛있어요.yeon-eo-ga jeong-mal mas-it-eo-yo.The salmon is really delicious.
- 마트에서 연어를 샀어요.ma-teu-e-seo yeon-eo-reul sas-seo-yo.I bought salmon at the mart.
- 이 요리는 연어로 만들었어요.i yo-ri-neun yeon-eo-ro mandeul-eoss-eo-yo.This dish was made with salmon.
Example conversation
Minji and Hyunwoo are looking at a restaurant menu.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨, 뭐 먹고 싶어요?Hyeonu ssi, mwo meokgo sipeoyo?Hyunwoo, what do you want to eat?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo저는 연어 스테이크가 먹고 싶어요.jeoneun yeoneo seiteikeuga meokgo sipeoyo.I want to eat salmon steak.
- 민지 Min-ji좋아요. 저도 연어 좋아해요.johayo. jeodo yeoneo johae-yo.Great. I like salmon too.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo그럼 그걸로 주문할게요.geureom geugeollo jumunhalgeyo.Then I will order that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “salmon” translations and entries 연어, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 연어, CC BY-SA 4.0.
