소금
sogeum[sʰo̞ɡɯm]
The English word 'salt' is translated into Korean as 소금 (sogeum). Wiktionary also lists 염 (yeom).
Meaning: sodium chloride (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 소금 | sogeum | [sʰo̞ɡɯm] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [ˈsʰo̞(ː)ɡɯm] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 염 | yeom | [jʌ̹m] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
The term refers to sodium chloride. In daily life and cooking, the standard word is 소금.
Which one should you use?
소금 is the standard, everyday word for salt used in cooking and daily conversation. In contrast, 염 is a Sino-Korean root used primarily in scientific, medical or compound terms, such as those relating to salinity or sodium, rather than as a standalone noun for table salt.
How do you pronounce it?
sogeum
Did you know?
- While 소금 is the word for the substance, the adjective for 'salty' is 짜다, which also means 'to be stingy' when describing a person's character.
- In traditional Korean culture, 소금 was often thrown over a threshold or at a person to drive away evil spirits and cleanse bad luck.
- Historically, salt was such a valuable commodity in Korea that it was used as a form of currency and strictly controlled by the government.
Examples in context
- 음식에 소금 좀 넣고있어요.I am adding salt to my food.This sentence shows how to use 소금 when adding it to food.Tatoeba #14007157 by Ldyhippo, translation #1788202 by Amastan
- 소금 좀 건네줄래?Would you pass me the salt, please?This sentence uses 소금 when asking someone to pass the salt.Tatoeba #8306674 by ljj, translation #25737 by CK
- 소금을 많이 넣으면 음식이 짜다.If you put in a lot of salt, the food is salty.This sentence demonstrates using 소금 to explain that food becomes salty.
- 소금을 조금만 주세요.Please pass me a little salt.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ji-hun and Seo-yeon are cooking together in the kitchen.
- 지훈 Ji-hun소금 어디에 있어?sogeum eodie isseo?Where is the salt?
- 서연 Seo-yeon저기 선반 위에 있어.jeogi seonban wie isseo.It is up there on the shelf.
- 지훈 Ji-hun찾았다. 소금 조금만 넣을게.chajatta. sogeum jogeumman neoeulge.Found it. I'll add just a bit of salt.
- 서연 Seo-yeon응, 너무 많이 넣지 마.eung, neomu mani neotji ma.Yeah, don't put in too much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “salt” translations and entries 소금, 염, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
