흰쌀
huinssal[çins͈a̠ɭ]
In Korean, white rice is translated as 흰쌀 (huinssal) or 백미.
Meaning: rice with the hull polished off (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 흰쌀 | huinssal | [çins͈a̠ɭ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 백미 | baengmi |
The term refers to rice that has had its hull polished off.
What does it mean word for word?
흰쌀 is a compound of the adjective 흰 (white) and the noun 쌀 (rice).
Which one should you use?
백미 is the direct antonym to 현미 (brown rice) when discussing types of polished or unpolished rice.
How do you pronounce it?
huinssal
Did you know?
- In certain Korean contexts, calling something the 백미 (baekmi) of a group means it is the 'white rice' or the very best part of a collection, rather than just the literal grain.
- The word 쌀 (ssal) for rice refers specifically to the raw grain, whereas the word 밥 (bap) refers to cooked rice. If you ask for 쌀 at a restaurant, you might receive a bowl of uncooked grains.
- If you are eating a meal and someone asks if you have had enough 'rice', they are actually asking if you are full, because 'rice' is a metonymy for the entire meal.
Examples in context
- 현미는 지긋지긋해. 백미밥을 줘!Brown rice is boring. Serve white rice!This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for 백미 over brown rice.Tatoeba #13250458 by qiwiwi, translation #10228712 by terrywallwork
- 밥 좀 줘Please give me a little rice.
- 저는 밥을 먹었어요I ate rice.
- 아침에 쌀밥을 먹으면 기운이 솟아요When you eat white rice in the morning, you feel energized.
- 흰쌀로 밥을 지어요.huinsal-lo bap-eul jio-yo.I cook rice with white rice.
- 마트에서 흰쌀을 샀어요.ma-teu-eseo huinsal-eul sass-eo-yo.I bought white rice at the mart.
Example conversation
Dohyun and Minji are grocery shopping together.
- 도현 Do-hyeon민지 씨, 여기 흰쌀 있어요.Minji ssi, yeogi hinssal isseoyo.Minji, the white rice is over here.
- 민지 Min-ji아, 정말요? 어디에 있나요?a, jeongmalyo? eodie innayo?Oh, really? Where is it?
- 도현 Do-hyeon이쪽에 큰 봉지가 있어요.ijjo-ge keun bongjiga isseoyo.There is a big bag this way.
- 민지 Min-ji고마워요, 도현 씨.gomawoyo, Dohyun ssi.Thank you, Dohyun.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “white rice” translations and entries 흰쌀, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
