GANADA — a Korean story that begins in Hongdae!
GANADA STORY · EP.04
이거 뭐예요? (What is this?)
For someone new to Korea, a restaurant menu is a little adventure.
You can see the pictures, but the names are hard,
and plenty of dishes give no clue what they are.
At moments like that, there is one very handy Korean phrase.
At first, you point at the menu and ask a little nervously:
“이거… 뭐예요?” (What… is this?)
Then the staff kindly explain.
“이건 김치찌개예요.” (This is kimchi stew.)
“돼지고기하고 김치가 들어가요. 조금 매워요.” (It has pork and kimchi in it. It’s a little spicy.)
You might not catch every word at first.
That’s fine.
What matters is that you asked — and that you started a conversation in Korean.
When you spot a drink you’ve never seen at a café,
“이거 뭐예요?”
when you’re curious about a dish at a restaurant,
“이거 뭐예요?”
even when you come across something unfamiliar on the street,
“이거 뭐예요?”
One very simple expression becomes the key to discovering new things in Korea.
And once you get a little more comfortable, you add one more question.
“매워요?” (Is it spicy?)
“맛있어요?” (Is it good?)
“추천해 주세요.” (Please recommend something.)
As these short sentences link up one by one,
at some point you find yourself having a conversation in Korean.
🌿 Today’s Hongdae mission
Give it a try yourself in Hongdae this week!
① Walk into a restaurant or café.
② Pick one menu item you’re curious about and point to it.
③ Ask, “이거 뭐예요?”
And if you feel brave, go one step further!
“많이 매워요?” (Is it very spicy?)
“맛있어요?” (Is it good?)
“하나 추천해 주세요.” (Could you recommend one?)
Finally, choose the item you like
and order by saying, “이거 주세요!” (This one, please!)
You don’t have to say it perfectly.
It’s fine to make a few mistakes.
What matters is actually using as much Korean as you’ve learned.
At GANADA KOREAN,
we hope the Korean you learn in the classroom becomes living language outside it too.
Because in Hongdae’s cafés and restaurants, in small conversations with the people you meet on the street,
“이거 뭐예요?”
— that one phrase can be the start of a new experience.
Take the one sentence you learned today
and head out onto the streets of Hongdae.
The moment you start learning Korean,
the unfamiliar sights of Seoul become a little more fun, bit by bit.
Which Korean phrase
will you try out in Hongdae next?