Korean Dictionary
How to say "Stir-fry" in Korean
“Stir-fry” in Korean is 볶음 (pronounced "bokkeum").
볶음
bokkeum
Usage & Context
A cooking method where ingredients are quickly cooked in a hot pan or wok with oil. It's a fundamental technique in Korean cooking used for many dishes. Stir-frying preserves the texture and flavor of ingredients.
Example Sentence
밥을 볶음으로 만들어요.
We make fried rice by stir-frying.
How to use 볶음 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Stir-fry” is 볶음, romanized as bokkeum.
Usage tip
Learn this word together with a complete Korean sentence. Meaning often depends on particles, politeness level, and word order.
Common mistake
Do not rely only on the English meaning. Read the Korean example sentence and notice the particles, word order, and politeness level around 볶음.
Pronunciation Guide
Say "Bok-keum." "Bok" sounds like "book" but with an 'o' sound similar to "bog." "Keum" is like "come" but with a 'k' sound at the beginning and a 'eu' vowel sound, similar to the 'oo' in "good" but with lips slightly more rounded.
More Example Sentences
Expressing a craving for a specific stir-fried dish.
매콤한 제육볶음이 당기네요.
I'm craving spicy stir-fried pork.
Explaining the popularity of a stir-fried dish to a non-Korean.
김치볶음밥은 한국 사람들이 좋아하는 메뉴예요.
Kimchi fried rice is a menu item Koreans love.
Suggesting a way to use up leftover food by stir-frying.
남은 재료로 볶음 요리를 만들어 볼까요?
Shall we try making a stir-fry dish with the leftover ingredients?
Cultural Context
볶음 (bokkeum) refers to both the stir-frying cooking method and the resulting dish. It's a fundamental and versatile technique in Korean cuisine, used for a wide array of ingredients from meat (like 제육볶음, jeyuk bokkeum - spicy stir-fried pork) to seafood (like 쭈꾸미볶음, jjukumi bokkeum - stir-fried webfoot octopus) and vegetables. Many popular Korean dishes are 'bokkeum' variations, often characterized by their savory and sometimes spicy sauces.
Editorial note
We review entries like 볶음 for pronunciation, example sentence fit, and learner mistakes so the page answers more than a direct dictionary lookup.
Reviewed by Min-jung Park, Korean Language Teacher. Updated May 31, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Common Phrases
김치볶음밥
Kimchi fried rice
제육볶음
Spicy stir-fried pork
볶음 요리
Stir-fried dish
Related Expressions
볶다
bokda
To stir-fry (verb)
튀김
twigim
Deep-fried food
구이
gui
Grilled food
조림
jorim
Braised/simmered dish
More Food Words
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