Korean Dictionary
How to say "Grocery shopping" in Korean
“Grocery shopping” in Korean is 장보기 (pronounced "Jangbogi").
장보기
Jangbogi
Usage & Context
Buying food and household items. 마트 (mart/supermarket) is the common word for supermarket. Major chains include E-mart (이마트), Homeplus, and Lotte Mart. Online grocery delivery (쿠팡 Coupang, 마켓컬리 Market Kurly) is very popular for next-day or dawn delivery.
Example Sentence
오늘 마트에 장보러 가야 해요.
I need to go grocery shopping at the supermarket today.
How to use 장보기 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Grocery shopping” is 장보기, romanized as Jangbogi.
Usage tip
Practice this word inside a full daily-life sentence, because particles and sentence endings make the Korean sound natural.
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 장보기.
Pronunciation Guide
Pronounced 'jahng-boh-gee' — three even syllables. 'Jang' rhymes with 'pong,' 'bo' is a short 'boh' (not 'bow'), and 'gi' is a quick 'gee' as in 'geese.'
Formal & Casual Forms
Formal (존댓말)
장을 보다
jang-eul boda
Full verb phrase form — literally 'to see the market' — used in writing and standard speech
Casual (반말)
장 보러 가다
jang boreo gada
Everyday casual 'going to do the shopping,' the phrase most people actually say
More Example Sentences
prepping on a Sunday afternoon
이번 주 장 볼 거 리스트 정리하고 있어요.
I'm putting together the shopping list for this week.
recommending online shopping to a friend
쿠팡 새벽배송으로 장 보니까 너무 편해요.
Doing grocery shopping with Coupang's dawn delivery is so convenient.
an older relative giving advice
시장에서 장 보면 더 싸고 신선해요.
If you shop at the traditional market, it's cheaper and fresher.
Cultural Context
Korean grocery shopping splits into three worlds. Big-box 마트 (E-mart, Homeplus, Lotte Mart) are for bulk weekend trips — legally closed every 2nd and 4th Sunday to protect small retailers. Traditional 시장 (재래시장) like Gwangjang or Mangwon still thrive for produce, banchan, and fish, usually with cash and bargaining. And the last five years have been a complete takeover by online players: 쿠팡 (Coupang) and 마켓컬리 (Market Kurly) deliver by 7 a.m. if you order before midnight (새벽배송, 'dawn delivery'), which is why so many young Koreans haven't set foot in a mart in months. Urban apartments also have neighborhood SSG, 이마트 에브리데이, and GS 더프레시 chains for mid-week top-ups.
Editorial note
We review entries like 장보기 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
장 보러 가요.
I'm going grocery shopping.
장바구니 챙기세요.
Don't forget your shopping bag.
장 본 거 정리 좀 도와줘.
Help me put the groceries away.
Related Expressions
마트
mateu
supermarket / big-box store
시장
sijang
traditional market
새벽배송
saebyeok-baesong
dawn delivery (online grocery)
장바구니
jangbaguni
shopping basket / cart
More Daily Life Words
Master Korean with AI-Powered Learning
Practice Grocery shopping and 10,000+ words with native pronunciation and AI conversation.
