Korean Dictionary
How to say "Tteokguk (New Year Rice Cake Soup)" in Korean
“Tteokguk (New Year Rice Cake Soup)” in Korean is 떡국 (pronounced "tteokguk").
떡국
tteokguk
Usage & Context
떡국 is a traditional Korean soup made with sliced oval rice cakes in a clear broth typically eaten on 설날. The oval shape of the rice cakes symbolizes coins representing wishes for prosperity in the new year. Eating 떡국 on 설날 is said to add one year to your age in the traditional Korean age counting system.
Example Sentence
설날에 떡국을 먹으면 나이를 한 살 더 먹는다고 해요.
Eating tteokguk on Seollal is said to make you one year older.
How to use 떡국 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Tteokguk (New Year Rice Cake Soup)” is 떡국, romanized as tteokguk.
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 떡국.
Pronunciation Guide
Pronounced 'tteok-guk' — 'tteok' has a tensed double t (press tongue firmly, then release) like 'dock' but sharper, 'guk' rhymes with 'gook' (unreleased k).
More Example Sentences
describing holiday traditions
설날 아침에 떡국을 먹어요.
We eat tteokguk on Seollal morning.
teaching a child the tradition
떡국 한 그릇 먹으면 한 살 더 먹는 거야.
Eating a bowl of tteokguk adds one year to your age.
reminiscing about home cooking
어머니가 끓여주신 떡국이 최고예요.
The tteokguk my mom makes is the best.
Cultural Context
떡국 is the signature dish of 설날 (Lunar New Year), traditionally made with thinly sliced oval rice cakes (가래떡) in a clear beef broth. The oval shape symbolizes coins for prosperity, and the white color represents a fresh new start. Regional variations exist — in some areas 만두 (dumplings) are added for '떡만둣국'. Adding an age by eating 떡국 is cultural shorthand for growing up.
Editorial note
We review entries like 떡국 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
떡국 드셨어요?
Did you eat tteokguk?
떡국 한 그릇 주세요.
Please give me one bowl of tteokguk.
떡국 먹고 한 살 더 먹었어요.
I ate tteokguk and grew a year older.
Related Expressions
가래떡
garaetteok
cylindrical rice cake (sliced for tteokguk)
떡만둣국
tteokmanduguk
rice cake and dumpling soup
설날
seollal
Lunar New Year
명절 음식
myeongjeol eumsik
holiday food
More Holidays & Festivals Words
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