Korean word

고추

Pronunciation

Romanizationkochu

Meaning

  • nounchili pepper

Example

매운 음식을 만들 때 고추를 넣어요.mae un eum si geul man deul ttae ko chu reul neo eo yo

I add chili peppers when I make spicy food.

Illustration for 고추 (chili pepper)

More examples

볶음에 고추가루를 넣었더니 맛이 좋아졌어요.po kkeu me ko chu ga ru reul neo eot tteo ni ma si cho a jeo sseo yo

When I added chili powder to the stir-fry, it tasted better.

Core concept

A pepper fruit used as an ingredient to give food a hot, spicy taste.

Common phrases

  • 고추가루ko chu ga ru

    chili powder

  • 청양고추cheong yang go chu

    hot green chili pepper

  • 말린 고추mal lin ko chu

    dried chili pepper

Similar words

풋고추putkkochu: An unripe green chili pepper with mild heat, often eaten fresh or pickled.
청양고추cheongyanggochu: A small green chili pepper with very strong heat, used sparingly in cooking.
고추장kochujang: A thick fermented Korean chili paste that gives food heat, sweetness, and rich flavor.
고춧가루kochutkkaru: A red seasoning made by grinding dried chili peppers to add heat and color to food.

Definition in Korean

매운 맛을 내는 채소의 열매를 가리키는 일반 명사로, 일상에서는 식재료 뜻이 주이며 비격식체에서는 신체를 비유하는 용법도 있다mae un ma seul nae neun chae so ui yeol mae reul ka ri ki neun il ban myeong sa ro il sang e seo neun sik jjae ryo tteu si chu i myeo pi gyeok ssik che e seo neun sin che reul pi yu ha neun yong beop tto it tta

Word origin

The word's origin is uncertain, and its everyday cooking use is the most dependable memory link for learning it as a whole word.

Usage tips

  • In restaurants and recipes, it normally means the ingredient, but when used alone about a person it can be crude slang, so context matters.

Related words

Word lists with this word