One Shot! Keonbe! Chimek! Learn about Korean Drinking Terms~ Exploring Korean Language / Culture

I have worked for a Korean company for 6 years so I have encountered a lot of 회식 (hweshik - means company dinner) with my Korean colleagues and Korean bosses so I became familiar with their drinking culture.

<<READ MORE: Itaewon Class teaches us how to drink and pour soju properly~ Exploring Korean Culture>>

I have listed a few Korean drinking terms below which could be helpful for you just in case you will go to Korea to drink or you will encounter Korean drinking in the future.

1.) 맥주 (Mekju)

Mekju means beer

Koreans love beer as much as they love to drink soju (Korean alcohol). The most popular Korean brand of beer are Cass and Hite. When you say '사장님, 맥주 한병 주세요, (Boss, please give me 1 bottle of beer), the staff might give you either of the two. But the alcohol content of these beers are lower than you can expect (4~6%). Maybe the reason why they prefer Philippines' San Miguel beer more than anything else, specifically Pale Pilsen.

2.) 소주 (Soju)

Soju is the most popular alcoholic drink in Korea. So when you say Korean drinking, soju is what usually comes to mind. But maybe you are wondering what 안주 (Anju - food accompanied with drinking; 'pulutan' in Filipino) is the perfect match for soju. And it is no other than Korean barbecue! It is known to us as 삼겹살 (Samgyupsal - Pork Belly), 갈비 (Kalbi - Boneless beef short ribs), 불고기 (Bulgogi - Sirloin beef strips), 닭갈비 (Dak Kalbi - Boneless Chicken), 등심 (Deungshim - Sirloin or Ribeye Steak), 차돌배기 (Chadolbegi - Beef brisket strips) and 우삼겹 (Usamgyup - Beef belly slices). Soju is best when drank with meat~

TRIVIA!!!!

Alcoholic content ranges from 16.8% to 53% alcohol by volume and can also be drink with flavors such as pomegranate, blueberry, citrus, grapefruit, pineapple, peach, apple, green grape, etc.

3.) 소맥 (Somek)

Somek comes from soju and beer (mekju)

Koreans love to drink and get drunk. They drink to celebrate, to relieve stress or to say what they truly feel. As I mentioned above, Korean beer has low alcoholic content. While some still prefer beer, they mixed it with soju to make the beer even stronger. And it does not only make the drink stronger, it also make it more flavorful! It is also known as the 폭탄주 (Poktanju or Soju bomb). First, you can mix beer and soju by just pouring both inside a glass then put the chopsticks or spoon inside the glass to make bubbles and be mixed on its own. Another is the most popular way which is the domino just like the video below.

폭탄주 Poktanju Korean Bomb Shot (Soju/Beer) Dominos

Other ways to mix soju and beer is here in the video below. Some think that having poktanju is just watching a show~ because of its extravagant method of mixing.

4.) 치맥 (Chimek)

Chimek comes from chicken and beer (mekju)

If there is bread and butter, there is definitely chicken and beer! The best pair ever~ You should definitely try Korean chicken with beer! The sweet and spiciness of Korean chicken complements the taste of the beer so this really is a must try! A picnic alongside Han River is a best venue to eat chimek~

TRIVIA!!!!

Chicken serves as snack for Koreans so they do not eat fried chicken with rice. (Too bad for a rice lover like me). It is seldom to have rice in a chicken place (especially those with take out service). And they match chicken with mustard~ (Sorry for the gravy lover. There is no gravy in Korea T_T)

5.) 막걸리 (Makkeoli)

막걸리 (Makkeolli) is Korean rice wine

I did not have that much experience with 막걸리 but all I have to say is it is really delicious!!!! And like other liquor, you could buy it from convenience stores~

6.) 건배 (Keonbe)

Keonbe means Cheers (said during drinking)

건배 is said when you want to propose a toast or just want to have fun drinking by raising every person's glasses before drinking. Cheers! Keonbe!

7.) 원샷 (Won Syat)

Won Syat means One shot

Drinking game is very famous so if you lose in a game, maybe you could hear them say 'One shot'! It means you should drink what's in your glass in one gulp! One shot is the bottoms up for Koreans. Or sometimes, when the elder in the group says One Shot! Everyone does one shot. One shot is a way to know how good you are with drinking.

8.) 럽샷 (Lub Syat)

Lub Syat means Love shot

Love Shot is the action called when you link your arm with a partner then do One shot (Drink in one gulp). Sometimes in a group, one just challenge you to do the Love Shot with someone. It could be with your friend, colleague or with your boss, regardless of gender. Well, it's not that bad to gain that new experience.

9.) 노래방 (Norebang)

Norebang means Korean Karaoke Room/Place

(Literally means singing room)

Norebang is a room wherein you could have fun through singing your favorite Korean songs (karaoke) and could actually dance along with tambourine. It is spacious so you could sing and dance at the same time. It has a really good ambiance for having fun while drinking. Added to the room is the dim light but with assorted lights just like a disco ball.

10.) 1차 (il cha), 2차 (i cha), 3차 (sam cha)

1차 (il cha) ~ means 1st round

2차 (i cha) ~ means 2nd round

3차 (sam cha) ~ means 3rd round

Koreans love drinking! And they don't just go to one place when drinking. It is usually more than one.

The first venue or the place where they eat their dinner while drinking is called 1차! It is usually a 고깃집 (gogi jip - meat place) or 치킨집 (chikin jip - Chicken place) or 횟집 (hwetjip - sushi place). Of course, they drink alcohol while eating.

After eating their dinner, they go to the next place, and it is now called 2차!

The next place could be a beer pub or norebang or other place where they can drink more alcohol, depending on the choice of the group.

After that, they will transfer to another place and drink more alcohol and it will be called 3차 and so on and so forth. (4차... 5차, etc.)

Usually, it's only until 2~3차!

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Want to know more about drinking culture?

<<READ MORE: Itaewon Class teaches us how to drink and pour soju properly~ Exploring Korean Culture>>

I hope this post has been helpful for you to Explore more about Korean Culture / Language especially Korean drinking~

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