28 Most Common Fruits to Know in Korean + Cultural Notes

Fruits in Korea aren’t just standard food items.

They’re a big part of daily Korean life. I’d say having fruits in my household is as important as having a stock of rice.

Korean people can expect a bit of fruit as dessert after any meal. Whenever guests are over, plates of sliced fruit are often served. Boxes of fruits are also popular gifts to show your respect or gratitude to the recipient (apples and peaches were the personal favorites for my family).

That’s why it’s vital that you learn the names of fruits in Korean ASAP!

Contents

• Common Fruit Names in Korean
• • 1. 사과 — Apple
  • 2. 바나나 — Banana
  • 3. 블루베리 — Blueberry
  • 4. 체리 — Cherry
  • 5. 코코넛 — Coconut
  • 6. 포도 — Grape
  • 7. 대추 — Jujube / date
  • 8. 키위 — Kiwi
  • 9. 레몬 — Lemon
  • 10. 망고 — Mango
  • 11. 멜론 — Melon
  • 12. 복숭아 — Peach
  • 13. 배 — Pear
  • 14. 감 — Persimmon
  • 15. 파인애플 — Pineapple
  • 16. 자두 — Plum
  • 17. 석류 — Pomegranate
  • 18. 딸기 — Strawberry
  • 19. 귤 — Tangerine
  • 20. 수박 — Watermelon
• Unique Fruits from Korea
• • 21. 배 — Asian pear
  • 22. 참외 — Oriental melon
  • 23. 단감 — Sweet persimmon
  • 24. 유자 —  Yuja / yuzu citron
  • 25. 거봉포도 — Kyoho grape
  • 26. 매실 — Green plum
  • 27. 복분자 — Black raspberry 
  • 28. 한라봉 — Hallabong mandarin
• And One More Thing...

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Common Fruit Names in Korean

These are the fruits that you’re familiar with and can find in any market. Note that some of the fruits’ Korean names are just transliterations of their English names (which makes them easy to remember).

1. 사과 — Apple

2. 바나나 — Banana

3. 블루베리 — Blueberry

4. 체리 — Cherry

5. 코코넛 — Coconut

6. 포도 — Grape

7. 대추 — Jujube / date

8. 키위 — Kiwi

9. 레몬 — Lemon

10. 망고 — Mango

11. 멜론 — Melon

12. 복숭아 — Peach

13. 배 — Pear

14. 감 — Persimmon

15. 파인애플 — Pineapple

16. 자두 — Plum

17. 석류 — Pomegranate

18. 딸기 — Strawberry

19. 귤 — Tangerine

20. 수박 — Watermelon

To make this vocab stick, try writing your fruits in Korean on your next shopping list.

You can also practice reading and pronouncing them with flashcards—both the classic sort or digital ones. FluentU, for instance, lets you make custom decks of multimedia flashcards that include audio, video and an image to go with each word.

Unique Fruits from Korea

Of course, Korea is also the native home of many special fruits that may be a bit difficult to find elsewhere. Several of them can’t thrive outside their native regions.

If you ever head over to Korea, you can taste these fruits at their peak condition. Here are some of the delicious, colorful specimens that I recommend you try out.

21. 배 — Asian pear

Yes, 배 itself just means “pear” in Korean, but the pear that Koreans are familiar with is quite different from its more oblong Western cousin. The Korean pear is a very rotund specimen, with an apple-like juiciness and crunchiness. Due to its high water content, it’s a fruit that my family and I often nibble on during hotter days.

22. 참외 — Oriental melon

This barrel-shaped yellow melon may be small, but it packs a delicious punch. The flesh is pale with a fun crunchiness you won’t typically find in other melons. Its chewy pulp is laden with many edible seeds, and it can be eaten or scraped off (I prefer the latter since the seeds irritate my palate, although the pulp is genuinely delicious). The fruit is a popular refreshing snack during the summertime.

23. 단감 — Sweet persimmon

One of my personal favorites, the plump persimmon is a fruit enjoyed in Korea particularly during the wintertime, where its fiery orange color warmly stands out from the cold grays and whites of the season. You can appreciate its mellow sweetness by eating the fruit raw, or have the persimmon dried and powdered as 곶감, a yummy chewy snack that I recommend you eat with some tea.

24. 유자 —  Yuja / yuzu citron

This special fruit has a mixed taste that brings to mind a tangerine, a lemon and a grapefruit. In Korea, the rind and flesh of 유자 is used to make a type of jam that can be mixed with water to create a sweetly comforting honey citron tea known as 유자차. I love to drink it whenever I’m sick because it soothes my throat and boosts my vitamin C intake.

25. 거봉포도 — Kyoho grape

Kyoho grapes were originally created in Japan, but they’re popular in other East Asian countries. Indeed, they’re often the go-to grapes in Korea—they’re characterized as being larger and juicier than the regular grapes available. The pulp is soft and sweet and is typically sucked out from the skin (though I tend to eat the grape whole, just out of sheer laziness).

26. 매실 — Green plum

These tough, tart fruits are actually more related to apricots than to plums. Because they’re very sour, they’re more often used to make other products as opposed to being directly eaten. The syrup created by green plums can be used to make unique-tasting tea, juice and wine. I personally have an unopened bottle of said syrup in my home—I suppose it’s about time to start using it!

27. 복분자 — Black raspberry 

This small berry is grown in only a few select parts of Korea. It’s typically used in its unripe state to create a special wine known as 복분자주. It’s purported to have several health benefits, including antioxidant properties. I’ve seen it frequently used by some older Korean folks as a dietary supplement.

28. 한라봉 — Hallabong mandarin

Besides its natural beauty, Korea’s Jeju Island is also known for cultivating delicious citrus fruits. One of them is the 한라봉, a type of tangerine with a nubby top that resembles the island’s Hallasan mountain. It’s prized for its lovely sweetness and juiciness, and it was a fruit I quite enjoyed when I visited the island so many years back.

Because of their unique tastes and cultural significance, it’s important to study up on Korean fruits.

My advice is to take a trip to a nearby Korean grocery store! It’s the best place to practice all the new vocabulary you’ve learned while also getting a chance to try out some of these delectable foods.

You’ll probably find a new fruit that you’d want as part of your daily diet, or one you’d think would be a great snack to share with someone!

If you love this Korean food vocabulary, your next stop should be these related posts:

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And One More Thing...

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