Archive #2

Annyeong Daily #2: answers explained

October 6, 2026 · Today's five are about food, cheering and friends. You will see a mealtime phrase, an English word with a new Korean meaning, a famous street food, the object particle, and the spelling of the word for friend.

Want to try it first? The answers are below.Play #2

1Drama talk

Your friend's grandmother puts a plate of food in front of you. What's the best thing to say before you start?

먹어
잘 먹겠습니다
배고파?
잘 먹었어

Answer: 잘 먹겠습니다

잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokgetseumnida) means "I will eat well." You say it before you start eating. It thanks the person who cooked or paid. 잘 (jal) means "well", and -겠- (-get-) shows what you are about to do. The ending -습니다 (-seumnida) is the formal polite form. That fits a grandmother, who is older than you. In Korea, younger people often wait until an older person starts eating. Example: 할머니, 잘 먹겠습니다! (halmeoni, jal meokgetseumnida!) — "Grandma, thank you for the food!" 잘 먹었어 means "I ate well". It is past and casual, so it is wrong in two ways here.

Formal (합쇼체) · Say it to: Whoever cooked or is paying — hosts, elders, your boss

Also read: Korean table manners — spoons, chopsticks and who eats first

2K-pop

Fans shout this before a big performance. What does it mean?

화이팅! (hwaiting!)

Encore!
You can do it! / Go for it!
Let's fight!
Be careful!

Answer: You can do it! / Go for it!

화이팅 (hwaiting) comes from the English word "fighting". In Korean, it has nothing to do with fighting. It means "You can do it!" or "Go for it!" People say it before an exam, a job interview, a game or a show. They often raise a fist when they say it. Words like this, taken from English with a new meaning, are often called Konglish. The standard spelling from the National Institute of Korean Language is 파이팅 (paiting). Example: 내일 시험 화이팅! (naeil siheom hwaiting!) — "Good luck on your test tomorrow!" "Let's fight!" is the tempting wrong option, because it follows the English word too closely.

warm · Say it to: Friends, teammates, coworkers, performers

3Food

What is 떡볶이?

떡볶이 [떡뽀끼] (tteokbokki)

Cold buckwheat noodles
Seaweed rice rolls
Glass noodles with vegetables
Spicy stir-fried rice cakes

Answer: Spicy stir-fried rice cakes

떡볶이 (tteokbokki) is rice cakes cooked in a red, sweet and spicy sauce. 떡 (tteok) means rice cake. 볶이 (bokki) comes from 볶다 (bokda), "to stir-fry". Long ago, a palace version was stir-fried with soy sauce and was not spicy. The red version with 고추장 (gochujang), red pepper paste, became popular much later. Today you can buy it at street food stands and small snack shops near schools. Example: 떡볶이 1인분 주세요 (tteokbokki irinbun juseyo) — "One serving of tteokbokki, please." The other options are 잡채 (japchae), 김밥 (gimbap) and 냉면 (naengmyeon).

Say it to: Anyone — it's a plain noun; your verb sets the politeness

4Grammar

Fill in the blank: 'I drink coffee.'

커피___ 마셔요. (keopi___ masyeoyo.)

Answer: 를 — 커피를 마셔요.

커피를 마셔요 (keopireul masyeoyo) means "I drink coffee." Coffee is the object, the thing that receives the action. Korean marks the object with an object particle. A particle is a small word ending that shows the role of a word. There are two forms. After a vowel, use 를 (reul). After a consonant, use 을 (eul). 커피 ends with the vowel ㅣ (i), so it takes 를. Example: 물을 마셔요 (mureul masyeoyo) — "I drink water." 물 ends in ㄹ, a consonant, so it takes 을. In casual talk, people often drop the particle: 커피 마셔요.

5Hangul

Using the official Revised Romanization, how is this written?

친구

jingu
chingu
chinggu
cingu

Answer: chingu

친구 (chingu) means "friend". It has two parts: 친 (chin) and 구 (gu). ㅊ is an aspirated sound. That means it comes with a small puff of air. Revised Romanization writes it ch. ㅈ has no puff of air and is written j, so "jingu" would be a different word. At the start of a syllable, ㄱ is written g. Example: 제 친구예요 (je chinguyeyo) — "This is my friend." In Korea, 친구 is usually used for people of the same age. Someone a few years older is often called 언니 (eonni), 오빠 (oppa), 누나 (nuna) or 형 (hyeong) instead.