Learning to Cook Kimchi Fried Rice in Korean: Story-based Dialogue & Grammar 🍳

In this beginner Korean lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about being hungry, wanting to do something, and cooking, all through a sweet story about a boy named Minjun and his grandma. Follow along as they make delicious kimchi fried rice together and pick up key vocabulary and grammar along the way.

💬 Video Transcript

민준 (나레이션): 오늘 저는 집에 있었어요. 점심시간이었어요. 배가 많이 고팠어요.
(Minjun (Narration): Today I was at home. It was lunchtime. I was very hungry.)

민준 (나레이션): 저는 부엌으로 갔어요. 하지만 맛있는 음식이 없었어요.
(Minjun (Narration): I went to the kitchen. But there was no delicious food.)

민준 (나레이션): 그때 할머니가 오셨어요.
(Minjun (Narration): Just then, Grandma came.)

할머니: 민준아, 배고프니?
(Grandma: Minjun, are you hungry?)

민준 (나레이션): 할머니가 물어보셨어요.
(Minjun (Narration): Grandma asked.)

민준: 네, 할머니. 저 김치볶음밥 먹고 싶어요. 그런데 만들 줄 몰라요.
(Minjun: Yes, Grandma. I want to eat kimchi fried rice. But I don’t know how to make it.)

민준 (나레이션): 할머니가 웃으셨어요.
(Minjun (Narration): Grandma smiled.)

할머니: 김치볶음밥은 쉬워. 할머니가 가르쳐 줄게.
(Grandma: Kimchi fried rice is easy. Grandma will teach you.)

민준 (나레이션): 저는 정말 신났어요. 우리는 같이 요리를 시작했어요. 제 고양이 치즈도 부엌으로 왔어요.
(Minjun (Narration): I was really excited. We started cooking together. My cat, Cheese, also came to the kitchen.)

할머니: 자, 먼저 김치를 잘라.
(Grandma: Okay, first, cut the kimchi.)

민준 (나레이션): 할머니가 말씀하셨어요. 저는 조심조심 김치를 잘랐어요. 치즈는 테이블 아래에서 우리를 봤어요.
(Minjun (Narration): Grandma said. I carefully cut the kimchi. Cheese watched us from under the table.)

할머니: 이제 프라이팬에 밥을 넣어.
(Grandma: Now, put the rice in the frying pan.)

민준 (나레이션): 저는 밥과 김치를 프라이팬에 넣었어요. 지글지글. 맛있는 냄새가 났어요.
(Minjun (Narration): I put the rice and kimchi in the frying pan. Sizzle, sizzle. It smelled delicious.)

민준 (나레이션): 요리가 끝났어요. 저는 김치볶음밥을 한 숟가락 먹었어요.
(Minjun (Narration): The cooking was finished. I ate a spoonful of the kimchi fried rice.)

민준: 우와! 진짜 맛있어요!
(Minjun: Wow! It’s really delicious!)

민준 (나레이션): 제가 만들어서 더 맛있었어요. 할머니가 기뻐하셨어요.
(Minjun (Narration): It was even more delicious because I made it. Grandma was pleased.)

할머니: 잘했어, 민준아.
(Grandma: You did a good job, Minjun.)

민준 (나레이션): 저는 할머니께 감사했어요.
(Minjun (Narration): I was thankful to my grandma.)

민준: 할머니, 고맙습니다!
(Minjun: Grandma, thank you!)

민준 (나레이션): 이제 저는 김치볶음밥을 만들 수 있어요. 다음에는 서연이에게 만들어 주고 싶어요.
(Minjun (Narration): Now I can make kimchi fried rice. Next time, I want to make it for Seoyeon.)

📝 Essential Vocabulary

Here are some key words and phrases from the video. Listen to the pronunciation and practice them.

🔍 Grammar Focus

Let’s look at two important grammar points from the story.

1. Expressing Desire: -고 싶어요

When you want to say “I want to do…” in Korean, you can use the grammar pattern -고 싶어요 (-go sip-eo-yo). You attach it to the stem of a verb.

• Verb Stem + 고 싶어요

In the story, Minjun is hungry and says:

• 저 김치볶음밥 먹고 싶어요. (I want to eat kimchi fried rice.)

Here, the verb is 먹다 (to eat). We take the stem 먹 and add -고 싶어요.

At the end, he decides what he wants to do next:

• 다음에는 서연이에게 만들어 주고 싶어요. (Next time, I want to make it for Seoyeon.) The verb here is 만들어 주다 (to make for someone). We take the stem 만들어 주 and add -고 싶어요.

2. Ability: -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다

To talk about whether you know how to do something, you use the pattern -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 (to know how to) or -(으)ㄹ 줄 모르다 (to not know how to).

• Verb stem ending in a vowel + -ㄹ 줄 모르다
• Verb stem ending in a consonant + -을 줄 모르다

Minjun tells his grandma he can’t make the dish:

• 그런데 만들 줄 몰라요. (But I don’t know how to make it.)

The verb is 만들다 (to make). Its stem is 만들. Since the stem ends in the consonant ㄹ, we simply add 줄 몰라요 directly after it.

If the verb stem ended in a different consonant, like 먹다 (to eat), you would say 먹을 줄 몰라요 (I don’t know how to eat it).

🌍 Cultural Tip

🃏 Flip & Learn

Review the key phrases from our story with these flashcards.

💡 Key Takeaways

Here are the most important points to remember from this lesson:

• To say you are hungry in Korean, you can use the phrase 배가 고프다. In the polite form, it’s 배가 고파요.
• To express “I want to…” attach -고 싶어요 to a verb stem (e.g., 먹다 -> 먹고 싶어요).
• To say you don’t know how to do something, use -(으)ㄹ 줄 모르다 (e.g., 만들다 -> 만들 줄 몰라요).
• Common kitchen vocabulary includes 부엌 (kitchen), 요리하다 (to cook), and 프라이팬 (frying pan).
• Polite expressions of gratitude are essential. Minjun thanks his grandma by saying 고맙습니다!

🎯 Practice Quiz

Test your understanding of the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson.

✍️ Fill in the Blanks

Let’s test your spelling and memory! Fill in the missing words below. Use correct spelling.