What does 삼겹살 (samgyeopsal) mean?
- 삼겹살samgyeopsal
Grilled pork belly
Fine in most situations
삼겹살 (samgyeopsal) means pork belly, especially thick slices grilled at the table at a Korean barbecue restaurant. It is one of the most popular meals in Korea, usually eaten with soju.
Where it comes from
It is made of 삼 ("three"), 겹 ("layer") and 살 ("flesh, meat"), meaning "three-layer meat", after the stripes of fat and lean meat.
How to use 삼겹살
The meat is grilled at the table, cut with scissors, and wrapped in lettuce or perilla leaves with garlic, ssamjang sauce and kimchi. This wrap is called 쌈 (ssam).
Usually one person takes charge of the grill. Often the youngest or most junior person offers, though many friends and bosses happily do it themselves.
March 3 is jokingly called Samgyeopsal Day, because "three" is 삼 in Korean, and some shops run deals on that day.
Examples
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Planning dinner with a friend
Ordering at a barbecue restaurant
Offering to cook for the table
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 삼겹살 구워 먹다 | To grill and eat pork belly | The usual phrase. |
| 오겹살 | Five-layer pork belly | Pork belly with the skin left on. |
| 쌈 | Lettuce wrap | The way samgyeopsal is usually eaten. |
Questions learners ask
What does samgyeopsal mean in English?
It means pork belly, literally "three-layer meat", and usually refers to Korean-style grilled pork belly.
Is it samgyupsal or samgyeopsal?
Both are spellings of 삼겹살. Samgyeopsal follows the official romanization, and samgyupsal is a popular older spelling.
How do you eat samgyeopsal?
Grill it, dip it in sesame oil with salt or in ssamjang, and wrap it in lettuce with garlic and kimchi.