What does 떡볶이 (tteokbokki) mean?
- 떡볶이tteokbokki
Spicy stir-fried rice cakes
Fine in most situations
떡볶이 (tteokbokki) is a Korean dish of chewy rice cakes cooked in a sweet and spicy red sauce made with gochujang. It is one of Korea's best-loved street foods.
Where it comes from
It comes from 떡 ("rice cake") and 볶이, from 볶다 ("to stir-fry").
How to use 떡볶이
You find tteokbokki at street stalls, snack shops called 분식집 and delivery apps. It is often eaten with 튀김 (fried snacks), 순대 (Korean blood sausage) and 오뎅 (fish cakes).
For many Koreans it is a nostalgic after-school snack. There are many versions, including soupy, cheese-topped and creamy 로제 (rosé) tteokbokki.
The word is neutral and fine with anyone. It is usually quite spicy, so 덜 맵게 해 주세요 ("Please make it less spicy") is a useful phrase.
Examples
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Inviting a friend after school
Taking a first bite
Ordering at a snack shop
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 떡볶이 먹으러 가자 | Let's go eat tteokbokki | A very common casual invitation. |
| 로제떡볶이 | Rosé tteokbokki | A creamy, milder version. |
| 분식 | Korean snack food | The category of cheap snacks tteokbokki belongs to. |
Questions learners ask
How do you pronounce tteokbokki?
It sounds roughly like "tteok-bo-kki", with a tense, unaspirated "tt" and "kk". Topokki and ddeokbokki are other common spellings.
Is tteokbokki very spicy?
Classic tteokbokki is fairly spicy and a little sweet. Rosé and cheese versions are milder.
What is tteok?
떡 is the general word for Korean rice cakes. The ones in tteokbokki are long, chewy cylinders.