How to Say “I don’t eat meat” in Korean: 고기 안 먹어요

고기 안 먹어요

gogi an meogeoyo

Situation: Dining out & orderingLevel: Starter (just learning Hangul)

Meaning

I don’t eat meat.

안 + verb makes a negative. Korean dishes often use meat broth, so it helps to confirm with staff when you order.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 6 · Words: 3

Said aloud, it sounds like [고기 안 머거요].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
고기
고	ㄱ+ㅗ	go
기	ㄱ+ㅣ	gi
안	ㅇ+ㅏ+ㄴ	an
먹어요
먹	ㅁ+ㅓ+ㄱ	[머] meo
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[거] geo
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 먹어 → [머거]

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
안	adverb	not (negation)	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “고기 안 먹어요” mean?

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Answer: I don’t eat meat

Question 2 How do you say “I don’t eat meat” in Korean?

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Answer: 고기 안 먹어요 gogi an meogeoyo

Question 3 How is “고기 안 먹어요” pronounced?

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Answer: [고기 안 머거요]

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