Dictionary — Entry No. 0330
배고파
baegopa · expression
배고파
baegopa
[beh-GO-pah]
expressionbeginner
Meaning
An informal expression meaning ‘I’m hungry,’ derived from the adjective ‘배고프다 (baegopeu-da).’ ‘배 (bae)’ means stomach and ‘고프다 (gopeu-da)’ means to be empty or craving. Direct, casual, and extremely common in everyday speech.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
Food is central to Korean culture and K-Drama storytelling — characters bond over shared meals after voicing their hunger, making ‘baegopa’ appear in countless beloved scenes. Stray Kids’ smash hit ‘God’s Menu’ celebrates Korean food culture with infectious energy, reflecting how deeply eating and craving weave through K-Pop identity too.
Example Sentences
배고파! 뭐 먹을까?
Baegopa! Mwo meogeulkka?
I’m hungry! What should we eat? (spontaneous exclamation between friends)
나 너무 배고파서 아무것도 못 하겠어.
Na neomu baegopaseo amugeotdo mot hageteo.
I’m so hungry I can’t do anything. (exaggerated complaint, very common in casual speech)
밥 먹자. 나 배고파.
Bap meokja. Na baegopa.
Let’s eat. I’m hungry. (simple, direct — often said the moment someone walks through the door)
⚠️ Don’t use baegopa when…
Don’t confuse ‘배고파 (baegopa — I’m hungry)’ with ‘배아파 (baeapa — my stomach hurts)’ — they sound similar but mean completely different things. In formal or professional settings avoid this phrase entirely and use ‘배가 고픕니다 (baega gopumnida)’ instead.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Crash Landing on You — Se-ri’s frustrated complaints about unfamiliar North Korean food make ‘baegopa’ a recurring comedic beat in early episodes, humanizing her fish-out-of-water situation.
- K-Pop: Stray Kids — ‘God’s Menu’ (신메뉴, 2020) — a high-energy banger celebrating food and flavor that became an anthem for Korea’s mukbang and food-obsessed culture.
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.