Jeyuk-Bokkeum
/tɕe̞.juk̚ p͈o.k͈ɯm/noun
A Korean dish of spicy stir-fried sliced pork, commonly prepared with gochujang and other seasonings.
Did you know?Jeyuk comes from Sino-Korean 猪肉, meaning “pork,” while bokkeum is native Korean for food cooked by stir-frying, showing how Korean culinary vocabulary blends borrowed and indigenous layers.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Old Chinese
猪肉
“Pig meat or pork; the source of the Sino-Korean elements later pronounced jeyuk.”
Middle Korean period
Middle Korean
제육
“Pork, literally the meat of a pig; a Sino-Korean culinary term.”
Middle Korean period
Korean
볶다
“To stir-fry or roast food in a pan; the native verb underlying bokkeum.”
Modern Korean
Korean
제육볶음
“Spicy stir-fried pork; literally pork cooked by stir-frying.”
20th–21st Century
English
jeyuk-bokkeum
“A Korean dish name adopted in English-language menus and food writing.”