Tteokguk
/ˈtʌk.ɡuːk/noun
A Korean soup made with sliced rice cakes, traditionally eaten during Lunar New Year.
Did you know?Traditionally, eating a bowl of tteokguk was associated with becoming one year older, making the soup an edible rite of passage rather than merely a holiday meal.
Etymological Timeline
Middle Korean, 15th–16th Century
Middle Korean
떡 (ttŏk)
“Rice cake or steamed rice preparation; the ancestor of modern Korean tteok.”
Middle Korean, 15th–16th Century
Middle Korean
국 (kuk)
“Soup or broth; the ancestor of modern Korean guk.”
Joseon Period, 14th–19th Century
Korean
떡국 (tteokguk)
“A soup containing sliced rice cakes, associated with seasonal and New Year’s food traditions.”
19th Century
Korean
떡국 (tteokguk)
“A recognized Lunar New Year dish in Korean culinary tradition, commonly prepared with thinly sliced rice cakes in broth.”
20th–21st Century
English
tteokguk
“An English culinary loanword for Korean rice-cake soup, especially in descriptions of Lunar New Year customs.”
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