How About a Round of 치맥 (chimaek)? — Mastering Korea's Beloved Late-Night Snack, 'Chimaek'

On a sweltering summer night, the people sitting on mats spread out along the banks of the Han River always seem to have crispy fried chicken and ice-cold beer in hand. And on days when there’s a soccer match, chicken restaurants all over the neighborhood get their phones ringing off the hook. There’s a single word that ties all of these scenes together — today’s expression, 치맥 (chimaek).

If you watch Korean dramas or variety shows, you’ll often come across scenes where characters say, “우리 치맥이나 할까? (Should we grab some chimaek?)” You might assume a word like this wouldn’t even appear in a dictionary, but it’s actually a proper, standard word that has earned its place in the National Institute of Korean Language’s dictionary. Just by learning this one expression well today, you’ll come to understand Korean everyday culture on a much deeper level.

치맥

치맥 (chimaek) is an abbreviation formed by taking the ‘치’ from 치킨 (chikin, fried chicken) and the ‘맥’ from 맥주 (maekju, beer). In other words, it’s a single word for ‘chicken and beer’ together. Korean has tons of these abbreviations made by taking the first letters of two words, and 치맥 is the most successful and iconic example of them all.

Shall we look at the nuance? 치맥 doesn’t just mean the food combination of ‘chicken plus beer.’ It also captures the experience of getting together casually with friends to unwind after a long day — the fun, easygoing mood itself. So saying “치맥 하자 (Let’s have chimaek)” also works as an invitation meaning, “Let’s have a drink, have fun, and chat.”

Confirming It in the National Institute of Korean Language Dictionary

The National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary defines 치맥 like this:

치맥 「noun」 Chicken and beer. [en] chicken and beer — Chicken and beer. [es] pollo y cerveza — Pollo y cerveza. [zh] 炸鸡和啤酒 — 炸鸡与啤酒的组合。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

Let’s also look at the real usage examples listed in the dictionary. The sentences below are all quoted directly from the dictionary.

좋아! 치맥 어때? (Sounds good! How about some chimaek?) — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This is a situation where you’re enthusiastically going along with a friend’s suggestion. It’s the most typical way to casually make an offer in informal speech (반말).

날씨가 더워지면서 치킨에 시원한 맥주를 곁들이는 치맥을 찾는 사람들이 많아졌다. (As the weather has gotten hotter, more and more people are seeking out chimaek — fried chicken paired with cold beer.) — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This sentence explains why chimaek is so popular in summer. It nicely captures the formula ‘치맥 = summer.’

한강에는 시원한 바람을 맞으며 치맥을 즐기는 사람들이 많다. (Along the Han River, there are many people enjoying chimaek while feeling the cool breeze.) — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

Here, ‘한강 (the Han River)’ — Korea’s most iconic chimaek hotspot — makes an appearance. It’s an example that shows off the culture of enjoying chimaek outdoors.

치킨 가게 사장님은 올림픽이나 월드컵 기간에는 치맥이 더 잘 팔린다며 좋아하셨다. (The chicken shop owner was pleased, saying that chimaek sells even better during the Olympics or the World Cup.) — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This tells us about the tight bond between sports matches and chimaek. Just imagining chimaek while cheering on your team is exciting, isn’t it?

By the way, the Portuguese translation isn’t included in the dictionary, so if we translate it ourselves it would be roughly frango e cerveja (chicken and beer). (We should note that this Portuguese is our own translation, not from the dictionary.)

Practical Example Sentences by Situation

Now let’s build up some real-world feel with example sentences we made ourselves.

Situation 1 — Talking a coworker into it on the way home from work

오늘 야근했더니 너무 힘드네요. 우리 치맥 한잔 어때요? (chimaek han jan eottaeyo?) (I worked overtime today and I’m exhausted. How about we grab a round of chimaek?)

Adding ‘한잔 (a drink)’ brings out the gentle feeling of ‘just a casual drink.’

Situation 2 — Ordering through a delivery app

비도 오는데 나가기 싫다. 그냥 치맥 시켜 먹자 (chimaek sikyeo meokja). (It’s raining and I don’t want to go out. Let’s just order in some chimaek.)

In Korea, ‘집치맥 (home chimaek)’ — where you have chicken delivered and grab the beer from a convenience store — is also very common.

Situation 3 — Meeting a friend after a long time

진짜 오랜만이다! 얼굴 봤으니 치맥이나 하러 가자 (chimaegina hareo gaja). (It’s been so long! Now that we’ve seen each other, let’s go grab some chimaek or something.)

Adding ‘~이나’ gives a relaxed nuance of ‘nothing special, just chimaek maybe.‘

Comparing Polite and Casual Speech, Plus Similar Expressions

Even the same suggestion changes in tone depending on who you’re talking to.

Casual speech (with friends): 치맥 하자! (chimaek haja!) (Let’s get chimaek!)
Polite speech (with coworkers or elders): 치맥 한잔하실래요? (chimaek han janhasillaeyo?) (Would you like to grab a round of chimaek?)

It’s also good to know some of chimaek’s similar abbreviation “friends.” Mix soju and beer and you get 소맥 (somaek); pizza and beer is 피맥 (pimaek); and the joke about starting your day with beer instead of coffee (?) all by yourself is called 혼맥 (honmaek, drinking beer alone). Once you know the principle, you can whip up new words with ease.

Cultural Background — Chimaek in K-Dramas

The decisive moment that made chimaek known worldwide was a hit drama. There’s a famous story that after a scene aired in which the leading lady showed her love for chicken and beer by saying “눈 오는 날엔 치맥인데 (On snowy days, it’s got to be chimaek),” chicken restaurant sales soared all across Asia.

첫눈 오는 날엔, 치맥이죠. (On the day of the first snow, it’s chimaek.) — Summarized and paraphrased from a line in the drama My Love from the Star (별에서 온 그대) (SBS, 2013–2014)

Like this, chimaek has become more than just a food — it’s a symbol of ‘the joy of being together.’ In Daegu, there’s even an annual ‘Chimaek Festival’ — so can you feel the cultural weight packed into this one little word?

Today’s Quiz

What’s the right word to fill in the blank below?

Friend: 경기 보러 우리 집으로 와. 내가 치킨 시킬게! (Come over to my place to watch the game. I’ll order chicken!) Me: 좋아! 그럼 나는 맥주 사 갈게. 완벽한 ____ 이다! (Sounds good! Then I’ll bring the beer. It’s the perfect ____!)

(Answer: 치맥 / chimaek — with chicken and beer coming together, it’s the perfect chimaek!)

Be sure to enjoy the chimaek you learned about today this weekend. In your country, what food and drink do you enjoy together? Let us know in the comments!

Definitions and example sentences are from the National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr); that portion of this post, including our translations, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.