김장 (Kimjang): Korean Kimchi-Making Season and What to Say

Quick answer: 김장 (gimjang) is the Korean tradition of making a huge batch of kimchi in late autumn to eat all winter. The verb for making kimchi is 담그다 (damgeuda) — 김치를 담가요, "I make kimchi." Koreans do not say 김치를 만들어요.

That last line is the one idea of this article. If you remember nothing else: kimchi is not made, it is 담그다-ed. Say 김치를 만들었어요 and a Korean will understand you perfectly — and will also hear, instantly, that you learned the word from a dictionary.

담그다: the verb for things that sit and ferment

담그다 means to put something into liquid and leave it there. That's why it covers exactly the foods Korea makes by burying, salting and waiting: kimchi, soy sauce and soybean paste (장), fruit liqueurs (술).

• 김치를 담가요. — I make kimchi.
• 저희 어머니는 해마다 김치를 담가요. — My mother makes kimchi every year.
• 작년에는 김치를 안 담갔어요. — We didn't make kimchi last year.
• 저는 김치 못 담가요. — I can't make kimchi.

담그다 is a ㅡ-dropping verb, and the conjugation catches people out:

The standard past tense is 담갔어요. You'll see 담궜어요 written online all the time, including by Koreans — it's a common misspelling, not the textbook form. Write 담갔어요.

If you want to encourage someone, the soft way is the -아/어 보다 pattern:

한번 담가 보세요. 생각보다 어렵지 않아요. — Try making it once. It's not as hard as you'd think.

김장 vs 김치 담그기: when a native picks which

Here's the nuance. 담그다 is the everyday verb — any kimchi, any amount, any season. 김장 is the specific event: the big batch made in late autumn, enough to last the household through winter.

• Making a small bowl of cucumber kimchi in June? → 김치를 담갔어요. Not 김장.
• Twenty heads of napa cabbage in November with your whole family? → 김장했어요.

So 김장 works as a noun and as a verb with 하다:

• 이번 주말에 김장할 거예요. — We're doing kimjang this weekend.
• 올해 김장 언제 해요? — When are you doing kimjang this year?
• 김장 다 하셨어요? — Have you finished your kimjang? (what a neighbour asks in November)

That last question is a real one, but it works a lot like the greetings that aren't really questions — half information, half small talk, the seasonal equivalent of "ready for the holidays?"

What actually happens

김장 usually runs over two days. Day one: the napa cabbage is halved and salted, and left overnight so it goes limp and bendy. Day two: everyone rinses it, mixes the red seasoning paste, and spreads it leaf by leaf.

• 배추를 소금에 절여요. — We salt the cabbage.
• 절인 배추를 물에 헹궈요. — We rinse the salted cabbage.
• 배추에 양념을 발라요. — We spread the seasoning on the cabbage.

The counter for a head of cabbage — and for a whole piece of kimchi — is 포기.

• 배추 열 포기 샀어요. — I bought ten heads of cabbage.

And the reward, in almost every family: 수육, thin-sliced boiled pork, eaten wrapped in a leaf of kimchi that was made ten minutes ago.

• 김장하는 날에는 수육을 삶아 먹어요. — On kimjang day we boil pork and eat it.
• 갓 담근 김치랑 수육이랑 같이 먹으면 정말 맛있어요. — Freshly made kimchi with boiled pork is really delicious.

Two more words worth knowing. 겉절이 is kimchi eaten right away, before it ferments — crisp, fresh, almost a salad. 묵은지 is kimchi that's been aged a year or more, sour and deep, the kind you want in a stew.

• 겉절이는 바로 먹는 김치예요. — 겉절이 is kimchi you eat immediately.
• 묵은지로 찌개를 끓이면 맛있어요. — Stew made with aged kimchi is delicious.

And where does it all go? A 김치냉장고, the separate kimchi refrigerator that sits in most Korean kitchens or on the veranda.

• 김치냉장고에 넣어 둘게요. — I'll put it in the kimchi fridge.

The part that matters most: giving it away

김장 is not really about kimchi. It's about having far more than one household can eat, on purpose, so you can hand it out. People send containers to their adult children, their siblings, the neighbour on the fourth floor.

What the giver says:

• 김치 좀 가져가세요. — Take some kimchi with you.
• 조금 싸 드릴까요? — Shall I wrap some up for you?
• 많이 했으니까 가져가서 드세요. — We made a lot, so take some and eat it.

What you say when you receive it:

• 감사합니다. 잘 먹겠습니다. — Thank you. I'll enjoy it. (the standard line for receiving food, 합쇼체)
• 잘 먹을게요! — I'll enjoy it! (friendlier, 해요체)
• 어머니가 김치를 한 통 보내 주셨어요. — My mother sent me a container of kimchi.

And the follow-up a few days later, which matters more than the thank-you itself:

• 지난번에 주신 김치 정말 맛있게 먹었어요. — The kimchi you gave me last time was really delicious.

That sentence is the same instinct behind what you bring to a Korean housewarming — food moves between households, and it's expected to move back, eventually, in some form.

If you're offered a seat at someone's 김장, say yes, and offer your hands:

• 김장 도와드릴까요? — Shall I help with the kimjang?
• 뭐 하면 돼요? — What should I do?

One honest note: fewer families do 김장 now. Apartments are small, and good kimchi is easy to buy.

• 요즘은 김치를 사 먹는 집도 많아요. — These days plenty of households just buy their kimchi.

사 먹다 — literally "buy and eat" — is the normal way to say you don't cook something yourself. It's not an apology; it's just a fact of modern life. But when a Korean friend says 저희 집은 김장해요, they're telling you something warm about their family, and the right answer is interest. Kimchi, after all, is the one side dish that never leaves the table.

FAQ

What does 김장 mean in Korean?

김장 is the annual event of making a large quantity of kimchi in late autumn or early winter, enough to last a household through the cold months. It's used as a noun (김장 언제 해요?) and as a verb with 하다 (김장했어요). A small batch of kimchi made at any other time is just 김치 담그기, not 김장.

How do you say "make kimchi" in Korean?

김치를 담그다. The present tense is 김치를 담가요 and the past is 김치를 담갔어요. 만들다 ("to make") sounds wrong here — Koreans reserve 담그다 for foods that are salted and left to ferment, like kimchi, soybean paste and fruit liqueurs.

What do you say when a Korean person gives you kimchi?

Say 감사합니다. 잘 먹겠습니다. to someone older or more formal, or 잘 먹을게요! to a friend. A few days later, tell them 맛있게 먹었어요 — "I enjoyed it." That follow-up is the part Koreans actually remember.

Practice

1. Say "My mother makes kimchi every year."
2. Fix this sentence: 어제 김치를 만들었어요.
3. Your neighbour hands you a container of kimchi. What do you say?
4. Offer to help with someone's 김장.
5. Encourage a friend to try making kimchi once.

Answers

1. 저희 어머니는 해마다 김치를 담가요.

2. 어제 김치를 담갔어요. (담그다, not 만들다 — and the past is 담갔어요, not 담궜어요.)

3. 감사합니다. 잘 먹겠습니다. (or, to someone close: 잘 먹을게요!)

4. 김장 도와드릴까요?

5. 한번 담가 보세요.