gochujang

noun

go·​chu·​jang ˈgō-ˈchü-ˈjäŋ How to pronounce gochujang (audio)
: a spicy paste used in Korean cuisine that is made from red chili peppers, glutinous rice, and fermented soybeans
With Ms. Kim's encouragement, I made a version of her Korean bouillabaisse by sautéing kimchi with gochujang, soy sauce and fish sauce, then adding stock and a mix of shrimp, scallops and mussels. The gochujang added flavor and served as a thickener.Jane Black
Korean supermarkets, like H Mart in Manhattan, carry not only all manner of foods—like gochujang, three-layered pork belly, and Korean snacks—but also a range of practical (affordable) kitchen and home goods.Lauren Ro

Examples of gochujang in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Her gochujang burger from Blue Moon Tavern at the Park was kimchi-light, while the stuff was practically spilling out of mine. Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025 Each ball should then be rolled in about a teaspoon of gochujang until the exterior of each dough ball is fully covered. Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 July 2025 Arlington Burger At The Salt Line Hudson Valley, this burger is dressed in Cabot white cheddar, thick cut bacon, gochujang and scallion aioli on a sesame seed potato roll. Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025 The store also offers a smorgasbord of Asian ingredient staples — from soy sauce to gochujang to bulk bags of rice. Rachel Schlueter, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2025 For mains, there’s a 12-ounce ribeye with royal oyster mushrooms, peppercorn sauce and golden hasselback potatoes ($48); a lamb rack glazed with spicy gochujang and chimichurri ($39); and roasted Atlantic salmon with baby carrots, asparagus and tarragon beurre blanc ($28). Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025 Long in the shadows of its cousins gochujang and doenjang, chunjang — the ingredient that slicks the noodles black — shines in its own way, closer in flavor to Chinese tianmian sauce, or what makes Peking duck taste like Peking duck. The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2025 Toki Doki: The Eat Street burger joint is serving wings with both a dry rub and a homemade, gluten-free gochujang sauce. Kyle Stokes, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Korean kojujang, from koju "red pepper" + chang "paste made from soybean and other ingredients" (borrowed from a Middle Chinese antecedent of Beijing Chinese jiàng "soybean paste")

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gochujang was in 1966

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gochujang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gochujang. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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