kimchi

noun

kim·​chi ˈkim-chē 

variants or less commonly kimchee

: a spicy, pungent vegetable dish that consists of one or more pickled and fermented vegetables and especially napa cabbage and radishes with various seasonings (such as garlic, red chili pepper, ginger, scallions, and anchovy paste) and that is the national dish of South Korea

To Koreans, life without "kimchi"—that spicy, fermented pickled vegetable mixture, which accompanies every Korean meal—is unthinkable.

—K. Connie Kang

Korean buckwheat noodles have more of a kick, often delivered with a little spicy kimchi.

—David Tanis

Examples of kimchi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Korean Fried Chicken Bao Buns feature crispy chicken wrapped in a pillowy bun with a pepper glaze made with gochugaru red chili powder, kimchi aioli and pickled cucumbers. —Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026

That sounds like a lot, but a cup of yogurt at breakfast, a kombucha with lunch and some kimchi at dinner gets you to six without overhauling your entire diet. —Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026

One popular hack among wellness influencers is eating a spoonful of fermented foods, such as kimchi or yogurt, before a meal. —Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 6 Apr. 2026

The rise of kimchi, Korean fermented vegetables, has been smoother. —Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Korean kimch'i

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above