밥 먹었어?

Bap meogeosseo?

It can be more than a meal question — sometimes it is a warm way to check in on someone.

What does it mean?

Literally, it asks whether someone has eaten. Between family, friends, or people who are close, it can also work as a gentle check-in: “Are you doing okay?”

How it sounds

A: 밥 먹었어? B: 아직. 너는?

When do Koreans use it?

Very common in casual conversation with someone you know well. It can sound caring rather than purely practical.

A small nuance

With a stranger or in a formal situation, Koreans usually choose a more polite form such as “식사하셨어요?”

Question or statement? 밥 먹었어? with a rising, questioning intonation asks “Have you eaten?” Without the questioning intonation, 밥 먹었어. can simply mean “I ate” or “(I) have eaten,” depending on context. In conversation, the intonation matters as much as the punctuation.