Questions¶

Quick Reference

Question Type	Pattern	Example	Translation
Yes/No	Statement + rising intonation	가요?	Do you go?
Yes/No (formal)	Verb stem + -(으)ㅂ니까?	갑니까?	Do you go?
What	뭐/무엇	뭐예요?	What is it?
Where	어디	어디예요?	Where is it?
When	언제	언제 가요?	When do you go?
Why	왜	왜 가요?	Why do you go?
How	어떻게	어떻게 가요?	How do you go?
Who	누구	누구예요?	Who is it?

Forming Yes/No Questions¶

The simplest way to form questions in Korean is to add rising intonation to a statement.

Method 1: Rising Intonation (Most Common)¶

Simply use the same form as a statement but with rising intonation (indicated by ?).

Statement	Question	Translation
가요.	가요?	Do you go?
먹어요.	먹어요?	Do you eat?
학생이에요.	학생이에요?	Are you a student?
한국 사람이에요.	한국 사람이에요?	Are you Korean?
재미있어요.	재미있어요?	Is it interesting?

Examples in Context¶

오늘 학교에 가요? (Are you going to school today?)
커피 마셔요? (Do you drink coffee?)
한국어 공부해요? (Do you study Korean?)
집에 있어요? (Are you at home?)
배고파요? (Are you hungry?)
피곤해요? (Are you tired?)

Method 2: -(으)ㅂ니까? (Formal)¶

For more formal situations, use -(으)ㅂ니까?

Formation: - Vowel stems: Stem + -ㅂ니까? - Consonant stems: Stem + -습니까?

Verb	Stem	Question Form	Translation
가다	가	갑니까?	Do you go?
오다	오	옵니까?	Do you come?
하다	하	합니까?	Do you do?
먹다	먹	먹습니까?	Do you eat?
읽다	읽	읽습니까?	Do you read?
보다	보	봅니까?	Do you see?

Examples¶

어디에 가십니까? (Where are you going? - formal/honorific)
무엇을 하십니까? (What are you doing? - formal/honorific)
한국어를 공부합니까? (Do you study Korean? - formal)

Answering Yes/No Questions¶

Positive Answers¶

네 / 예 (Yes) - 네 - more common in everyday conversation - 예 - more formal

Repeat the verb: 1. Q: 학생이에요? (Are you a student?) A: 네, 학생이에요. (Yes, I'm a student.)

Q: 한국어 공부해요? (Do you study Korean?) A: 네, 공부해요. (Yes, I study it.)

Negative Answers¶

아니요 (No)

Use negative form: 1. Q: 학생이에요? (Are you a student?) A: 아니요, 학생이 아니에요. (No, I'm not a student.)

Q: 커피 마셔요? (Do you drink coffee?) A: 아니요, 안 마셔요. (No, I don't drink it.)
Q: 한국 사람이에요? (Are you Korean?) A: 아니요, 한국 사람이 아니에요. (No, I'm not Korean.)

Question Words¶

뭐 / 무엇 (What)¶

뭐 is the contracted form of 무엇, commonly used in speech.

Usage	Example	Translation
What is it?	뭐예요? / 무엇이에요?	What is it?
What do you do?	뭐 해요? / 무엇을 해요?	What do you do?
What do you eat?	뭐 먹어요?	What do you eat?
What do you study?	뭐 공부해요?	What do you study?
What is this?	이게 뭐예요?	What is this?
What is that?	그게 뭐예요?	What is that?

Examples: 1. 이름이 뭐예요? (What is your name?) 2. 이게 뭐예요? (What is this?) 3. 뭐 먹을 거예요? (What will you eat?) 4. 주말에 뭐 했어요? (What did you do on the weekend?) 5. 좋아하는 음식이 뭐예요? (What food do you like?)

어디 (Where)¶

Usage	Example	Translation
Where is it?	어디예요?	Where is it?
Where do you go?	어디 가요?	Where are you going?
Where do you live?	어디 살아요?	Where do you live?
Where are you from?	어디에서 왔어요?	Where are you from?
Where is the bathroom?	화장실이 어디예요?	Where is the bathroom?

Examples: 1. 집이 어디예요? (Where is your home?) 2. 어디에서 공부해요? (Where do you study?) 3. 어디에서 만날까요? (Where shall we meet?) 4. 학교가 어디예요? (Where is the school?) 5. 어디 갔어요? (Where did you go?)

언제 (When)¶

Usage	Example	Translation
When?	언제예요?	When is it?
When do you go?	언제 가요?	When do you go?
When did you come?	언제 왔어요?	When did you come?
When will you do it?	언제 할 거예요?	When will you do it?
When is your birthday?	생일이 언제예요?	When is your birthday?

Examples: 1. 수업이 언제예요? (When is the class?) 2. 언제 한국에 왔어요? (When did you come to Korea?) 3. 언제 만날까요? (When shall we meet?) 4. 시험이 언제예요? (When is the exam?) 5. 언제 졸업해요? (When do you graduate?)

왜 (Why)¶

Usage	Example	Translation
Why?	왜요?	Why?
Why do you go?	왜 가요?	Why do you go?
Why don't you eat?	왜 안 먹어요?	Why don't you eat?
Why did you come?	왜 왔어요?	Why did you come?
Why are you studying Korean?	왜 한국어를 공부해요?	Why are you studying Korean?

Examples: 1. 왜 울어요? (Why are you crying?) 2. 왜 안 왔어요? (Why didn't you come?) 3. 왜 전화 안 했어요? (Why didn't you call?) 4. 왜 그래요? (Why are you like that? / What's wrong?) 5. 왜 한국어를 배워요? (Why do you learn Korean?)

Answers with 왜냐하면 (because): - 왜 한국어를 공부해요? (Why do you study Korean?) - 왜냐하면 한국 드라마를 좋아하기 때문이에요. (Because I like Korean dramas.)

Simpler answer pattern: -아/어서 or -(으)니까 - 한국 드라마를 좋아해서요. (Because I like Korean dramas.)

어떻게 (How)¶

Usage	Example	Translation
How?	어떻게요?	How?
How do you go?	어떻게 가요?	How do you go?
How do you know?	어떻게 알아요?	How do you know?
How was it?	어땠어요?	How was it?
How do you do this?	이거 어떻게 해요?	How do you do this?

Examples: 1. 학교에 어떻게 가요? (How do you go to school?) 2. 이름을 어떻게 써요? (How do you write your name?) 3. 한국어를 어떻게 공부해요? (How do you study Korean?) 4. 어떻게 지내요? (How are you doing?) 5. 주말이 어땠어요? (How was your weekend?)

누구 (Who)¶

Usage	Example	Translation
Who is it?	누구예요?	Who is it?
Who are you?	누구세요?	Who are you?
Who did you meet?	누구를 만났어요?	Who did you meet?
Whose is this?	이거 누구 거예요?	Whose is this?
With whom?	누구랑/하고	With whom?

Examples: 1. 저 사람이 누구예요? (Who is that person?) 2. 누구를 좋아해요? (Who do you like?) 3. 누구랑 갔어요? (Who did you go with?) 4. 선생님이 누구예요? (Who is the teacher?) 5. 이거 누구 책이에요? (Whose book is this?)

몇 (How many/How much)¶

Usage	Example	Translation
How old?	몇 살이에요?	How old are you?
What time?	몇 시예요?	What time is it?
How many?	몇 개예요?	How many?
What floor?	몇 층이에요?	What floor?
What month?	몇 월이에요?	What month?

Examples: 1. 나이가 몇 살이에요? (How old are you?) 2. 지금 몇 시예요? (What time is it now?) 3. 사과가 몇 개 있어요? (How many apples are there?) 4. 몇 층에 살아요? (What floor do you live on?) 5. 생일이 몇 월이에요? (What month is your birthday?)

얼마 (How much - Price)¶

Usage	Example	Translation
How much?	얼마예요?	How much is it?
How long?	얼마나 걸려요?	How long does it take?

Examples: 1. 이거 얼마예요? (How much is this?) 2. 집에서 학교까지 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take from home to school?) 3. 얼마나 기다렸어요? (How long did you wait?)

어느 (Which)¶

Usage	Example	Translation
Which country?	어느 나라예요?	Which country?
Which one?	어느 것이에요?	Which one?
Which way?	어느 쪽이에요?	Which direction?

Examples: 1. 어느 나라 사람이에요? (Which country are you from?) 2. 어느 것이 좋아요? (Which one is good?) 3. 어느 쪽으로 가요? (Which way do you go?)

Question Patterns in Different Tenses¶

Present Tense Questions¶

지금 뭐 해요? (What are you doing now?)
어디에 살아요? (Where do you live?)
한국어를 공부해요? (Do you study Korean?)

Past Tense Questions¶

어제 뭐 했어요? (What did you do yesterday?)
주말에 어디 갔어요? (Where did you go on the weekend?)
점심 먹었어요? (Did you eat lunch?)

Future Tense Questions¶

내일 뭐 할 거예요? (What will you do tomorrow?)
언제 올 거예요? (When will you come?)
주말에 어디 갈 거예요? (Where will you go on the weekend?)

Common Question Patterns¶

좋아해요? (Do you like...?)¶

커피를 좋아해요? (Do you like coffee?)
한국 음식을 좋아해요? (Do you like Korean food?)
운동을 좋아해요? (Do you like exercise?)

-았/었어요? (Did you...?)¶

숙제 다 했어요? (Did you finish your homework?)
잘 잤어요? (Did you sleep well?)
재미있었어요? (Was it fun?)

-(으)ㄹ 거예요? (Will you...?)¶

같이 갈 거예요? (Will you go together?)
이거 먹을 거예요? (Will you eat this?)
내일 올 거예요? (Will you come tomorrow?)

Tag Questions¶

Korean doesn't have direct equivalents to English tag questions ("right?", "isn't it?"), but these expressions serve similar purposes:

Expression	Usage	Example
그렇죠?	Right? Isn't it?	재미있죠? (It's fun, right?)
그죠?	Right? (contraction)	맛있죠? (It's delicious, right?)
네?	Right?	좋아하네? (You like it, right?)

Examples: 1. 오늘 날씨 좋죠? (The weather is nice today, right?) 2. 이거 비싸죠? (This is expensive, right?) 3. 한국어 어렵죠? (Korean is difficult, right?)

Polite Question Endings¶

For more polite questions, especially to strangers or elders:

Form	Usage	Example
-으세요?	Honorific question	어디 가세요? (Where are you going?)
-실까요?	Honorific suggestion	같이 가실까요? (Shall we go together?)
-으시겠어요?	Honorific will	커피 드시겠어요? (Will you have coffee?)

Practice¶

Convert to questions: 학생이에요, 한국 사람이에요, 좋아해요
Ask "What are you doing?" in Korean
Ask "Where do you live?" in Korean
Ask "When did you come to Korea?" in Korean
Ask "Why are you studying Korean?" in Korean
Ask "How do you go to school?" in Korean
Ask "Who is that person?" in Korean
Ask "How much is this?" in Korean
Create a question using 뭐 in past tense
Ask someone if they ate lunch already

Show Answers

1. Questions with rising intonation: - 학생이에요? (Are you a student?) - 한국 사람이에요? (Are you Korean?) - 좋아해요? (Do you like it?) 2. 지금 뭐 해요? (Or: 무엇을 해요?) 3. 어디 살아요? (Or: 어디에 살아요?) 4. 언제 한국에 왔어요? (Or: 한국에 언제 왔어요?) 5. 왜 한국어를 공부해요? (Or: 한국어를 왜 공부해요?) 6. 학교에 어떻게 가요? (Or: 어떻게 학교에 가요?) 7. 저 사람이 누구예요? (Or: 저 사람 누구예요?) 8. 이거 얼마예요? (Or: 얼마예요?) 9. Sample answers: - 어제 뭐 했어요? (What did you do yesterday?) - 주말에 뭐 먹었어요? (What did you eat on the weekend?) - 어젯밤에 뭐 봤어요? (What did you watch last night?) 10. 점심 먹었어요? (Or more politely: 점심 드셨어요?) (Or more formally: 점심 식사 하셨어요?)