Asking Questions¶
Quick Reference
| Question Word | Korean | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| What | 뭐/무엇 | Things, actions |
| Where | 어디 | Locations |
| When | 언제 | Time |
| Why | 왜 | Reasons |
| How | 어떻게 | Methods, manner |
| Who | 누구 | People |
| How much/many | 얼마 | Price, amount |
| Which | 어느 | Choices |
Basic Question Patterns¶
Yes/No Questions¶
In Korean, yes/no questions are formed simply by adding a question mark and rising intonation. The sentence structure remains the same.
Statement: 학생입니다. (I'm a student.) Question: 학생입니까? (Are you a student?)
Formal endings: - -습니까/-ㅂ니까? (most formal) - -아요/-어요? (polite) - -니? -야? (informal)
Examples: - 한국 사람입니까? (Are you Korean? - formal) - 학생이에요? (Are you a student? - polite) - 밥 먹었어? (Did you eat? - casual)
What: 뭐 / 무엇¶
뭐¶
Casual form of "what," most commonly used in conversation.
Basic patterns: - 이게 뭐예요? (What's this?) - 뭐 해요? (What are you doing?) - 뭐 먹고 싶어요? (What do you want to eat?)
무엇¶
Formal form of "what," used in writing and formal speech.
Examples: - 무엇을 찾으세요? (What are you looking for?) - 무엇이 필요합니까? (What do you need?)
Common "What" Questions¶
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 이름이 뭐예요? | What's your name? |
| 이게 뭐예요? | What's this? |
| 뭐 하세요? | What do you do? |
| 뭐 먹을래요? | What do you want to eat? |
| 취미가 뭐예요? | What's your hobby? |
| 무슨 일이에요? | What's the matter? |
Note: 무슨 + noun = "what kind of..." - 무슨 음식? (What kind of food?) - 무슨 영화? (What kind of movie?)
Where: 어디¶
Used to ask about locations and places.
Basic Patterns¶
- 어디예요? (Where is it?)
- 어디 가요? (Where are you going?)
- 어디에 있어요? (Where is it located?)
- 어디에서 왔어요? (Where are you from?)
Common "Where" Questions¶
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 화장실이 어디예요? | Where's the bathroom? |
| 어디 살아요? | Where do you live? |
| 어디 아파요? | Where does it hurt? |
| 어디에서 만날까요? | Where shall we meet? |
| 집이 어디예요? | Where's your home? |
Particle notes: - 어디 (basic location) - 어디에 (location with 에) - 어디에서 (location/origin with 에서) - 어디로 (direction with 로)
When: 언제¶
Used to ask about time.
Basic Patterns¶
- 언제예요? (When is it?)
- 언제 가요? (When are you going?)
- 언제 만날까요? (When shall we meet?)
- 언제 왔어요? (When did you come?)
Common "When" Questions¶
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 생일이 언제예요? | When's your birthday? |
| 언제 시작해요? | When does it start? |
| 언제 끝나요? | When does it end? |
| 언제 다시 올 거예요? | When will you come again? |
| 언제부터 한국어를 배웠어요? | Since when have you been learning Korean? |
Why: 왜¶
Used to ask for reasons and causes.
Basic Patterns¶
- 왜요? (Why?)
- 왜 그래요? (Why is that? / What's wrong?)
- 왜 안 와요? (Why aren't you coming?)
- 왜 그렇게 생각해요? (Why do you think so?)
Common "Why" Questions¶
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 왜 늦었어요? | Why are you late? |
| 왜 안 먹어요? | Why aren't you eating? |
| 왜 전화 안 했어요? | Why didn't you call? |
| 왜 슬퍼요? | Why are you sad? |
| 왜 한국어를 배워요? | Why are you learning Korean? |
How: 어떻게¶
Used to ask about methods, manner, and condition.
Basic Patterns¶
- 어떻게 가요? (How do you go?)
- 어떻게 해요? (How do you do it?)
- 어떻게 지내요? (How are you? / How have you been?)
Common "How" Questions¶
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 어떻게 왔어요? | How did you get here? |
| 이름을 어떻게 써요? | How do you write your name? |
| 어떻게 알았어요? | How did you know? |
| 한국말을 어떻게 배웠어요? | How did you learn Korean? |
| 어떻게 생각해요? | What do you think? (How do you think?) |
어떻다 (How is it?)¶
Used to ask about condition or quality:
- 날씨가 어때요? (How's the weather?)
- 맛이 어때요? (How's the taste?)
- 영화가 어땠어요? (How was the movie?)
Who: 누구¶
Used to ask about people.
Basic Patterns¶
- 누구예요? (Who is it?)
- 누구랑 가요? (Who are you going with?)
- 누가 했어요? (Who did it?)
Note: 누구 becomes 누가 when used as subject.
Common "Who" Questions¶
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 이 사람이 누구예요? | Who is this person? |
| 누구를 기다려요? | Who are you waiting for? |
| 누가 만들었어요? | Who made it? |
| 누구 거예요? | Whose is it? |
| 누구한테 물어봤어요? | Who did you ask? |
How Much/Many: 얼마¶
Used to ask about price and quantity.
Price¶
- 얼마예요? (How much is it?)
- 이게 얼마예요? (How much is this?)
- 모두 얼마예요? (How much in total?)
Time Duration¶
- 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take?)
- 얼마나 기다렸어요? (How long did you wait?)
- 얼마나 자주 가요? (How often do you go?)
Quantity¶
For counting specific items, use: - 몇 + counter (How many...?) - 몇 개예요? (How many pieces?) - 몇 명이에요? (How many people?) - 몇 시예요? (What time is it?)
Which: 어느¶
Used to choose between options.
Basic Patterns¶
- 어느 거예요? (Which one?)
- 어느 게 좋아요? (Which is good?)
- 어느 나라 사람이에요? (Which country are you from?)
Examples: - 어느 색이 예뻐요? (Which color is pretty?) - 어느 쪽으로 갈까요? (Which way shall we go?) - 어느 것을 고를 거예요? (Which one will you choose?)
Combining Question Words¶
You can combine question words for more specific questions:
- 언제 어디에서 만날까요? (When and where shall we meet?)
- 누가 왜 그랬어요? (Who did it and why?)
- 뭐 어떻게 할 거예요? (What and how will you do it?)
Practice¶
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Ask "What's this?" in polite form.
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How do you ask "Where's the bathroom?" formally?
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Ask "When does the movie start?" in polite form.
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How do you say "Why are you late?" politely?
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Ask "How do you get to the station?" formally.
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How do you ask "Who is that person?" in polite form?
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Ask "How much is this?" casually.
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Ask "Which one do you like?" in polite form.
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Translate: "Where and when shall we meet?"
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Create a question: Ask someone what they did yesterday and why (polite form).