questioning words

뭐; What

The formal version is '무엇', but in everyday conversation, Koreans typically use '뭐', which is shorter and easier to say.

뭐예요? What is it?

뭐 해요? What are you doing?

무엇을 좋아해요? What do you like?

몇(+counter); What [number]

This is used to ask about numbers. It always appears with a counter directly after it, functioning as a single unit. The answer should include the appropriate number system and counter according to the situation, as we learned in the numbers and counters page.

지금 몇 시예요? What time is it?

몇 살이에요? How old are you?

몇 명 있어요?

How many people are there?

오늘 몇 월 며칠이에요?

What is today's date? (What month and day is it today?)

(’며칠’ originates from ‘몇 일’. However, unlike other counters, when it is used with the counter ‘-일’, it is written as one word: ‘며칠’, not ‘몇 일’.)

어느, 무슨, 어떤(+ noun); What

어느, 무슨, and 어떤 all translate roughly to 'what' but each has distinct uses and nuances. Unlike 무엇(뭐), these words must be followed by a noun.

• 어느 (which) : Choosing between options

어느 영화를 볼까요? 스파이더맨? 어벤져스?

Which movie shall we watch? Spider-Man? Avengers?

어느 쪽으로 가요? Which way are you going?

• 어떤 (What kind of): asking characteristics of a target (answers are normally adjectives).

A: 어떤 영화를 좋아해요? What kind of movies do you like?

B: 로맨스 영화를 좋아해요. I like romance movies.

어떤 음식을 제일 좋아해요? What kind of food do you like the most?

어떤 사람을 좋아해요? What kind of person do you like?

• 무슨 (What): asking the target itself (answers are normally nouns).

A: 무슨 영화를 좋아해요? What movie do you like?

B: ‘라라랜드’를 좋아해요. I like 'La La Land'.

무슨 음식을 제일 좋아해요? What food do you like the most?

오늘은 무슨 요일이에요?

What day of the week is it today?

⇒ But Koreans usually mix up the meanings of 어떤 and 무슨

어떤 음식을 제일 좋아해요? = 무슨 음식을 제일 좋아해요?

What food do you like the most?

누구/누가; Who

누구예요? Who are you? / Who is that?

지수가 누구를 좋아해요? Whom does Jisoo like?

누가 지수를 좋아해요? Who likes Jisoo? → -가 is used as the subject marker. When asking who the subject is in a sentence, use '누가' instead of '누구'.

누구한테 편지를 써요? To whom are you writing a letter? → -한테 means ‘to (person)’

언제; When

생일이 언제예요? When is your birthday?

기념일이 언제예요? When is your anniversary?

언제 일어나요? When do you wake up?

언제 학교에 가요? When do you go to school?

어디; Where

화장실이 어디예요? Where is the toilet?

거기가 어디예요? Where is that place?

어디 가요? Where are you going?

티켓 어디에서 사요? Where do I buy tickets?

→ -에서 means ‘in’ or ‘at’.

어떻게; How (state, method)

어떻게 지내요? How are you? (How have you been?)

경복궁에 어떻게 가요? How do I go to the Kyungbokgong(palace)?

이거 어떻게 읽어요? How do I read this?

• To ask about a state or condition, you can use the expression "Noun 어때요? (How is~?)".

날씨가 어때요? How is the weather?

음식 맛이 어때요? How does the food taste?

얼마나; How (much)

얼마나 가요? How long do I go (how long is the journey)?

얼마나 멀어요? How far is it?

얼마나 매워요? How spicy is it?

얼마나 자주 운동해요? How often do you work out?

• 얼마예요? How much is it?

이 스마트폰 얼마예요?

How much is this smartphone?

김치 얼마예요?

How much is the kimchi?

→ This expression can be used to ask about money or quantity, just like in English. Still, it is most commonly used to ask about price.

왜; Why

왜요? Why?

한국어가 왜 어려워요? Why is Korean difficult?