영화 | movie |
볼까요? | shall we watch? |
쪽 | side, direction |
음식 | food |
제일 | most |
사람 | person |
요일 | day of the week |
생일 | birthday |
기념일 | anniversary |
일어나다(일어나요) | to wake up |
사다 (사요) | to buy |
지내다(지내요) | to stay, to get along |
가다 (가요) | to go |
읽다 (읽어요) | to read |
멀다 (멀어요) | to be far |
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
- 어떤 (What kind of): asking characteristics of a target (answers are normally adjectives).
- 무슨 (What): asking the target itself (answers are normally nouns).
어느 영화를 볼까요? 스파이더맨? 어벤져스?
Which movie shall we watch? Spider-Man? Avengers?
어느 쪽으로 가요? Which way are you going?
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?
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?