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Question Words

 Question words

In this lesson we’re going to learn about different question -words in Korean. We will learn how to ask who, when, where, what, why, how much/many, what kind of and which.


Who - 누구

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누구 is the Korean word for “who”.

누구세요 - Who are you? / Who is it?

오늘 누구하고 점심을 먹어요? - Who do you eat lunch with today?

이거 누구(의) 거예요? - Whose is this thing? (lit: this thing who(se) thing is?)

누구 + subject particle 가 = 누가 and NOT 누구가

Can also be used to mean “someone” in a statement sentence.

누가 제 장난감을 깼어요 - Someone broke my toy

누구를 만나요? - Who are you meeting? / Are you meeting someone?

*In this example, you can see that it has two different meanings. How do you know which one is being used? Are they asking you who you are meeting, so you have to answer with a name/relation? Or are they asking if you are meeting someone, and you have to answer it like a ‘yes or no’ question?


To know which meaning is being used you have to listen to which word they put the emphasis/stress on.

If the stress is on 누구:

누구(를) 만나요? - ​Who​ are you meeting?

If the stress is on 만나요:

누구(를) ​만나요? - Are you ​meeting someone​?

*So to know which meaning is being used you have to listen well to the intonation. If you

have trouble understanding how it would sound different please ask on comments. I'll try to explain it to you.


When - 언제

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언제 is the Korean word for “when”.

언제 가요? - When do you go/leave?

언제 와요? - When are you coming?

언제 한국에 왔어요? - When did you come to Korea?

언제예요? - When is it?

콘서트는 언제예요? - When is the concert?

서울대 입학식은 언제예요? - When is the entrance ceremony at Seoul National University?

 

Where - 어디

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어디 is the Korean word for “where”.

어디(에) 가요? - Where are you going? / Are you going somewhere?

어디에 있어요? - Where is it (located)?

어디에서 만나요? - Where do we meet?

어디에서 먹어요? - Where do we eat?

어디예요? - Where is it? / Where are you?

*As you can see in the first sample sentence according to where you put the stress, the question can have 2 different meanings.

If the stress is on 어디:

어디(에) 가요? - ​Where​ are you going?

If the stress is on 가요:

어디(에) ​가요? - Are you ​going somewhere​?


What - 뭐

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뭐 (short for 무엇) means “what” in Korean.

무엇이에요? / 뭐예요? - What is it?

무엇을 / 뭐(를) 먹어요? - What do you eat?

뭐 is a lot more commonly used in spoken Korean, and the object particles (-을/를) are often omitted. However, when writing essays or formal texts you should use 무엇 and not omit any particles.

서랍에 뭐가 있어요? - What is in the drawer? / Is there anything in the drawer?

If the stress is on 뭐가:

서랍에 ​뭐가 있어요? - What is in the drawer?

If the stress is on 있어요:

서랍에 뭐가 ​있어요? - Is there anything in the drawer?


Why - 왜

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왜 is the Korean word for “why”.

왜 가요? - Why are you leaving?

왜 그래요? - Why are you like that? / Why is it like that?

왜 저를 싫어해요? - Why do you hate me?


How (many/much/long) - 얼마(나)

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얼마 means how much, and 얼마나 means how many/much/long in Korean.

시간이 얼마나 걸려요? - How long (much time) does it take?

이거 얼마예요? - How much (money) is this?

얼마 동안 한국어를 공부했어요? - For how long did you study Korean?

얼마 동안 한국에 있을 거예요? - For how long are you going to stay in Korea?


What kind of / sort of - 무슨

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It is used with nouns, like 음악 (music), 요일 (weekday), 색깔 (color), 운동 (exercise).

무슨 운동을 좋아해요? - What kind of exercise do you like?

무슨 색깔을 좋아해요? - What sort of color do you like?


Which - 어느

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어느 means “which” in Korean.

When using this question word it means you have a set amount of alternatives to

choose from.


어느 나라 사람이에요? - Which country are you from?

이 6 색깔 중에 어느 색갈이 좋을까요? - Which of these 6 colour would be good?


How many - 몇

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몇 means “how many” in Korean. This has to be followed by a counter.

몇 명이 와요? - How many people are coming?

학생이 몇 명이에요? - How many students are there?

하루에 사과 몇 개 먹어요? - How many apples do you eat a day?

꽃이 몇 송이예요? - How many flowers are there?

How is /how - 어떻다 & 어떻게

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어떻다 literally means “to be how”.

Often used to ask what someone thinks of something.

어때요? - How is it?

내일 만나는 게 어때요? - How is meeting tomorrow? / What do you think about meeting tomorrow?

오늘 날씨가 어때요? - How is the weather today?

맛이 어때요? - How is the taste?

V-는 게 어때요?

Fixed expression meaning “What about/How about [VERB]”

어떻게 + V?

How to VERB?

어떻게 해요? - How do I do it?

이걸 어떻게 먹어요? - How do you eat this?

한국어를 어떻게 공부해요? - How do you study Korean?

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