Korean Question Words: Complete Guide to Asking Questions

Korean question words (called 의문사, uimunsa) are among the first vocabulary any learner should master. With approximately 82 million native speakers across South Korea, North Korea, and diaspora communities worldwide according to Ethnologue's 2024 data, Korean is the language behind K-drama, K-pop, and one of the world's most dynamic digital cultures. If you have ever watched a Korean drama, you have almost certainly heard 어떡해?! (eotteokhae?!, what do I do?!) shouted in a moment of crisis, or 왜? (wae?, why?) delivered with devastating emotional weight.

The good news for learners: Korean question formation is structurally simpler than English. According to Yeon and Brown's Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar, Korean questions maintain the same subject-object-verb word order as statements. You simply insert a question word where the answer would go and add a question-ending particle. No auxiliary verbs, no subject-verb inversion, no "do-support." The sentence 학교에 가요 (hakkyoe gayo, I go to school) becomes 어디에 가요? (eodie gayo?, where are you going?). Only the word 학교 (school) changes to 어디 (where).

"Korean interrogative construction is typologically notable for its simplicity: the declarative word order is preserved, and the question is marked solely by an interrogative word and sentence-final particle, making it one of the most learner-accessible question systems among agglutinative languages." (Jaehoon Yeon & Lucien Brown, Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar, Routledge, 2019)

This guide covers all essential Korean question words with Hangul, pronunciation, grammar patterns, formality levels, and the cultural knowledge you need to ask questions naturally.

Quick Reference: Essential Korean Question Words

These are the question words you will use most frequently in Korean conversation. The table includes standard romanized pronunciation.

누구

누구 (nugu) means "who" and is one of the most frequently heard question words in Korean. What makes it grammatically interesting is that it changes form depending on its role in the sentence.

When 누구 is the subject of the sentence, it contracts to 누가 (nuga). This is not optional; it is a mandatory grammatical change that the National Institute of Korean Language lists as standard usage:

• 누가 왔어요? (nuga wasseoyo?): "Who came?"
• 누가 했어요? (nuga haesseoyo?): "Who did it?"

When 누구 is the object or follows other particles, it keeps its full form:

• 누구를 만났어요? (nugureul mannasseoyo?): "Who did you meet?"
• 누구한테 줬어요? (nuguhante jwosseoyo?): "Who did you give it to?"
• 누구랑 갔어요? (nugurang gasseoyo?): "Who did you go with?"

In casual speech, Koreans often drop the particle entirely: 누구 만났어? (nugu mannasseo?, who'd you meet?). The context makes the meaning clear.

뭐 / 무엇

Korean has two words for "what," and choosing the right one signals your register immediately. 뭐 (mwo) is the casual, spoken form that dominates everyday conversation. 무엇 (mueot) is its formal counterpart, reserved for written Korean, news broadcasts, academic contexts, and highly polite speech.

뭐 (mwo), everyday use:

• 뭐 해요? (mwo haeyo?): "What are you doing?"
• 뭐 먹을래요? (mwo meogeullaeyo?): "What do you want to eat?"
• 이게 뭐예요? (ige mwoyeyo?): "What is this?"

무엇 (mueot), formal/written use:

• 무엇을 도와 드릴까요? (mueoSeul dowa deurilkkayo?): "How may I help you?" (lit. what shall I help with?)
• 무엇이 문제입니까? (mueosi munjeimnikka?): "What is the problem?" (formal)

In K-dramas, you will hear 뭐 constantly. The expression 뭐?! (mwo?!) delivered with wide eyes is the Korean equivalent of an incredulous "What?!" and one of the most iconic K-drama reactions.

어디

어디 (eodi) means "where" and is one of the most practical question words for travelers and daily life. It typically pairs with the location particle 에 (e) for destinations or 에서 (eseo) for actions happening at a location:

• 어디에 가요? (eodie gayo?): "Where are you going?"
• 어디에서 왔어요? (eodieseo wasseoyo?): "Where did you come from?" / "Where are you from?"
• 화장실이 어디에 있어요? (hwajangsiri eodie isseoyo?): "Where is the restroom?"

In casual Korean, the particle 에 is frequently dropped: 어디 가? (eodi ga?, where ya going?). This shortened form is what you will hear most often among friends and in dramas.

어디 also functions as an indefinite word meaning "somewhere" in certain constructions: 어디 가자 (eodi gaja, let's go somewhere), 어디 아파요? (eodi apayo?, does it hurt somewhere? / where does it hurt?).

언제

언제 (eonje) means "when" and is grammatically the simplest Korean question word. It requires no particle. You place it directly in the sentence where the time expression would normally appear:

• 언제 왔어요? (eonje wasseoyo?): "When did you come?"
• 언제 시간 있어요? (eonje sigan isseoyo?): "When do you have time?"
• 생일이 언제예요? (saengiri eonjeyeyo?): "When is your birthday?"

Like other Korean question words, 언제 can also serve as an indefinite: 언제든지 (eonjedeunji) means "anytime" and 언제나 (eojjena) means "always." These derived forms appear constantly in K-pop lyrics. 언제나 네 곁에 (eonjena ne gyeote, always by your side) is practically a genre staple.

왜

왜 (wae) means "why" and, like 언제, needs no particle. It is placed at the beginning of the sentence or directly before the verb:

• 왜 울어요? (wae ureoyo?): "Why are you crying?"
• 왜 안 왔어요? (wae an wasseoyo?): "Why didn't you come?"
• 왜요? (waeyo?): "Why?" (polite, standalone)

왜 is arguably the most emotionally charged Korean question word. In K-dramas, a tearful 왜...? (wae...?, why...?) is a signature moment of heartbreak or confrontation. The standalone 왜요? delivered with a certain tone can express genuine curiosity, annoyance, challenge, or hurt, entirely depending on intonation and context.

The compound 왜냐하면 (waenyahamyeon) means "because" or "the reason is," the answer-side counterpart to 왜. You will see it frequently in written Korean: 왜냐하면 시간이 없었으니까요 (waenyahamyeon sigani eopseosseunikkayo, because I didn't have time).

어떻게

어떻게 (eotteoke) means "how" and is quite possibly the single most famous Korean word among international K-drama fans. It is the adverb form of the descriptive verb 어떻다 (eotteota, to be how/what kind).

As a genuine question ("how"):

• 어떻게 가요? (eotteoke gayo?): "How do you get there?"
• 어떻게 생각해요? (eotteoke saenggakaeyo?): "What do you think?" (lit. how do you think?)
• 이름이 어떻게 되세요? (ireumi eotteoke doeseyo?): "What is your name?" (polite, lit. how does your name become?)

As an exclamation of distress ("what do I do?!"):

• 어떡해! (eotteokhae!): "What do I do?!" / "Oh no!"
• 어떻게 이럴 수 있어?! (eotteoke ireol su isseo?!): "How could you do this?!"

The contracted form 어떡해 (eotteokhae) comes from 어떻게 해 (eotteoke hae, how do/should I do it?). When a K-drama character's world falls apart (discovering betrayal, facing an impossible deadline, or realizing they are in love), the go-to reaction is 어떡해, 어떡해! repeated in escalating distress. According to King Sejong Institute Foundation teaching materials, this is one of the first "emotional expressions" taught to intermediate learners because of how central it is to understanding spoken Korean.

어느 / 어떤

Korean has two words that translate to "which" in English, but they serve different functions.

어느 (eoneu) is used when selecting from a specific, defined set:

• 어느 나라 사람이에요? (eoneu nara saramieyo?): "Which country are you from?"
• 어느 쪽이에요? (eoneu jjogieyo?): "Which direction/side is it?"
• 어느 것을 원해요? (eoneu geoseul wonhaeyo?): "Which one do you want?"

어떤 (eotteon) asks about the nature, quality, or characteristics of something:

• 어떤 음악 좋아해요? (eotteon eumak joahaeyo?): "What kind of music do you like?"
• 어떤 사람이에요? (eotteon saramieyo?): "What kind of person is he/she?"
• 어떤 영화 봤어요? (eotteon yeonghwa bwasseoyo?): "What kind of movie did you watch?"

The distinction matters: 어느 영화? (eoneu yeonghwa?) asks "which movie?" from a specific set (e.g., which of these three films). 어떤 영화? (eotteon yeonghwa?) asks "what kind of movie?" about qualities and genre. In practice, Koreans sometimes use them interchangeably in casual speech, but understanding the difference helps you sound more natural and precise.

얼마 / 몇

Korean uses two separate question words where English uses "how much/how many," and the distinction is important.

얼마 (eolma) asks about price, amount, or degree, typically for uncountable or continuous quantities:

• 이거 얼마예요? (igeo eolmayeyo?): "How much is this?"
• 얼마나 걸려요? (eolmana geollyeoyo?): "How long does it take?"
• 얼마나 자주 가요? (eolmana jaju gayo?): "How often do you go?"

The compound 얼마나 (eolmana) means "how much" or "to what extent" and is extremely common in everyday Korean.

몇 (myeot) asks about countable quantities and always requires a counter word (분류사, bullyusa) after it. Korean, like Japanese and Chinese, uses a classifier system where different categories of things require different counting words:

The counter system means a single question word, 몇, can ask dozens of different questions depending on which counter follows it. Learning the most common counters alongside 몇 is far more efficient than learning them separately. For a deeper look at Korean counting, see our Korean numbers guide.

Question Word Patterns in Context

Understanding individual question words is essential, but Korean questions follow predictable patterns that are worth studying as units. Here are the most practical patterns for daily conversation:

Basic information questions:

Travel and daily life:

These patterns demonstrate a key principle identified by the King Sejong Institute Foundation's teaching framework: Korean question words occupy the same position as their answers. If the answer is 서울에 가요 (seoure gayo, I'm going to Seoul), the question is 어디에 가요? (eodie gayo?, where are you going?), where 서울 simply replaces 어디. This substitution principle makes Korean questions remarkably systematic once you internalize it.

Question Words in K-Drama and K-Pop

Korean entertainment is the best immersive classroom for question words because emotional scenes naturally generate questions. In any given K-drama episode, you will hear:

• 어떡해?! in moments of crisis: the character who just discovered a secret, lost an important document, or realized their feelings
• 왜? in confrontation scenes: demanding reasons, expressing hurt, challenging authority
• 뭐라고? (mworago?, what did you say?): the classic "I can't believe what I just heard" reaction shot
• 누구야? (nuguya?, who is it?): when someone knocks on the door or an unexpected person appears

K-pop lyrics are rich with question words too. Songs frequently use 왜 (why) and 어디 (where) in emotional contexts: 왜 날 떠나? (wae nal tteona?, why are you leaving me?), 어디 있어? (eodi isseo?, where are you?).

For practice hearing these question words in natural Korean dialogue, explore the best Korean dramas to learn Korean. Watching with Wordy lets you tap any question word in the subtitles to see its Hangul, romanization, and meaning instantly, turning passive viewing into active vocabulary building.

Start Asking Questions in Korean

Question words are the gateway to real conversation. Once you master 누구, 뭐, 어디, 언제, 왜, and 어떻게, you can navigate restaurants, ask for directions, make friends, and understand the emotional core of any K-drama scene. The substitution principle, where the question word simply replaces the answer in identical word order, makes Korean one of the most logically accessible question systems for English speakers.

Wordy helps you encounter these question words in authentic Korean content with interactive subtitles. Instead of drilling vocabulary lists, you absorb 왜, 어떻게, and 뭐 in the exact contexts native speakers use them: dramatic confrontations, casual conversations, and everything between.

Explore our blog for more Korean vocabulary guides, or visit our Korean learning page to start building your question vocabulary through real content today.