❓ Ask Anything in Korean: 6 Essential Question Words (Updated)
Confused by 왜, 어떻게, 어디…? Learn the 6 must-know Korean question words with polite patterns and real examples—so you can ask anything naturally, not bluntly.
📚 Series Overview — “Beginner Series: Core Grammar Mini”
Micro lessons that unlock real conversations—quick forms, polite tones, and ready-to-use examples.
- #1 Ask Anything — 6 Question Words (this post)
- #2 Yes/No & -나요? — Polite Question Endings
- #3 Softening with 혹시/좀 — Natural Requests
🎯 Learning Goal
- Master 6 core question words: 뭐/어디/언제/왜/어떻게/누구.
- Follow the basic pattern and keep the verb last for clarity.
- Use polite endings and softeners to avoid sounding blunt. (정중한 어미와 완곡어를 사용해 부드럽게 질문하기)
📑 Table of Contents
🧠 Korean Question Word List
- 뭐 (mwo) — what
- 어디 (eodi) — where
- 언제 (eonje) — when
- 왜 (wae) — why
- 어떻게 (eotteoke) — how
- 누구 (nugu) — who
Note: They often come early in the sentence, but in Korean the verb still comes last. (동사가 문장 끝에 옵니다.)
🧩 Basic Question Structure
[Question Word] + [Subject/Object] + [Verb]?
예: 뭐 먹어요? — What are you eating?
Add politeness with -요 or endings like -나요? for softer curiosity. (정중한 어미로 말투를 부드럽게)
🔗 See also: Soft Power Words (혹시/좀 for gentle tone)
💬 6 Common Question Patterns + Examples
1) 뭐 — What
- 뭐예요? — What is it?
- 이게 뭐예요? — What is this?
- 뭐 좋아해요? — What do you like?
2) 어디 — Where
- 어디예요? — Where is it?
- 어디 가요? — Where are you going?
- 집이 어디예요? — Where is your home?
3) 언제 — When
- 언제 만나요? — When shall we meet?
- 생일이 언제예요? — When is your birthday?
- 수업이 언제예요? — When is the class?
4) 왜 — Why
- 왜 그래요? — Why? / What’s wrong?
- 왜 울어요? — Why are you crying?
- 왜 한국어를 배워요? — Why are you learning Korean?
Soft tip: “왜?” alone can sound blunt—try 왜요? or 무슨 일 있어요?
5) 어떻게 — How
- 어떻게 해요? — How do you do it?
- 한국어는 어떻게 공부해요? — How do you study Korean?
- 이거 어떻게 먹어요? — How do you eat this?
6) 누구 — Who
- 누구예요? — Who is it?
- 누구 만났어요? — Who did you meet?
- 전화한 사람이 누구예요? — Who called?
👩🏫 Teacher’s Tips
Start your question with 혹시 (“by any chance”) to sound gentle: 혹시 이거 뭐예요?
질문 앞에 혹시를 붙이면 공손하고 부드럽게 들려요. 예) 혹시 어디 가세요?
Keep the verb last; say your key noun early to help listeners follow you.
동사는 끝, 핵심 명사는 앞쪽에 배치하면 이해가 쉬워집니다.
💡 Did You Know?
Korean questions don’t require a strong rising pitch like English; politeness comes more from endings (요/나요/까요?).
한국어는 영어처럼 강한 상승 억양이 필수는 아니고, 문말어미(-요/-나요/-까요?)가 공손도를 좌우합니다.
✅ Your Turn: 3 Action Tasks
- Build 6 cards: 뭐/어디/언제/왜/어떻게/누구. Say 3 sample questions for each. (각 의문사로 예문 3개 말하기)
- Polite swap: Change one direct question to a gentle one with 혹시 or -나요?
- Drama hunt: Watch 5 minutes of a K-drama; write down 3 questions you hear and copy the endings.
🔗 Extra Resources (Official)
I’ll add printable Q-word flashcards and conversation drills soon. 🙏
📌 Related Lessons
Click to load up to 10 posts — Beginner Series
Click to load up to 10 posts — Speak Like a Real Korean
🧭 Final Thoughts
Questions keep conversations alive. Start with these six words, keep the verb last, and add a gentle ending—you’ll sound curious, not pushy.
이제 6개 의문사로 무엇이든 물어볼 수 있어요. 다음 글에서는 예/아니요 질문 & -나요?로 공손한 질문 만들기를 다룹니다.
Tags: Korean questions, question words, Beginner Korean, 뭐 어디 언제 왜, 어떻게, 누구
