-냐고 하다 in Korean: “asked if, asked (what/where)”
-냐고 하다
-nyago hada
asked if, asked (what/where)
Intermediate · Quoting and reporting
-냐고 하다 (-nyago hada) means "(someone) asked if" or "asked what, where, when." It is how Korean reports a question in your own words, like "Mom asked if I ate." Instead of 하다, people often use 묻다 or 물어보다 (to ask).
How to form it
| When | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb or adjective stem | + 냐고 하다 | 가다 → 가냐고 했어요 |
| ㄹ stem (ㄹ drops) | + 냐고 하다 | 살다 → 사냐고 했어요 |
| Past | + 았/었냐고 하다 | 먹다 → 먹었냐고 했어요 |
| Noun | + (이)냐고 하다 | 학생 → 학생이냐고 했어요 |
How to use it
Turn the question into a plain question form with -냐, add 고, then 하다 (or 묻다, 물어보다). Question words stay in: 어디 사냐고 물어봤어요 (asked where I live). Without a question word, it means "asked if": 바쁘냐고 했어요 (asked if I was busy).
Even though -냐 on its own is a blunt casual question, inside a quote it is just the reporting form. The politeness of the whole sentence comes from the last verb: 물어보셨어요 is polite and respectful.
In formal writing you may see older forms: -느냐고 for verbs and -(으)냐고 for adjectives (좋으냐고). In speech, -냐고 is used for both. The spoken short form of -냐고 해요 is -냬요.
Examples
Tap a word to see what it means and save it to your flashcards.
Meeting someone new
Phone call from mom
At work
Working at a shop
Don’t mix it up with
-다고 하다: Reports a statement (said that). -냐고 하다 reports a question (asked if).
-는지: Embeds a question inside a sentence without quoting anyone: 어디 사는지 몰라요 (I don't know where she lives). -냐고 reports what someone asked.
Common mistakes
Keeping the ㄹ in ㄹ-stem verbs. It is 어디 사냐고 (from 살다), not 살냐고.
Using it to report an answer or a statement. 바쁘냐고 했어요 means "asked if I was busy"; "said I was busy" is 바쁘다고 했어요.
Questions learners ask
What does 뭐 하냐고 mean?
뭐 하냐고 means "(someone) asked what (I'm) doing." As 뭐 하냐고요? on its own, it repeats a question: "I asked what you're doing!"
Is -냐고 rude?
Not inside a quote. The politeness comes from the final verb, so 선생님이 괜찮냐고 물어보셨어요 is perfectly polite.