Korean Question Words: 뭐, 누구, 어디, 언제, 왜, 어떻게
Learn the Korean question words for what, who, where, when, why, how, how many and how much, where they go in a sentence, and how to ask yes/no questions.
BeginnerSentence basics7 min readTap any Korean word to see it explained
The short answer
The main Korean question words are 뭐 (what), 누구 (who), 어디 (where), 언제 (when), 왜 (why) and 어떻게 (how). Put the question word where the answer would go, and keep the verb at the end. For a yes/no question, just raise your voice at the end.
Questions are the fastest way to start a real conversation. The nice part about Korean: you don’t need to flip the word order or add “do” or “does”. You swap in a question word, and that’s it. Tap the chips below to see each part.
1. The question words at a glance
| Korean | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 뭐 / 무엇 | what | 뭐 해요? |
| 누구 / 누가 | who | 누구예요? |
| 어디 | where | 어디 가요? |
| 언제 | when | 언제 와요? |
| 왜 | why | 왜요? |
| 어떻게 | how | 어떻게 가요? |
| 몇 | how many, what (number) | 몇 살이에요? |
| 얼마 | how much (price) | 얼마예요? |
| 어느 / 무슨 | which / what kind of | 무슨 음식? |
2. 뭐: what
뭐 is the everyday word for “what”. 무엇 is the full form. You’ll see it in writing and formal speech, but in conversation people say 뭐. With the object particle, 뭐를 often shortens to 뭘.
In speech the object particle is often dropped: 뭐 했어요 instead of 뭐를 했어요.
3. 누구 and 누가: who
누구 means “who”. When “who” is the one doing the action (the subject), 누구 + 가 becomes 누가.
4. 어디, 언제, 왜: where, when, why
These three work just like nouns. 어디 takes the place particles 에 and 에서, the same way a place name would.
On its own, 왜요? means 'Why?' or 'What is it?' when someone calls your name.
5. 어떻게: how
어떻게 asks about the way something is done. It also shows up in the very common 어떻게 해요? (“What do I do?”).
6. 몇 and 얼마: how many and how much
몇 asks for a number, so it comes before a counter word: 몇 살 (how old), 몇 시 (what time), 몇 개 (how many things). 얼마 asks about price.
7. 어느 and 무슨: which and what kind of
Both go right before a noun. 어느 means “which (one of these)”. 무슨 means “what kind of”.
Literally 'You are a person of which country?' This is the standard way to ask where someone is from.
8. Where the question word goes
In English, question words jump to the front: “You live in Seoul” becomes “Where do you live?”. Korean doesn’t do that. The question word sits right where the answer will be, and the verb stays at the end.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 어디에 살아요? | 서울에 살아요. |
| 뭐 먹었어요? | 비빔밥 먹었어요. |
| 언제 와요? | 내일 와요. |
| 누구를 만났어요? | 친구를 만났어요. |
This makes answering easy: copy the question, swap the question word for your answer, and you have a full sentence.
9. Yes/no questions: just raise your voice
For a yes/no question, you don’t need any question word at all. Say the same sentence as a statement, and let your voice rise at the end. In writing, add a question mark.
Hear it in songs
Songs ask questions all the time: 왜 (why), 어디 (where), 언제 (when). Open a song in Hanbok Lyrics and tap a line to see each word explained. Next, review Korean sentence structure, learn this and that (이, 그, 저), or practice the numbers you need for 몇 in Korean numbers.
Check yourself
Quick check · 1 of 4"Who came?" = ___ 왔어요?
"Who" is the subject here.
Questions learners ask
How do you say "what" in Korean?
In everyday speech, say 뭐: 뭐 해요? (What are you doing?). 무엇 is the full, more formal form you see in writing. Before a noun, use 무슨: 무슨 음식 (what food).
What is the difference between 누구 and 누가?
Both mean "who". When "who" is the subject of the sentence, 누구 + 가 shortens to 누가: 누가 왔어요? (Who came?). Everywhere else you use 누구: 누구예요? (Who is it?), 누구를 만났어요? (Who did you meet?).
Where does the question word go in a Korean sentence?
Right where the answer would go. You do not move it to the front like in English. 어디에 살아요? (Where do you live?) is answered 서울에 살아요 (I live in Seoul).
How do you ask a yes/no question in Korean?
Say the same sentence as a statement, but raise your voice at the end. 커피 마셔요. (I drink coffee.) becomes 커피 마셔요? (Do you drink coffee?). In writing, just add a question mark.