What does 이름이 뭐예요 (ireumi mwoyeyo) mean?
- 이름이 뭐예요ireumi mwoyeyo
What's your name?
Polite: safe with most people
이름이 뭐예요? (ireumi mwoyeyo) means "What's your name?" in polite Korean. It is the standard way to ask someone's name when you meet them.
Where it comes from
이름 means "name", 이 is the subject marker, 뭐 means "what", and 예요 is the polite "is". So it is literally "Name is what?"
How to use 이름이 뭐예요
Use 이름이 뭐예요? with people around your age or younger whom you don't know well, such as at a class or a language exchange. With friends and children, the casual form is 이름이 뭐야?
For someone clearly older or in a formal setting, 성함이 어떻게 되세요? is much more respectful. 성함 is the honorific word for name.
A common spelling mistake is 뭐에요. The correct spelling is 뭐예요, because 뭐 ends in a vowel. To answer, say 제 이름은 ___이에요 (after a consonant) or ___예요 (after a vowel).
Examples
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Meeting someone at a language exchange
Meeting a cute dog at the park
Gently asking a new classmate
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 이름이 뭐야? | What's your name? | Casual, for friends and kids. |
| 성함이 어떻게 되세요? | May I ask your name? | Very respectful, for elders and formal settings. |
| 이름이 어떻게 되세요? | What is your name? | Polite and a little softer. |
| 제 이름은 민지예요 | My name is Minji | How to answer. |
Questions learners ask
Is it mwoyeyo or mwoeyo?
The correct spelling is 뭐예요. 뭐에요 is a very common mistake, even among Koreans.
How do you ask an older person's name?
Say 성함이 어떻게 되세요? It uses the honorific word 성함 and is much more respectful.
How do I answer?
Say 제 이름은 ___예요 if your name ends in a vowel (민지예요) or ___이에요 if it ends in a consonant (지민이에요). 저는 ___예요 also works.