What does 뭐 (mwo) mean?
- 뭐mwo
What
Casual: friends and people younger than you
뭐 (mwo) means "what" in Korean. It is the everyday spoken form of 무엇, and you will hear it in questions, surprised reactions, and even as a filler word.
Where it comes from
뭐 is a shortened form of 무엇 (what), which sounds more formal or written.
How to use 뭐
In questions, 뭐 is everywhere: 뭐 해? (What are you doing?), 뭐 먹을래? (What do you want to eat?). The politeness comes from the ending, so 뭐 해요? is polite and 뭐 해? is casual.
On its own, 뭐? means "What?" when you are surprised or didn't hear. Be careful: a sharp 뭐? to an older person sounds rude, so say 네? instead when you didn't catch something.
People also use 뭐 as a filler, a bit like "well" or "like": 뭐, 괜찮아 (Well, it's fine).
Examples
Tap a word to see what it means and save it to your flashcards.
Texting a friend in the evening
Deciding on dinner with a friend
A host offering drinks
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 무엇 | What | Full form, formal or written. |
| 뭐야? | What is it? / What the...? | Casual question or reaction. |
| 뭐예요? | What is it? | Polite question. |
| 뭐라고? | What did you say? | Casual, often surprised. |
Questions learners ask
What is the difference between mwo and mwoya?
뭐 is the word "what". 뭐야 adds the casual ending 야, so it means "What is it?" or works as a reaction like "What the...?"
Is saying mwo rude?
The word itself is not rude. But a sharp 뭐? to someone older sounds disrespectful, so use 네? when you didn't hear them.
Why do Koreans say mwo so much?
Besides meaning "what", it is a common filler like "well" or "like", so it shows up in many sentences.