Questions
Yes-or-no questions and the question words.
Yes or no
In everyday polite speech a question has the same ending as a statement; the voice rises at the end. The formal style has a question ending of its own, -ㅂ니까/-습니까.
- keopi joahaeyo?Do you like coffee?
- hanguk saramimnikka?Are you Korean?formal
"Yes" is 네 ne (or 예 ye, more formal), and "no" is 아니요 aniyo; casually, 응 eung and 아니 ani.
- ne, joahaeyo.Yes, I do.
- aniyo, an joahaeyo.No, I don't.
Question words
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 누구 nugu | who | 누구예요? who is it? |
| 누가 nuga | who (subject) | 누가 했어요? who did it? |
| 뭐 mwo, 무엇 mueot | what | 뭐 해요? what are you doing? |
| 언제 eonje | when | 언제 와요? when are you coming? |
| 어디 eodi | where | 어디 가요? where are you going? |
| 왜 wae | why | 왜 안 와요? why aren't you coming? |
| 어떻게 eotteoke | how | 어떻게 알아요? how do you know? |
| 얼마 eolma | how much | 얼마예요? how much is it? |
| 몇 myeot | how many | 몇 시예요? what time is it? |
| 어느 eoneu | which | 어느 거요? which one? |
| 무슨 museun | what kind of | 무슨 일이에요? what's the matter? |
| 어떤 eotteon | what kind of, which | 어떤 사람이에요? what kind of person is he? |
A question word stays where its answer goes, and it takes particles like a noun: 어디에 "to where", 누구한테 "to whom", 뭐가 "what (subject)".
- saengiri eonjeyeyo?When's your birthday?
- wae neujeosseoyo?Why were you late?
How about? 어때요?
어때요? "how is it?" asks for an opinion or makes a suggestion: 한국 음식 어때요? "how do you like Korean food?", 내일 어때요? "how about tomorrow?"
Question words as "some"
The same words, without a question, mean "some": 뭐 먹을래요? "do you want to eat something?" and "what do you want to eat?" are told apart by intonation.
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Nouns and sentences cards.
How is a polite yes-or-no question different from a statement?
Only by a rising voice at the end.
How do you say 'yes' and 'no' politely?
네 (yes) and 아니요 (no).
Someone asks 안 가요? (Aren't you going?). You're not going. Do you answer 네 or 아니요?
네: 네, 안 가요.
What's the formal question form of 학생이에요? (Are you a student?)
학생입니까? (haksaengimnikka)
How do you ask 'When are you coming?' with 언제 (when) and 오다 (to come)?
언제 와요?
How do you ask 'Where are you going?'
어디 가요?
How do you ask 'Why?' and 'How?'
왜 (why) and 어떻게 (how).
How do you ask 'What time is it?' with 몇 (how many) and 시 (o'clock)?
몇 시예요?
How do you ask 'How is it?' or 'How about...?'
어때요?
How do you ask 'What's the matter?' with 무슨 and 일?
무슨 일이에요?