Korean Question WordsKorean interrogatives (who, what, where…) with romanization — free list
Korean question words are called 의문사 (uimunsa). The core six are 누구 (who), 뭐/무엇 (what), 어디 (where), 언제 (when), 왜 (why), and 어떻게 (how). 뭐 is casual everyday speech; 무엇 is more formal or written. This free list covers 24 question words and expressions with romanization.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 누구 | nugu | who (object form) |
| 누가 | nuga | who (subject form) |
| 뭐 | mwo | what (casual) |
| 무엇 | mueot | what (formal) |
| 어디 | eodi | where |
| 어디서 | eodiseo | where (from / at which place) |
| 언제 | eonje | when |
| 왜 | wae | why |
| 어떻게 | eotteoke | how |
| 얼마 | eolma | how much (price) |
| 얼마나 | eolmana | how much / how long (extent) |
| 몇 | myeot | how many / what number |
| 몇 개 | myeot gae | how many items |
| 몇 시 | myeot si | what time |
| 며칠 | myeochil | what date / how many days |
| 무슨 | museun | what kind of / which (modifier) |
| 어느 | eoneu | which (of a set) |
| 어떤 | eotteon | what kind of |
| 어느 것 | eoneu geot | which one |
| 몇 명 | myeot myeong | how many people |
| 어디예요 | eodiyeyo | where is it? (question phrase) |
| 무슨 일 | museun il | what's the matter / what's going on |
| 왜요 | waeyo | why? (polite) |
| 어떡해 | eotteokhae | what should I do / what now |
💡 Good to know
뭐 and 무엇 both mean 'what' — 뭐 is conversational (뭐예요?), 무엇 is formal (무엇입니까?). 몇 means 'how many' and always appears with a counter: 몇 개 (how many items), 몇 시 (what time). 누가 is the subject form of 누구 (who does…).
FAQ
- How do you say what in Korean?
- 뭐 (mwo) is the everyday casual form. 무엇 (mueot) is the formal version. In speech, 뭐예요? (What is it?) is most common.
- What is the difference between 누구 and 누가 in Korean?
- 누구 is the object/neutral form of 'who' used after particles: 누구예요? (Who is it?). 누가 is the subject form when the person is doing the action: 누가 했어요? (Who did it?).
- How do you ask what time is it in Korean?
- 몇 시예요? (myeot siyeyo?) means 'What time is it?'. 몇 means 'what number / how many' and always comes with a counter like 시 (hour) or 개 (item).
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)