Lesson 8: Basic Korean Question Words: Mastering Who, What, Where, When, and Why
Learning Korean can be both exciting and challenging, especially when it comes to forming questions. Knowing the basic question words like "who," "what," "where," "when," and "why" in Korean is essential for everyday conversations. In this guide, we’ll dive into these key question words and provide you with over 50 examples to help you practice and master them.
1. Who? - 누구? (Nugu?)
"누구" is the Korean word for "who." It's used when asking about a person.
Examples:
- 이 사람은 누구예요? (I sarameun nuguyeyo?) - Who is this person?
- 저기 있는 사람은 누구야? (Jeogi inneun sarameun nuguya?) - Who is that person over there?
- 이 책을 쓴 사람은 누구인가요? (I chaegeul sseun sarameun nuguingayo?) - Who wrote this book?
- 오늘 만날 사람은 누구죠? (Oneul mannal sarameun nugujyo?) - Who are we meeting today?
- 이 노래 부른 사람은 누구예요? (I norae burun sarameun nuguyeyo?) - Who sang this song?
2. What? - 무엇? (Mueot?)
"무엇" means "what" in Korean and is used to inquire about things, actions, or events.
Examples: 6. 지금 뭐 해요? (Jigeum mwo haeyo?) - What are you doing now? 7. 그게 뭐예요? (Geuge mwoyeyo?) - What is that? 8. 점심으로 뭐 먹을래요? (Jeomsimeuro mwo meogeullayo?) - What do you want to eat for lunch? 9. 이 영화는 뭐예요? (I yeonghwaneun mwoyeyo?) - What is this movie about? 10. 생일 선물로 뭐 받고 싶어요? (Saengil seonmullo mwo batgo sipeoyo?) - What do you want to receive for your birthday?
3. Where? - 어디? (Eodi?)
"어디" translates to "where" and is used to ask about locations or places.
Examples: 11. 화장실이 어디예요? (Hwajangsiri eodiyeyo?) - Where is the bathroom? 12. 우리는 어디로 가고 있나요? (Urineun eodiro gago innayo?) - Where are we going? 13. 내 가방이 어디 있지? (Nae gabangi eodi itji?) - Where is my bag? 14. 너 어디에서 일해? (Neo eodieseo ilhae?) - Where do you work? 15. 이 사진은 어디에서 찍었어요? (I sajineun eodieseo jjigeosseoyo?) - Where was this photo taken?
4. When? - 언제? (Eonje?)
"언제" means "when" and is used to ask about time.
Examples: 16. 회의가 언제 시작돼요? (Hoeuiga eonje sijakdwaeyo?) - When does the meeting start? 17. 너 언제 왔어? (Neo eonje wasseo?) - When did you arrive? 18. 생일이 언제예요? (Saengili eonjeyeyo?) - When is your birthday? 19. 비행기가 언제 떠나요? (Bihaenggiga eonje tteonayo?) - When does the plane leave? 20. 시험이 언제예요? (Siheomi eonjeyeyo?) - When is the exam?
5. Why? - 왜? (Wae?)
"왜" is the Korean word for "why" and is used to inquire about reasons or causes.
Examples: 21. 왜 그렇게 말했어요? (Wae geureoke malhaesseoyo?) - Why did you say that? 22. 왜 늦었어요? (Wae neujeosseoyo?) - Why are you late? 23. 왜 울고 있어요? (Wae ulgo isseoyo?) - Why are you crying? 24. 왜 이 영화를 좋아해요? (Wae i yeonghwareul joahaeyo?) - Why do you like this movie? 25. 왜 학교에 안 갔어요? (Wae hakgyoe an gasseoyo?) - Why didn’t you go to school?
Combining Question Words for More Complex Questions
You can combine these question words with different verbs, nouns, and adjectives to create more complex sentences. Here are additional examples that mix the question words:
Examples: 26. 이 가방은 누구의 것이에요? (I gabangeun nugue geosiyeyo?) - Whose bag is this? 27. 내일 뭐 할 거예요? (Naeil mwo hal geoyeyo?) - What will you do tomorrow? 28. 영화관이 어디에 있어요? (Yeonghwagwani eodie isseoyo?) - Where is the movie theater? 29. 내일 저녁에 언제 만날까요? (Naeil jeonyeoge eonje mannalkkayo?) - When shall we meet tomorrow evening? 30. 왜 여기에 왔어요? (Wae yeogie wasseoyo?) - Why did you come here?
More Practice Sentences
To help you get more comfortable with these question words, here are additional sentences to practice:
Who (누구): 31. 이 편지를 쓴 사람은 누구야? (I pyeonjireul sseun sarameun nuguya?) - Who wrote this letter? 32. 오늘 가르칠 선생님은 누구예요? (Oneul gareuchil seonsaengnimeun nuguyeyo?) - Who is the teacher today?
What (무엇): 33. 주말에 뭐 할 거예요? (Jumare mwo hal geoyeyo?) - What will you do on the weekend? 34. 이거 뭐예요? (Igeo mwoyeyo?) - What is this?
Where (어디): 35. 친구들 어디에 있어요? (Chingudeul eodie isseoyo?) - Where are your friends? 36. 이 근처에 편의점이 어디에 있나요? (I geuncheoe pyeonuijeomi eodie innayo?) - Where is the convenience store around here?
When (언제): 37. 수업이 언제 끝나요? (Sueobi eonje kkeutnayo?) - When does the class end? 38. 기차가 언제 도착해요? (Gichaga eonje dochakhaeyo?) - When does the train arrive?
Why (왜): 39. 왜 그걸 사기로 했어요? (Wae geugeol sagiro haesseoyo?) - Why did you decide to buy that? 40. 왜 이렇게 피곤해 보여요? (Wae ireoke pigonhae boyeoyo?) - Why do you look so tired?
Additional Mixed Examples
Examples: 41. 이 책은 누구의 책인가요? (I chaegeun nuguui chaekingayo?) - Whose book is this? 42. 뭐 먹을까? (Mwo meogeulkka?) - What should we eat? 43. 내일 어디 갈 거예요? (Naeil eodi gal geoyeyo?) - Where are you going tomorrow? 44. 언제 집에 돌아올 거예요? (Eonje jibe doraol geoyeyo?) - When will you return home? 45. 왜 그 영화를 선택했어요? (Wae geu yeonghwareul seontaekhaesseoyo?) - Why did you choose that movie? 46. 누구랑 같이 갈 거예요? (Nugurang gachi gal geoyeyo?) - Who are you going with? 47. 뭐 사고 싶어요? (Mwo sago sipeoyo?) - What do you want to buy? 48. 어디에서 만나기로 했어요? (Eodieseo mannagiro haesseoyo?) - Where did you decide to meet? 49. 언제 시작할 거예요? (Eonje sijakhal geoyeyo?) - When will you start? 50. 왜 그 책을 읽고 싶어요? (Wae geu chaegeul ilkgo sipeoyo?) - Why do you want to read that book?
Conclusion
Mastering these basic Korean question words will significantly enhance your ability to communicate in Korean. Practice using "who," "what," "where," "when," and "why" in different contexts to become more comfortable with the language. The more you practice, the more natural it will become to form questions and engage in conversations.
Whether you’re a beginner or someone looking to brush up on your Korean skills, these examples will help you get one step closer to fluency.
By incorporating a variety of examples and focusing on key question words, this post is optimized for both learners and search engines, making it a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their Korean language skills.
