The seven are 누구 who, 뭐/무엇 what, 어디 where, 언제 when, 왜 why, 어떻게 how, and 얼마/몇 how much or how many. Korean questions require no rearrangement at all — the question word simply sits in the slot the answer would fill, and a yes/no question is made by raising your intonation and nothing else.
Korean questions are structurally easier than English ones. There is no do-support (“Do you like it?”), no auxiliary inversion (“Are you going?”), and no need to move the question word to the front. You keep the sentence exactly as it is and swap one word.
The Seven Question Words
| Korean | Romanisation | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 누구 | nugu | who | 누구예요? — Who is it? |
| 무엇 / 뭐 | mueot / mwo | what | 이게 뭐예요? — What is this? |
| 어디 | eodi | where | 어디에 가요? — Where are you going? |
| 언제 | eonje | when | 언제 왔어요? — When did you come? |
| 왜 | wae | why | 왜 그래요? — Why is that? |
| 어떻게 | eotteoke | how | 어떻게 해요? — How do you do it? |
| 얼마 / 몇 | eolma / myeot | how much / how many | 얼마예요? — How much is it? |
The Structure: Nothing Moves
In English, forming a question rearranges the sentence. In Korean, the question word simply occupies the slot the answer would occupy.
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| 학교에 가요. — I'm going to school. | 어디에 가요? — Where are you going? |
| 밥을 먹어요. — I'm eating rice. | 뭐 먹어요? — What are you eating? |
| 친구를 만나요. — I'm meeting a friend. | 누구를 만나요? — Who are you meeting? |
Yes/no questions need no words at all
- To ask a yes/no question in the polite –아요/–어요 style, just raise your intonation. The sentence does not change.
- 밥 먹어요. = “I'm eating.” · 밥 먹어요? = “Are you eating?”
- In writing, the question mark is the only difference. In speech, the pitch rise is the only difference.
The Traps
뭐 vs 무엇
Both mean “what.” 뭐 is the spoken contraction and is what you will hear almost all the time; 무엇 is the full written form. Note that 무엇 is pronounced mueot and its final ㅅ behaves as a stopped t — see the batchim rules.
누구 changes shape as a subject
“Who” is 누구, but when it takes the subject particle 가 it contracts to 누가, not 누구가.
- 누가 왔어요? — Who came? (subject)
- 누구를 만나요? — Who did you meet? (object)
얼마 vs 몇
얼마 is for price and uncountable amounts. 몇 is for counting things and always sits directly before a counter word.
- 얼마예요? — How much is it?
- 몇 명이에요? — How many people?
- 몇 시예요? — What time is it?
The same words also mean “some-”
This is the one that genuinely confuses learners. Korean question words double as indefinites, and only intonation tells them apart.
| Sentence | Rising pitch on the word | Flat pitch |
|---|---|---|
| 뭐 먹어요? | What are you eating? | Are you eating something? |
| 누가 왔어요? | Who came? | Did somebody come? |
| 어디 가요? | Where are you going? | Are you going somewhere? |
Written down, these pairs are identical. This is a good argument for doing listening practice early rather than treating it as an advanced skill — the distinction exists only in the audio.
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Open the free Hangul quizAsking Politely
Direct questions are fine among friends, but Korean has softer forms you will hear constantly from strangers and staff.
| Form | Feel | Example |
|---|---|---|
| –아요/–어요? | Neutral polite. Your default. | 어디에 가요? |
| –습니까?/–ㅂ니까? | Formal. Service, business, announcements. | 어디에 갑니까? |
| –지요? | Seeking agreement — “right?” | 한국 사람이지요? |
| 실례합니다만… | “Excuse me, but…” — softens anything | 실례합니다만, 어디에 가요? |
Prefacing a question with 저기요 (“um, excuse me”) or 실례합니다만 is close to mandatory when speaking to a stranger. Walking up and asking 어디에 가요? with no preface sounds abrupt.
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Learn Korean with Hanguljo - FreeFrequently asked questions
What are the question words in Korean?
누구 who, 뭐 or 무엇 what, 어디 where, 언제 when, 왜 why, 어떻게 how, and 얼마 how much or 몇 how many. Unlike English, they stay in the position the answer would occupy rather than moving to the front of the sentence.
How do you ask a yes or no question in Korean?
Just raise your intonation. In the polite –아요/–어요 style the sentence itself does not change: 밥 먹어요 said flat means I'm eating, and said with rising pitch means are you eating. In writing, only the question mark differs.
What is the difference between 뭐 and 무엇?
They mean the same thing. 뭐 is the spoken contraction you will hear almost all the time, and 무엇 is the fuller written form used in formal writing and on forms.
Why does 누구 become 누가?
누구 contracts with the subject particle 가 to form 누가. So 누가 왔어요 means who came, using it as the subject, while 누구를 만나요 means who are you meeting, using it as the object.
Why can the same Korean sentence be a question or a statement?
Korean question words double as indefinites, and only intonation separates them. 뭐 먹어요 with rising pitch on 뭐 means what are you eating, while the same words with flat pitch mean are you eating something. The distinction exists only in speech, which is a good reason to start listening practice early.
Keep reading
Korean Sentence Structure: The 5 Rules
Verb last, particles tag the nouns, modifiers in front - and why obvious words vanish.
Korean Particles Explained
은/는 vs 이/가, 을/를, 에 vs 에서 - what each tag actually does.
Korean Speech Levels: Formal vs Casual
When to use 습니다, 아요/어요 and 반말 without offending anyone.