Question Formation in Korean

In Brief

Everyday polite Korean often turns a statement into a yes/no question without changing its words: 가요. “(Someone) is going” becomes 가요? “Are you going?” through context and question intonation. For information questions, put a question word such as 뭐 “what” or 어디 “where” where the answer would normally go: 어디 가요? “Where are you going?”

Overview

Question formation is an A1 skill that makes even a small Korean vocabulary immediately useful. Once you can make a sentence with the everyday polite -아/어요 style, you can usually ask a question with the same verb form. Korean does not add an auxiliary verb (a helper verb) equivalent to English do or did: 커피를 마셔요? can simply mean “Do you drink coffee?”

Korean sentences normally keep the predicate—the verb or description that completes the sentence—at the end. A question word does not normally move to the beginning as it often does in English. Compare English “What do you eat?” with Korean 뭐 먹어요?, whose order is closer to “what eat?” Subjects and objects are also frequently omitted when the situation makes them obvious.

There are two core types of question. A yes/no question asks whether something is true; 학생이에요? asks “Are you a student?” An information question asks for a missing person, thing, place, time, reason, or method; 어디 가요? asks for a destination. The beginner patterns are simple, while speech level, particles, and intonation add useful detail later.

How It Works

Yes/no questions in everyday polite Korean

With 해요체 (the common polite style ending in 요), a statement and its question generally use the same grammatical ending. In writing, the question mark shows the difference. In speech, a yes/no question commonly has a final rise, though real intonation varies with attitude and context.

Statement	Question	English question
학생이에요.	학생이에요?	Are you a student?
집에 가요.	집에 가요?	Are you going home?
커피를 마셔요.	커피를 마셔요?	Do you drink coffee?
시간이 있어요.	시간이 있어요?	Do you have time?
날씨가 좋아요.	날씨가 좋아요?	Is the weather good?

English tense and aspect may require several translations for one Korean form. 지금 밥 먹어요? is “Are you eating now?”, while 보통 아침 먹어요? is “Do you usually eat breakfast?” The time word and situation guide the meaning.

A negative sentence becomes a question in the same way:

• 안 가요? — Aren’t you going?
• 시간이 없어요? — Don’t you have time?
• 한국어를 못 해요? — Can’t you speak Korean?

Question words stay in the answer position

Think of an information question as a normal sentence with one part replaced by an unknown. The Korean question word normally occupies the same position as the expected answer.

Question	Possible answer	What stays in the same position?
어디 가요?	회사에 가요.	어디 → 회사에
언제 만나요?	토요일에 만나요.	언제 → 토요일에
뭐 먹어요?	비빔밥을 먹어요.	뭐 → 비빔밥을
누가 와요?	민수가 와요.	누가 → 민수가

This answer-position rule is more reliable than trying to copy English order. Korean can place a question word earlier for focus, but the predicate still normally comes last.

The essential question words

Form	Meaning	Typical use
뭐 / 무엇	what	things, actions, identities
누구	who	people
어디	where	place, destination, or origin
언제	when	time
왜	why	reason
어떻게	how	method or manner
몇	how many; what number	before a counter or unit
얼마	how much	price, amount, or degree
어떤	what kind of; which	directly before a noun
어느	which	choosing among a limited set

무엇 is the fuller form of “what.” 뭐 is its normal conversational contraction and is the best form for most beginner conversations. 무엇입니까? sounds formal; 뭐예요? is ordinary polite speech.

Add particles according to the question word’s role

A particle is a short marker attached to a noun-like word to show its job in the sentence. Question words can take the same particles as answers do.

Role	Question form	Example	Meaning
Subject	누가	누가 왔어요?	Who came?
Object	뭘 / 뭐를 / 무엇을	뭘 먹어요?	What are you eating?
Destination/time	어디에 / 언제	어디에 가요?	Where are you going?
Place of action	어디에서	어디에서 공부해요?	Where do you study?
Source/person contacted	누구한테	누구한테 전화해요?	Who are you calling?
Topic or contrast	누구는, etc.	누구는 가요?	Who, for their part, is going?

Two forms deserve special attention:

• 누구 + 가 → 누가, not 누구가: 누가 했어요? “Who did it?”
• 무엇 + 을 → 무엇을 → 뭘 in everyday speech: 뭘 사요? “What are you buying?” 뭐를 is also possible in conversation.

Particles are often dropped in casual conversation, so both 어디에 가요? and 어디 가요? are natural. Keeping the particle can make the role clearer. With location, 에 normally marks a destination or static location, while 에서 marks where an action takes place: 어디에 있어요? “Where is it?” but 어디에서 일해요? “Where do you work?”

Asking “what,” “which,” and “what kind of”

These English ideas do not map to one Korean word in every setting.

• 뭐 stands on its own: 뭐 좋아해요? “What do you like?”
• 무슨 + noun asks what sort/category or what: 무슨 일이에요? “What is the matter?”; 무슨 음악을 좋아해요? “What kind of music do you like?”
• 어떤 + noun asks about characteristics or kind: 어떤 사람이에요? “What kind of person are they?”
• 어느 + noun asks which one from a known range: 어느 나라에서 왔어요? “Which country are you from?”

For a beginner, learn these as whole frames rather than forcing every use of English what into 뭐.

Short questions are complete in context

Korean routinely leaves out information that both speakers understand. A single question word plus 요 can therefore be a polite response:

• 뭐예요? — What is it?
• 누구예요? — Who is it?
• 어디요? — Where? / Where did you say?
• 언제요? — When?
• 왜요? — Why?
• 얼마예요? — How much is it?

The 요 maintains everyday politeness. Bare 왜? or 뭐? is casual and can sound abrupt outside a close relationship.

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
이게 뭐예요?	What is this?	이게 is a conversational form related to 이것이.
누구예요?	Who is it?	The person is understood from context.
오늘 바빠요?	Are you busy today?	Yes/no question; no equivalent of English are is added.
어디 가요?	Where are you going?	The destination particle 에 is omitted naturally.
어디에서 만나요?	Where are we meeting?	에서 marks the place where meeting happens.
언제 한국에 왔어요?	When did you come to Korea?	Past 왔어요 makes the time frame explicit.
누가 전화했어요?	Who called?	누가 is the subject form of 누구.
누구하고 같이 가요?	Who are you going with?	-하고 means “with” here.
뭘 먹고 싶어요?	What do you want to eat?	뭘 is contracted from 무엇을.
왜 한국어를 공부해요?	Why do you study Korean?	왜 asks for a reason.
이거 어떻게 해요?	How do I do this?	A common request for instructions.
지금 몇 시예요?	What time is it now?	몇 comes before the unit 시.
이 책은 얼마예요?	How much is this book?	얼마 asks the price.
어떤 영화를 좋아해요?	What kind of movies do you like?	어떤 directly modifies 영화.
내일 비가 와요?	Is it going to rain tomorrow?	Context gives the future interpretation.

Common Mistakes

Adding an English-style helper verb

• Wrong: 하다 커피를 마셔요?
• Right: 커피를 마셔요?
• Why: Korean does not insert a word equivalent to English do/does to form this question. Keep the ordinary predicate at the end.

Moving every question word to the front

• Awkward for the intended neutral meaning: 뭐 민수 씨가 먹어요?
• Right: 민수 씨가 뭐 먹어요?
• Why: Put 뭐 where the unknown object belongs. Fronting can be possible for special focus, but it is not the beginner default.

Using 누구가

• Wrong: 누구가 왔어요?
• Right: 누가 왔어요?
• Why: 누구 combines irregularly with the subject particle 가 as 누가.

Confusing 어디에 and 어디에서

• Wrong: 어디에 공부해요?
• Right: 어디에서 공부해요?
• Why: Studying is an action performed at a place, so use 에서. Use 에 for a destination or location with patterns such as 어디에 가요? and 어디에 있어요?

Treating every English “what” as 뭐

• Wrong: 뭐 음식을 좋아해요? when asking about a kind of food
• Right: 무슨 음식을 좋아해요? or 어떤 음식을 좋아해요?
• Why: Before a noun, Korean often uses 무슨, 어떤, or 어느, depending on whether you ask about category, characteristics, or a choice.

Dropping 요 with someone you should address politely

• Risky: 왜?
• Polite: 왜요?
• Why: The bare form is casual. Use 요 with strangers, service staff, older people, and others with whom everyday polite speech is appropriate.

Usage Notes

Intonation does not work exactly like punctuation

A gentle final rise is a useful beginner cue for everyday yes/no questions. Information questions containing 누구, 뭐, or 왜 may have a less pronounced rise or even end lower in natural speech, because the question word already signals the question. Do not force every Korean question into an exaggerated upward pitch.

Intonation can also express surprise, confirmation, or disbelief. 진짜요? may be a neutral “Really?”, an excited response, or a doubtful echo depending on the speaker’s pitch and expression.

Politeness and formality are separate choices

The -아/어요 style is polite and suitable for most ordinary interactions. Close friends may remove 요: 어디 가? “Where are you going?” Formal settings use dedicated question endings:

Style	Statement	Question	Typical setting
Casual	가.	가?	close friends, younger family members
Everyday polite	가요.	가요?	most daily conversations
Formal polite	갑니다.	갑니까?	presentations, interviews, official interaction
Formal polite	먹습니다.	먹습니까?	presentations, interviews, official interaction

Do not form the formal question as 갑니다? when the standard formal interrogative 갑니까? is required. In actual conversation, speakers also use many other endings, but these three levels provide a sound foundation.

Subjects are often inferred

English usually requires a subject in “Are you busy?” Korean commonly says simply 바빠요? The relationship and situation identify who is meant. Repeating 당신 for English you is usually unnecessary and can sound unnatural or confrontational. A name or title is often better when clarification is needed: 선생님도 가요? “Are you going too, teacher?”

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following details at A1, but they explain patterns you will hear later.

Korean has many sentence endings that carry a particular questioning attitude. -(으)ㄹ까요? can make a suggestion or ask for an opinion—같이 갈까요? “Shall we go together?”—while -나요?/-(으)ㄴ가요? often gives a softer, curious tone. -지요?/죠? commonly seeks confirmation: 맛있죠? “It’s good, isn’t it?” These are not interchangeable decorations; each frames the speaker’s expectation differently.

Some question words can also form indefinite expressions, meaning an unspecified person or thing rather than a direct question. Depending on context, 누구 may mean “who” or “someone,” and 뭐 may mean “what” or “something.” Compare 누가 왔어요? “Who came?” with 누가 왔어요. “Someone came.” Intonation, particles, and the larger conversation resolve the meaning.

Answers to negative questions require attention. Korean 네 generally agrees with the truth of what was asked or said, rather than mechanically matching English yes. If 안 가요? means “Aren’t you going?”, a bare 네 can be confusing across languages. A full answer is safer: 네, 안 가요 “Right, I’m not going” or 아니요, 가요 “No, I am going.” Native usage can vary with how the question is understood, which is another reason to answer with the verb.

Finally, questions can be used rhetorically—that is, to make a point rather than request information—or as polite requests. 괜찮아요? literally asks whether something is all right, while 창문 좀 열어 줄 수 있어요? literally asks “Can you open the window for me?” but functions as a courteous request. The grammar is interrogative; the conversational purpose is broader.

Practice Tips

1. Convert statements aloud. Say pairs such as 집에 가요. → 집에 가요? and 학생이에요. → 학생이에요? Keep the words unchanged and practice a natural, modest rise for the yes/no question.
2. Replace the answer. Start with 토요일에 만나요 “We meet on Saturday,” replace 토요일에 with 언제, and say 언제 만나요? Repeat with a person, object, and place. This trains Korean answer-position word order.
3. Learn question frames as chunks. Useful daily frames include 뭐예요?, 어디 가요?, 몇 시예요?, 얼마예요?, and 어떻게 해요? Listen for whether speakers retain or omit particles, and copy the whole phrase rather than translating one word at a time.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Polite Ending -아/어요 — supplies the everyday polite forms used in the core question pattern.