Korean · Greetings & Essentials
"How old are you?" in Korean: 몇 살이에요?
몇 살이에요?myeot sarieyo?
How old are you? in Korean is 몇 살이에요? (myeot sarieyo?). 몇 살이에요? is a direct polite age question; 나이가 어떻게 되세요? is more respectful and still personal.
How old are you?: starting the exchange
몇 살이에요? 저는 스무 살이에요.myeot sarieyo? jeoneun seumu sarieyo.
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How to pronounce 몇 살이에요?
Say it
myeot sarieyo?
/mjʌt̚ saɾiejo/
몇 살이에요? is read myeot sarieyo?. In 나이가 어떻게 되세요?, read the full phrase as naiga eotteoke doeseyo?.
"How old are you?" in Korean: quick reference
| Korean | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| 몇 살이에요?myeot sarieyo? | How old are you? The inventory form for how old are you?. | The inventory form for how old are you?. |
| 나이가 어떻게 되세요?naiga eotteoke doeseyo? | how old are you (respectful)? 몇 살이에요? is a direct polite age question; 나이가 어떻게 되세요? is more respectful and still personal. | 몇 살이에요? is a direct polite age question; 나이가 어떻게 되세요? is more respectful and still personal. |
How to use 몇 살이에요? in real life
- 1How old are you?: starting the exchange
몇 살이에요? 저는 스무 살이에요.
myeot sarieyo? jeoneun seumu sarieyo.
How old are you? I am twenty.
몇 살이에요? is a direct polite age question; 나이가 어떻게 되세요? is more respectful and still personal.
- 2How old are you?: adding useful context
아이들은 몇 살이에요?
aideureun myeot sarieyo?
How old are the children?
This sentence places 몇 살이에요? in a complete exchange.
- 3How old are you?: a different conversation
이 강아지는 몇 살이에요?
i gangajineun myeot sarieyo?
How old is this puppy?
This sentence places 몇 살이에요? in a complete exchange.
Mistakes English speakers make with 몇 살이에요?
Incorrect: 몇 살이예요? 저는 스무 살이에요.
Correct: 몇 살이에요? 저는 스무 살이에요.
When practicing how old are you, the standard copula spelling after a consonant is 이에요, not 이예요. The complete correction is 몇 살이에요? 저는 스무 살이에요.
Incorrect: 아이들은 몇 살이예요?
Correct: 아이들은 몇 살이에요?
When practicing how old are you, the standard copula spelling after a consonant is 이에요, not 이예요. The complete correction is 아이들은 몇 살이에요?
Good to know
몇 살이에요? is a direct polite age question; 나이가 어떻게 되세요? is more respectful and still personal.
Read this practice conversation aloud
Tutor-led greetings and essentials study exercise: two sentences with 몇 살이에요?
Partner
이 표현을 사용해서 한 문장 말해 볼까요?
i pyohyeoneul sayonghaeseo han munjang malhae bolkkayo?
Shall we say a sentence using this expression?
You
몇 살이에요? 저는 스무 살이에요.
myeot sarieyo? jeoneun seumu sarieyo.
How old are you? I am twenty.
Partner
좋아요. 다른 문장으로도 연습해 볼까요?
joayo. dareun munjangeurodo yeonseupae bolkkayo?
Good. Shall we practice with another sentence too?
You
아이들은 몇 살이에요?
aideureun myeot sarieyo?
How old are the children?
This is a sample dialogue for reading aloud. Try both parts, then replace a detail with one from your own life.
Explore ChatPal"How old are you?" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "How old are you?" in Korean
What does 몇 살이에요? mean?
How old are you? in Korean is 몇 살이에요? (myeot sarieyo?). 몇 살이에요? is a direct polite age question; 나이가 어떻게 되세요? is more respectful and still personal.
When should I say 나이가 어떻게 되세요??
몇 살이에요? is a direct polite age question; 나이가 어떻게 되세요? is more respectful and still personal.
How does 나이가 어떻게 되세요? differ from the basic expression?
나이가 어떻게 되세요? means “how old are you (respectful)?”. 몇 살이에요? is a direct polite age question; 나이가 어떻게 되세요? is more respectful and still personal.
Can I use 몇 살이에요? in a full sentence?
몇 살이에요? 저는 스무 살이에요. means “How old are you? I am twenty.” 몇 살이에요? is a direct polite age question; 나이가 어떻게 되세요? is more respectful and still personal.
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