Korean · Greetings & Essentials
"What?" in Korean: 무엇
무엇mueot
What? in Korean is 무엇 (mueot). 무엇 is the full what pronoun; 뭐 is a common spoken contraction, and 무엇을 marks an object.
What?: starting the exchange
무엇을 찾으세요?mueoseul chajeuseyo?
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How to pronounce 무엇
Say it
mueot
/muʌt̚/
무엇 is read mueot. In 무엇을 원하세요?, read the full phrase as mueoseul wonhaseyo?.
"What?" in Korean: quick reference
| Korean | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| 무엇mueot | What? The inventory form for what?. | The inventory form for what?. |
| 무엇을 원하세요?mueoseul wonhaseyo? | what do you want? 무엇 is the full what pronoun; 뭐 is a common spoken contraction, and 무엇을 marks an object. | 무엇 is the full what pronoun; 뭐 is a common spoken contraction, and 무엇을 marks an object. |
How to use 무엇 in real life
- 1What?: starting the exchange
무엇을 찾으세요?
mueoseul chajeuseyo?
What are you looking for?
무엇 is the full what pronoun; 뭐 is a common spoken contraction, and 무엇을 marks an object.
- 2What?: adding useful context
이것은 무엇이에요?
igeoseun mueosieyo?
What is this?
This sentence places 무엇 in a complete exchange.
- 3What?: a different conversation
무엇 때문에 늦었어요?
mueot ttaemune neujeosseoyo?
What made you late?
This sentence places 무엇 in a complete exchange.
Mistakes English speakers make with 무엇
Incorrect: 무엇을 찾세요?
Correct: 무엇을 찾으세요?
When practicing what, after this consonant-final stem, retain the linking 으 in 으세요. The complete correction is 무엇을 찾으세요?
Incorrect: 이것은 무엇이예요?
Correct: 이것은 무엇이에요?
When practicing what, the standard copula spelling after a consonant is 이에요, not 이예요. The complete correction is 이것은 무엇이에요?
Good to know
무엇 is the full what pronoun; 뭐 is a common spoken contraction, and 무엇을 marks an object.
Read this practice conversation aloud
Tutor-led greetings and essentials study exercise: two sentences with 무엇
Partner
이 표현을 사용해서 한 문장 말해 볼까요?
i pyohyeoneul sayonghaeseo han munjang malhae bolkkayo?
Shall we say a sentence using this expression?
You
무엇을 찾으세요?
mueoseul chajeuseyo?
What are you looking for?
Partner
좋아요. 다른 문장으로도 연습해 볼까요?
joayo. dareun munjangeurodo yeonseupae bolkkayo?
Good. Shall we practice with another sentence too?
You
이것은 무엇이에요?
igeoseun mueosieyo?
What is this?
This is a sample dialogue for reading aloud. Try both parts, then replace a detail with one from your own life.
Explore ChatPal"What?" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "What?" in Korean
What does 무엇 mean?
What? in Korean is 무엇 (mueot). 무엇 is the full what pronoun; 뭐 is a common spoken contraction, and 무엇을 marks an object.
When should I say 무엇을 원하세요??
무엇 is the full what pronoun; 뭐 is a common spoken contraction, and 무엇을 marks an object.
How does 무엇을 원하세요? differ from the basic expression?
무엇을 원하세요? means “what do you want?”. 무엇 is the full what pronoun; 뭐 is a common spoken contraction, and 무엇을 marks an object.
Can I use 무엇 in a full sentence?
무엇을 찾으세요? means “What are you looking for?” 무엇 is the full what pronoun; 뭐 is a common spoken contraction, and 무엇을 marks an object.
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