🎯 Korean Extended Questions: Unlock the Power of Curiosity!
Imagine you’re a detective. Every time you ask a question, you open a door to a new clue. Korean gives you five magical keys to unlock any mystery!
🗝️ The Five Question Keys
Think of these question words like superhero tools. Each one has a special power:
| Key | Korean | Power | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔮 | 왜 | Discovers reasons | Why |
| 🛤️ | 어떻게 | Finds the path | How |
| 🔢 | 몇 | Counts things | How many |
| 💰 | 얼마 | Measures value | How much |
| 🎨 | 어떤/무슨 | Picks and chooses | Which/What kind |
🔮 왜 (wae) - The “WHY” Detective
The Story: Little 왜 is like that curious kid who never stops asking “Why? Why? Why?” It wants to know the reason behind everything!
How 왜 Works
Put 왜 at the start of your question to ask “why”:
왜 + action?
Real Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 왜 울어요? | Why are you crying? |
| 왜 늦었어요? | Why were you late? |
| 왜 좋아해요? | Why do you like it? |
| 왜 안 먹어요? | Why aren’t you eating? |
💡 Easy Memory Trick
왜 sounds like “Way?” - Like asking “What’s the way this happened?”
graph TD A["Something Happens"] --> B["You Wonder WHY"] B --> C["Ask: 왜...?"] C --> D["Get the Reason!"]
🛤️ 어떻게 (eotteoke) - The “HOW” Navigator
The Story: 어떻게 is your GPS! It shows you the path or method to do something. It answers “In what way?”
How 어떻게 Works
Put 어떻게 before the verb to ask “how”:
어떻게 + verb?
Real Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 어떻게 가요? | How do you go? |
| 어떻게 해요? | How do you do it? |
| 어떻게 만들어요? | How do you make it? |
| 어떻게 알았어요? | How did you know? |
💡 Easy Memory Trick
어떻게 sounds like “Oh, take-ay?” - Like asking someone to show you the way to take!
🎭 Fun Fact
Koreans often say just “어떻게!” by itself when surprised. It means “What do I do?!” or “Oh no!”
🔢 몇 (myeot) - The Counter
The Story: 몇 is like a little counting machine. It asks “How many?” for things you can count - apples, people, hours, years!
How 몇 Works
몇 needs a counter word after it:
몇 + counter + noun?
Common Counters with 몇
| Korean | Counter | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 몇 개 | 개 (gae) | How many things? |
| 몇 명 | 명 (myeong) | How many people? |
| 몇 살 | 살 (sal) | How old? (years of age) |
| 몇 시 | 시 (shi) | What time? (hour) |
Real Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 몇 살이에요? | How old are you? |
| 몇 시예요? | What time is it? |
| 사과 몇 개 있어요? | How many apples are there? |
| 친구가 몇 명이에요? | How many friends do you have? |
💡 Easy Memory Trick
몇 sounds like “Met” - Like “How many people have you MET?”
graph TD A["Want to Count?"] --> B["Use 몇"] B --> C["Add Counter Word"] C --> D["몇 살? 몇 개? 몇 명?"]
💰 얼마 (eolma) - The Price Tag
The Story: 얼마 is your wallet’s best friend! It asks about price or amount - things measured in money or uncountable amounts.
How 얼마 Works
Put 얼마 before 예요/이에요 to ask “how much”:
얼마예요? = How much is it?
Real Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 이거 얼마예요? | How much is this? |
| 전부 얼마예요? | How much is everything? |
| 커피 한 잔 얼마예요? | How much is one cup of coffee? |
| 얼마나 걸려요? | How long does it take? |
🌟 Special Combo: 얼마나
얼마나 = How much/How + adjective/verb
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 얼마나 멀어요? | How far is it? |
| 얼마나 자주 가요? | How often do you go? |
| 얼마나 좋아해요? | How much do you like it? |
💡 Easy Memory Trick
얼마 sounds like “All-ma” - “How much for ALL of it, Ma’am?”
🎨 어떤/무슨 (eotteon/museun) - The Choosers
The Story: These twins help you pick and choose! They ask “which one?” or “what kind?”
The Twin Difference
| Word | Use | Feeling |
|---|---|---|
| 어떤 | “What kind of” | More open, descriptive |
| 무슨 | “What” (specific) | More direct, expecting a clear answer |
How They Work
어떤/무슨 + noun?
Real Examples with 어떤
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 어떤 음식 좋아해요? | What kind of food do you like? |
| 어떤 색깔이에요? | What color is it? |
| 어떤 사람이에요? | What kind of person is he/she? |
Real Examples with 무슨
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 무슨 일이에요? | What’s the matter? |
| 무슨 요일이에요? | What day is it? |
| 무슨 뜻이에요? | What does it mean? |
💡 Easy Memory Trick
- 어떤 = “Oh-TONE” - Asking about the TONE or character of something
- 무슨 = “Moo-SOON” - What’s happening SOON/now?
graph TD A["Asking About a NOUN?"] --> B{Need Description?} B -->|Yes, what kind| C["Use 어떤"] B -->|Direct answer needed| D["Use 무슨"] C --> E["어떤 음식?"] D --> F["무슨 요일?"]
🎮 Quick Reference Chart
| Question Word | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 왜 | Why | 왜 가요? | Why are you going? |
| 어떻게 | How | 어떻게 해요? | How do I do it? |
| 몇 | How many | 몇 개요? | How many? |
| 얼마 | How much | 얼마예요? | How much is it? |
| 어떤 | What kind | 어떤 거요? | What kind? |
| 무슨 | What/Which | 무슨 일? | What’s up? |
🌈 Putting It All Together
Imagine you’re at a Korean market. Here’s how you’d use ALL five keys:
- 왜 이렇게 많아요? - Why is there so much?
- 어떻게 먹어요? - How do I eat it?
- 몇 개 드릴까요? - How many should I give you?
- 얼마예요? - How much is it?
- 어떤 거 맛있어요? - What kind is delicious?
- 무슨 과일이에요? - What fruit is this?
🎯 The Golden Rule
In English: Question word goes at the START In Korean: Question word goes in the MIDDLE (before the verb)
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Why do you go? | 왜 가요? |
| How do you do it? | 어떻게 해요? |
🏆 You Did It!
You now have five powerful keys to unlock any question in Korean:
- 🔮 왜 - Discover WHY things happen
- 🛤️ 어떻게 - Find HOW to do things
- 🔢 몇 - Count HOW MANY
- 💰 얼마 - Ask HOW MUCH
- 🎨 어떤/무슨 - Choose WHICH KIND
Each key opens new doors to Korean conversations. Keep asking, keep learning, and keep being curious!
“The art of asking questions is the art of learning.” - Now you have the Korean keys to unlock knowledge! 🗝️✨