Interrogative Pronouns - Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why

Category
Basic Grammar
Premium
Keyword #
누가, 언제, 어디, 어떻게, 뭐, 왜, 의문대명사
Lesson
33

TL;DR

  • Interrogative pronouns are question words like "who," "what," "when," "where," "how," and "why" in Korean 🤔
  • Each question word has a specific Korean equivalent: 누가 (who), 뭐/무엇 (what), 언제 (when), 어디 (where), 어떻게 (how), and 왜 (why) 📝
  • These words go in the same position as their answer would, and you add 요 at the end to make polite questions ✨

누가 (Who) 👤

누가 means "who" and is used when asking about people!
→ 누가 왔어요?
(Who came?)
→ 누가 선생님이에요?
(Who is the teacher?)

뭐 / 무엇 (What) 🤷

뭐 and 무엇 both mean "what" - they're interchangeable, but 뭐 is more casual and common in conversation 💬
→ 뭐 먹어요?
(What are you eating?)
→ 이게 뭐예요?
(What is this?)
→ 무엇을 좋아해요?
(What do you like?)

언제 (When) ⏰

언제 means "when" and is perfect for asking about time!
→ 언제 가요?
(When are you going?)
→ 언제 만나요?
(When shall we meet?)

어디 (Where) 📍

어디 means "where" and helps you ask about locations and places 🗺️
→ 어디 가요?
(Where are you going?)
→ 화장실이 어디예요?
(Where is the bathroom?)

어떻게 (How) 🛠️

어떻게 means "how" and is used to ask about methods or ways of doing things!
→ 어떻게 가요?
(How do you go?)
→ 이름이 어떻게 돼요?
(How do you spell your name? / What's your name?)

왜 (Why) ❓

왜 means "why" and is perfect for asking reasons!
→ 왜 울어요?
(Why are you crying?)
→ 왜 안 왔어요?
(Why didn't you come?)

Word Order Magic 🪄

Here's the beautiful part: these question words go exactly where the answer would go in the sentence!
Think of it like a fill-in-the-blank 📋
→ 누가 왔어요? → 친구가 왔어요.
(Who came? → My friend came.)
→ 뭐 먹어요? → 김치 먹어요.
(What are you eating? → I'm eating kimchi.)
→ 어디 가요? → 학교 가요.
(Where are you going? → I'm going to school.)
See the pattern? 🎯 The question word sits right where the answer belongs!

Quick Tips 💡

Adding 요 for politeness: Just stick 요 at the end of your question to make it polite and friendly! 😊
→ 누가 왔어? (casual)
→ 누가 왔어요? (polite)
Particles still apply: Question words can take particles just like regular nouns! 🎈
→ 누가 왔어요? (subject particle)
→ 누구를 만났어요? (object particle - note: 누가 becomes 누구 before 를/을)

Exceptions ⚠️

누가 vs 누구: When you need to add the object particle (를/을), "누가" changes to "누구" 🔄
→ 누구를 좋아해요?
(Who do you like?)
→ 누구한테 전화했어요?
(Who did you call?)
But as a subject, it stays as 누가:
→ 누가 전화했어요?
(Who called?)
 
Try the following exercise.
Fill in the blanks with the correct interrogative pronoun (누가, 뭐, 언제, 어디, 어떻게, 왜). 🤔
 
  • __ 한국어를 공부해요?
      • Answer
      누가
 
 
  • 이것은 __ 예요?
      • Answer
      뭐
 
 
  • __ 집에 가요?
      • Answer
      언제
 
 
  • 학교가 __ 있어요?
      • Answer
      어디
 
 
  • __ 김치를 만들어요?
      • Answer
      어떻게
 
 
  • __ 운동을 안 해요?
      • Answer
      왜
 
 
  • __ 친구를 만나요?
      • Answer
      누가
 
 
  • 오늘 __ 먹어요?
      • Answer
      뭐
 
 
  • __ 도서관에 가요?
      • Answer
      어디
 
 
  • __ 한글을 배워요?
      • Answer
      어떻게
Vocabulary
누가 - who
뭐 - what
언제 - when
어디 - where
어떻게 - how
왜 - why
한국어 - Korean language
공부하다 - to study
집 - home
가다 - to go
학교 - school
있다 - to be, to exist
김치 - kimchi
만들다 - to make
운동 - exercise
친구 - friend
만나다 - to meet
먹다 - to eat
도서관 - library
한글 - Korean alphabet
배우다 - to learn
Common mistakes
  • 🚫 Confusing 누가 (who as subject) with 누구 (who in general or after particles)
  • 🚫 Using 뭐 after particles — use 무엇 instead (e.g., 무엇을, 무엇이)
  • 🚫 Forgetting that 언제 doesn't require a time particle like 에
  • 🚫 Mixing up 어디 (where) with 어떻게 (how)