Question words (Back to Grammar)
Words that ask for information: what, when, why, how, and how long. Combine them with the patterns above to ask real questions in conversation.
- 무슨 what kind of / what
Ask “what/which kind of” before a noun (무슨 요일, 무슨 책).
- 언제 when
Ask when something happens.
- 왜 why
Ask for a reason.
- 왜 안 why not / why don’t you
Ask why something is not happening, or gently suggest doing it.
- 어떻게 how
Ask how something is done or how someone is.
- 얼마나 how much / how long
Ask about amount or duration. Common: 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take?).
- 뭐예요 / 뭐 해요 what is it? vs what are you doing?
Two questions that look alike but use different verbs: 예요 (be) vs 해요 (do).