How to say "What does it mean?" in Korean
The natural way Koreans say "What does it mean?" — with the polite form, close alternatives, and audio for every line.
무슨 뜻이야?
museun tteusiya?
Literally: What meaning is it?
When to use it
The sentence that makes every other sentence learnable. Point at the word and say it.
Polite form
- 무슨 뜻이에요?museun tteusieyo?Use this with strangers, anyone older than you, and at work.
Other ways to say it
- 이거 뭐예요?igeo mwoyeyo?= What is this?For objects and dishes rather than words.
- 한국어로 뭐예요?hangugeoro mwoyeyo?= What is it in Korean?Point at something and ask. This is how you build vocabulary fastest.
- 어떻게 써요?eotteoke sseoyo?= How do you write it?Ask this next and you get the spelling too.
In a sentence
- 이 단어 무슨 뜻이에요?i daneo museun tteusieyo?What does this word mean?
- 이거 한국어로 뭐예요?igeo hangugeoro mwoyeyo?What is this called in Korean?
Practise this one. These phrases are in the phrase quiz — five rounds, no sign-up. Not reading Hangul yet? Start with the alphabet in 20 minutes.
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