For autodidact students of Korean, "what" is 무엇 (mueot) in formal/written contexts and 뭐 (mwo) in spoken/casual contexts. 뭐 is the contracted form used in virtually all conversation. With particles: 무엇을/뭘 (what-OBJ), 무엇이/뭐가 (what-SUBJ), 무엇의/뭐의 (what-GEN). As an indefinite: 무언가 (mueonga) or 뭔가 (mwonga) means "something." 무슨 (museun) means "what kind of / which" before a noun: 무슨 일 (what work), 무슨 뜻 (what meaning).
Key Takeaways: - 무엇 (mueot): what — formal/written - 뭐 (mwo): what — casual spoken - 뭘 (mweol): what-OBJ — contracted 무엇을 - 뭐가 (mwoga): what-SUBJ - 무슨 (museun): what kind of / which — before nouns - 뭔가 (mwonga): something — indefinite
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20.1 뭐 (mwo) what 먹을래요 (meogeullaeyo) will-eat-POLITE？
20.2 무엇이 (mueosi) what-SUBJ 문제예요 (munje yeyo) problem-is-POLITE？
20.3 뭘 (mweol) what-OBJ 도와드릴까요 (dowadeurilkkayo) can-help-HON-POLITE？
20.4 무슨 (museun) what-kind 일이에요 (irieyo) work-is-POLITE？
20.5 뭐가 (mwoga) what-SUBJ 좋아요 (joayo) like-POLITE？
20.6 뭔가 (mwonga) something 이상해요 (isanghaeyo) strange-POLITE
20.7 지금 (jigeum) now 뭐 (mwo) what 해요 (haeyo) doing-POLITE？
20.8 무엇을 (mueoseul) what-OBJ 원하세요 (wonhaseyo) want-HON-POLITE？
20.9 뭐라도 (mworado) whatever 먹어야 (meogeoYA) must-eat 해요 (haeyo) POLITE
20.10 무슨 (museun) what 뜻이에요 (tteutieyo) meaning-is-POLITE？
20.11 뭐든 (mwodeon) whatever 좋아요 (joayo) fine-POLITE
20.12 뭐 (mwo) what 때문에 (ttaemune) because-of 왔어요 (wasseoyo) came-POLITE？
20.13 이게 (ige) this 뭔지 (mwonjji) what-QUOT 알아요 (arayo) know-POLITE？
20.14 뭐 (mwo) what 하고 (hago) do-CONJ 싶어요 (sipeoyo) want-POLITE？
20.15 무엇보다도 (mueotbodado) more-than-anything 건강이 (geongangi) health-SUBJ 중요해요 (jungnyohaeyo) important-POLITE
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20.1 뭐 먹을래요? "What would you like to eat?" 20.2 무엇이 문제예요? "What is the problem?" 20.3 뭘 도와드릴까요? "What can I help you with?" 20.4 무슨 일이에요? "What work / What's going on?" 20.5 뭐가 좋아요? "What do you like / Which is good?" 20.6 뭔가 이상해요. "Something is strange." 20.7 지금 뭐 해요? "What are you doing now?" 20.8 무엇을 원하세요? "What do you want?" 20.9 뭐라도 먹어야 해요. "You must eat something / anything." 20.10 무슨 뜻이에요? "What does it mean?" 20.11 뭐든 좋아요. "Whatever is fine." 20.12 뭐 때문에 왔어요? "Why did you come? / What brought you here?" 20.13 이게 뭔지 알아요? "Do you know what this is?" 20.14 뭐 하고 싶어요? "What do you want to do?" 20.15 무엇보다도 건강이 중요해요. "More than anything, health is important."
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20.1 뭐 먹을래요? 20.2 무엇이 문제예요? 20.3 뭘 도와드릴까요? 20.4 무슨 일이에요? 20.5 뭐가 좋아요? 20.6 뭔가 이상해요. 20.7 지금 뭐 해요? 20.8 무엇을 원하세요? 20.9 뭐라도 먹어야 해요. 20.10 무슨 뜻이에요? 20.11 뭐든 좋아요. 20.12 뭐 때문에 왔어요? 20.13 이게 뭔지 알아요? 20.14 뭐 하고 싶어요? 20.15 무엇보다도 건강이 중요해요.
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무엇 vs 뭐: 무엇 is the full form — formal writing, announcements, careful speech. 뭐 is the reduced form — all normal conversation. Treat 뭐 as the default and 무엇 as formal/written.
뭘 = 무엇을: The object form contracts: 무엇을 → 뭘. 뭘 먹었어요? (What did you eat?). This contraction is so natural that 무엇을 in speech sounds stilted.
무슨 — attributive "what kind of": 무슨 + noun = "what kind of / which ~": 무슨 음식 (what food), 무슨 일 (what work / what's going on), 무슨 뜻 (what meaning). 무슨 일이에요? — one of Korean's most versatile expressions, used for everything from "what's your job?" to "what's happening?"
뭐든 / 뭐라도 — "whatever / anything": 뭐든 좋아요 (anything is fine / whatever). 뭐라도 먹어야 해요 (must eat something / anything). These universalise 뭐 over all possibilities.
무엇보다도 — "more than anything": 무엇보다도 (more than anything) + noun is the grammar of ultimate priority: 무엇보다도 건강이 중요해요 (more than anything, health is important). A fixed expression of value ranking.
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무슨 일이에요? (What's going on?) — probably the most versatile two-word question in Korean. Used for: asking someone's profession, checking on a worried-looking friend, enquiring at a reception desk, responding to unexpected news, and introducing a conversation about a problem. The range of 무슨 일 reflects how central the concept of 일 (work/matter/thing) is to Korean social enquiry.
무엇보다도 건강이 중요해요 (more than anything, health is important) — said by Korean parents to children, by doctors to patients, by friends to friends. 무엇보다도 is the grammar of Korean health culture: health ranks above career success, financial achievement, and academic performance. The phrase is so common it functions almost as a proverb.
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황지우 (Hwang Jiu), 《새들도 세상을 뜨는구나》— Even Birds Leave the World, 1983
우리는 무엇을 향해 가는가.
F-A: Interlinear — 우리는 (urineun) we-TOPIC 무엇을 (mueoseul) what-OBJ 향해 (hyanghae) toward 가는가 (ganeunGA) going-QUESTION
F-B: Translation — "What are we heading toward?"
F-C: Original — 우리는 무엇을 향해 가는가.
F-D: Notes — 무엇을 향해 (toward what): 무엇 + 을 + 향하다 (head toward). The formal -가 question ending (literary/rhetorical) instead of -아요. Hwang Jiu wrote in response to the political violence of 1980; this rhetorical 무엇 has no answer — it is the question itself that matters.
F-E: Commentary — 무엇 in Korean poetry and philosophy is the question of direction and purpose. 무엇을 위해 (for what / for what purpose), 무엇을 향해 (toward what). The interrogative becomes existential when the answer is withheld. Learning 뭐 먹을래요 and 우리는 무엇을 향해 가는가 — these are the same word at opposite ends of the language's range.
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The eternal Korean conversation — every sentence a different shade of 뭐.
20.16 민준: 뭐 (mwo) what 먹을까 (meoggeulkka) shall-we-eat-INF？
20.17 지수: 몰라 (molla) don't-know-INF。뭐가 (mwoga) what-SUBJ 먹고 (meokgo) eat-CONJ 싶어 (sipeo) want-INF？
20.18 민준: 나는 (naneun) I-TOPIC 뭐든 (mwodeon) whatever 좋아 (joha) fine-INF
20.19 지수: 그게 (geuge) that-SUBJ 제일 (jeil) most 어려워 (eoryeowo) hard-INF！뭐라도 (mworado) at-least 말해봐 (malhaebwa) try-saying-INF
20.20 민준: 그럼 (geureum) then 삼겹살 (samgyeopsal) pork-belly 어때 (eottae) how-INF？
20.21 지수: 어제 (eoje) yesterday 먹었잖아 (meogeotjanha) ate-didn't-we-INF。다른 (dareun) other 거 (geo) thing 없어 (eopseo) not-have-INF？
20.22 민준: 그럼 (geureum) then 뭐가 (mwoga) what-SUBJ 좋아 (joha) good-INF？
20.23 지수: 무슨 (museun) what-kind 음식이든 (eumsigideun) food-whatever 괜찮은데 (gwaenchanheunde) okay-but 뭔가 (mwonga) something 새로운 (saeroun) new 거 (thing) thing 먹고 (meokgo) eat-CONJ 싶어 (sipeo) want-INF
20.24 민준: 그게 (geuge) that-SUBJ 뭔데 (mwoinde) what-is-INF？
20.25 지수: [웃으며] 나도 (nado) I-also 몰라 (molla) don't-know-INF！뭐가 (mwoga) what-SUBJ 생각나 (saenggnagna) comes-to-mind-INF？
20.26 민준: 아，무슨 (museun) what 식당이 (sikdangi) restaurant-SUBJ 새로 (saero) newly 생겼다고 (saenggyeottdago) opened-QUOT 했어 (haesseo) said-INF
20.27 지수: 뭐 (mwo) what 파는 (paneun) selling 식당이야 (sikdangiya) restaurant-is-INF？
20.28 민준: 뭔지 (mwonjji) what-QUOT 모르겠어 (moreugesseo) don't-know-INF。가서 (gaseo) going 보자 (boja) let's-see-INF！
20.29 지수: 뭐든 (mwodeon) whatever 팔면 (palmyeon) if-sell 우리가 (uriga) we-SUBJ 먹어줄게 (meogeojulge) will-eat-for-them-INF！
20.30 민준: 바로 (baro) exactly 그거야 (geugeonya) that's-it-INF！가자 (gaja) let's-go-INF！
20.16 「뭐 먹을까?」 "'What shall we eat?'" 20.17 「몰라. 뭐가 먹고 싶어?」 "'I don't know. What do you want to eat?'" 20.18 「나는 뭐든 좋아.」 "'I'm fine with anything.'" 20.19 「그게 제일 어려워! 뭐라도 말해봐.」 "'That's the hardest thing! At least say something.'" 20.20 「그럼 삼겹살 어때?」 "'Then how about samgyeopsal?'" 20.21 「어제 먹었잖아. 다른 거 없어?」 "'We had it yesterday, didn't we. Is there nothing else?'" 20.22 「그럼 뭐가 좋아?」 "'Then what would be good?'" 20.23 「무슨 음식이든 괜찮은데 뭔가 새로운 거 먹고 싶어.」 "'Any food is fine, but I want to eat something new.'" 20.24 「그게 뭔데?」 "'What is that?'" 20.25 「[웃으며] 나도 몰라! 뭐가 생각나?」 "'[laughing] I don't know either! What comes to mind?'" 20.26 「아, 무슨 식당이 새로 생겼다고 했어.」 "'Ah, there was talk of some restaurant that newly opened.'" 20.27 「뭐 파는 식당이야?」 "'What kind of restaurant is it?'" 20.28 「뭔지 모르겠어. 가서 보자!」 "'I don't know what it is. Let's go and see!'" 20.29 「뭐든 팔면 우리가 먹어줄게!」 "'Whatever they sell, we'll eat it!'" 20.30 「바로 그거야! 가자!」 "'Exactly! Let's go!'"
20.16 「뭐 먹을까?」 20.17 「몰라. 뭐가 먹고 싶어?」 20.18 「나는 뭐든 좋아.」 20.19 「그게 제일 어려워! 뭐라도 말해봐.」 20.20 「그럼 삼겹살 어때?」 20.21 「어제 먹었잖아. 다른 거 없어?」 20.22 「그럼 뭐가 좋아?」 20.23 「무슨 음식이든 괜찮은데 뭔가 새로운 거 먹고 싶어.」 20.24 「그게 뭔데?」 20.25 「[웃으며] 나도 몰라! 뭐가 생각나?」 20.26 「아, 무슨 식당이 새로 생겼다고 했어.」 20.27 「뭐 파는 식당이야?」 20.28 「뭔지 모르겠어. 가서 보자!」 20.29 「뭐든 팔면 우리가 먹어줄게!」 20.30 「바로 그거야! 가자!」
뭐 파는 식당 — "a restaurant that sells what": 뭐 + 파다 (sell) + 는 (present relative clause marker) + 식당 (restaurant) = "a restaurant that sells what / what kind of restaurant." The interrogative word moves into the middle of a relative clause, creating an embedded question noun phrase.
생겼다고 하다 — "it was said that [it] opened": 생기다 (come into being/open) + -다고 하다 (reported speech) = "it was said that [something] opened." The passive-inferential reporting that something new has appeared, as heard from someone else.
먹어줄게 — "I'll eat [for them]": 먹다 (eat) + 어 + 주다 (give — benefit) + -ㄹ게 (will, speaker's commitment). The -어 주다 construction: doing something for the benefit of another. 우리가 먹어줄게 (we'll eat for their sake / we'll support them by eating) — humorous expression of enthusiastic solidarity.
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뭐 (mwo) — IPA: /mwʌ/ — The ㅝ vowel: /wʌ/ = labialised + open-mid back. Quick glide from /w/ into /ʌ/. One mora.
무슨 (museun) — IPA: /mu.sɯn/ — Two syllables: /mu/ + /sɯn/. The ㅡ in 슨 is the close back unrounded /ɯ/. Final ㄴ is the alveolar nasal.
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