뭐해?
The Korean phrase for "what are you doing?" is 뭐해?
뭐해? is frequently used as a casual way to start a conversation or check in on someone, similar to the English phrase "What's up?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
뭐해? is the banmal (informal) form used only with close friends, siblings or people younger than you. For speaking to people you are not close with or who are older than you, you should use the polite version 뭐 해요?, which adds the polite particle 요 to the end. In professional settings or when addressing someone of much higher social status, use the highly formal version 뭐 하십니까?
Did you know?
- In Korean, even if you are asking about someone's actions, you often omit the subject 'you' entirely. Including a pronoun like 'you' (너) in 뭐해? can actually make the sentence sound aggressive or confrontational.
- If you are texting a close friend, you might see 뭐해? written with extra consonants at the end, such as 뭐행?, to make the tone sound 'cute' or 'aegyo'.
- While 'what are you doing?' can be a literal question, in Korean texting culture, sending 뭐해? is often a way to signal that you are bored and want to chat, rather than a genuine inquiry into someone's activities.
Examples in context
- 안녕하세요? 지금 뭐 하고 계세요?Hello, what are you doing now?
- 안녕! 지금 뭐해?Hello! What are you doing now?
- 오늘 어때? 뭐하고 지내고 있어?How is it going today? What have you been up to?
- 지금 뭐해?jigeum mwohae?What are you doing right now?
- 집에서 뭐해?jibeoseo mwohae?What are you doing at home?
- 컴퓨터로 뭐해?keompyuteoro mwohae?What are you doing on the computer?
Example conversation
Subin calls Minjun on the phone to check on him.
- 수빈 Su-bin민준아, 뭐해?minjun-a, mwohae?Minjun, what are you doing?
- 민준 Min-jun그냥 영화 보고 있어.geunyang yeonghwa bogo isseo.I'm just watching a movie.
- 수빈 Su-bin재밌어?jaemisseo?Is it fun?
- 민준 Min-jun응, 진짜 재밌어.eung, jinjja jaemisseo.Yes, it's really fun.
