어떻게 말해요
eotteoke malhaeyo
The Korean phrase for "how do you say" is 어떻게 말해요 (eotteoke malhaeyo).
You use this phrase to ask for the translation or pronunciation of a word or expression in another language. To ask how to say a specific object in another language, place the object 이것을 at the beginning and the target language with the particle ~로 in the middle.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 어떻게 (how) and 말해요 (say/speak).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For very professional settings or news broadcasts, use the formal version 어떻게 말합니까?, which uses the polite sentence ending -ㅂ니까 to show respect.
How does it change in a sentence?
When specifying the language used to say something, use the particle ~로 (e.g., 영어로 for 'in English').
How do you pronounce it?
eotteoke malhaeyo
Did you know?
- While 말해요 means 'say' or 'speak', the root 말 can also mean 'horse' or 'speech' depending on the context. If you change the tone or context, you could accidentally be talking about horses instead of languages.
- In Korea, it is common to avoid using 'you' directly. When asking 어떻게 말해요, the subject is omitted because specifying 'you' can sound overly aggressive or unnaturally direct in social interactions.
- While 어떻게 말해요 is a standard way to ask for a translation, a more natural way to ask a local 'How do you say this in Korean?' is 한국어로 뭐라고 해요? which literally asks 'What is it called in Korean?'
Examples in context
- 어떻게 말해요?How do you say it?This sentence is useful for asking how to say something generally.Tatoeba #3695258 by Queserasera, translation #3953908 by KoreanBeaver
- 이것을 영어로 어떻게 말해요?How do you say this in English?This sentence is useful for asking how to say a specific object in English.Tatoeba #13174341 by atitarev, translation #8677520 by alpucca
- 한국어로 어떻게 말해요?How do you say it in Korean?This sentence is useful for asking how to say something in Korean.Tatoeba #13192528 by atitarev, translation #13192529 by atitarev
- 어떻게 말합니까?How do you say "thank you" in Korean?
- 어떻게 말해?How do you say "I love you" in Korean?
Example conversation
In a classroom, a student is asking a teacher about a Korean word.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo선생님, 'apple'을 한국어로 어떻게 말해요?seonsaengnim, 'apple'eul hangug-eo-ro eotteoke malhaeyo?Teacher, how do you say 'apple' in Korean?
- 수빈 Su-bin'사과'라고 말해요.'sagwa'rago malhaeyo.You say 'sagwa'.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo아, 정말 감사합니다!a, jeongmal gamsahamnida!Ah, thank you very much!
- 수빈 Su-bin천만에요, 현우 씨.cheonmaneyo, hyeon-u ssi.You're welcome, Hyun-woo.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
