키가 몇이에요?
The English phrase "how tall are you?" is translated into Korean as 키가 몇이에요?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 키가 몇이에요? literally translates to "How many (units) is your height?" and is composed of 키 (height), 가 (subject marker), 몇 (how many) and 이에요? (is it?). The word 어떻게 means "how" when used in the context of asking for height.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 키가 몇이야? is the casual or informal version used with close friends or people younger than you. For a formal way to ask how tall someone is, you can use 키가 어떻게 되세요?
Did you know?
- The word 키 refers specifically to the vertical height of a person. To describe the height of an object like a building or a mountain, Koreans use the word 높이 instead.
- Asking about height can be a sensitive social gesture in Korea due to strong cultural beauty standards. It is often more polite to compliment someone's height before asking for the specific number.
- While English speakers use 'how tall' to ask about height, Korean speakers often use the word 크다 (to be big/large) to describe a person's stature.
Examples in context
- 실례지만, 키가 몇이에요?sillyejiman, kiga myeosieyo?Excuse me, how tall are you?
- 그 모델은 키가 몇이에요?geu modeleun kiga myeosieyo?How tall is that model?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new basketball player.
- 지은 Ji-eun그 선수는 키가 몇이에요?geu seonsuneun kiga myeosieyo?How tall is that player?
- 도현 Do-hyeon정확히는 모르지만, 아주 커요.jeonghwakheunin moreujiman, aju keoyo.I don't know exactly, but he is very tall.
- 지은 Ji-eun도현 씨는 키가 몇이에요?Dohyeon ssineun kiga myeosieyo?Dohyeon, how tall are you?
- 도현 Do-hyeon저는 180센티미터예요.jeoneun baek palssip sentimiteoyeyo.I am 180 centimeters.
