어떻게 말해요
eotteoke malhaeyo
In Korean, "how to say" is expressed as 어떻게 말해요 (eotteoke malhaeyo).
This phrase is used to ask for the correct way to express something in another language. To ask how to say a specific word, place the word followed by the object marker 을/를 before the phrase, such as [Noun]을/를 어떻게 말해요?
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?
The form 어떻게 말해요 uses the polite -해요 ending, making it suitable for use with strangers or in most social situations. For much more formal settings, you can use 한국어로 어떻게 말하나요? (How do you say it in Korean?) or 한국말로 어떻게 표현합니까? (How do you express it in Korean?). If you are speaking with close friends or people younger than you, you can use the informal version 한국말로 어떻게 말해?
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding a question mark and rising intonation turns the phrase into a direct question used to ask for a translation or expression.
How do you pronounce it?
eotteoke malhaeyo
Did you know?
- In Korean, the word 말 is used for both 'speech' and 'horse'. Depending on the context, a sentence about 'speaking' could be mistaken for a sentence about 'equines'.
- The word 말 in 말해요 is so central to Korean identity that the phrase 말문이 막히다 (one's speech-gate is blocked) is used to describe being speechless from shock.
- Korean has a specific word 말투 to describe a person's unique speaking style or tone, which cannot be fully captured by the English 'accent'.
Examples in context
- 한국어로 "thank you" 어떻게 말하나요?How do you say "thank you" in Korean?
- 한국말로 "delicious" 어떻게 표현합니까?How do you express "delicious" in Korean?
- 이거 한국어로 어떻게 말해요?igeo hangug-eoro eotteoke malhaeyo?How do you say this in Korean?
- 그 단어는 어떻게 말해요?geu daneoneun eotteoke malhaeyo?How do you say that word?
- 영어로는 어떻게 말해요?yeong-eoro-neun eotteoke malhaeyo?How do you say it in English?
Example conversation
Subin asks Hyunwoo for help with a Korean word.
- 수빈 Su-bin현우 씨, 'apple'을 한국어로 어떻게 말해요?Hyeon-u ssi, 'apple'-eul hangug-eoro eotteoke malhaeyo?Hyunwoo, how do you say 'apple' in Korean?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo사과라고 말해요.sagwa-rago malhaeyo.You say sagwa.
- 수빈 Su-bin사과요? 발음이 어려워요.sagwa-yo? bareumi eoryeowoyo.Sagwa? The pronunciation is difficult.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo천천히 다시 말해 보세요.cheoncheonhi dasi malhae boseyo.Try saying it again slowly.
