What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 무슨 말이야? is composed of 무슨 (what/what kind of), 말 (speech/word) and 이야? (is it?).
Which one should you use?
Other forms exist depending on the level of respect. 무슨 소리야? is another casual expression used to mean "what are you talking about?", and 뭐라는 거야? is a casual expression meaning "what are you saying?" For formal contexts, 어떤 얘기를 하시는 건가요? is a polite and respectful way to ask the same question and 무슨 말씀을 하시는지 모르겠어요. can be used to mean "I don't understand what you're saying.".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For polite situations, use 무슨 말씀이세요? when speaking to someone older or in a higher social position to avoid sounding rude or confrontational.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 무슨 말이야? uses the informal ending -이야, which makes it a casual question.
How do you pronounce it?
museun mariya?
Did you know?
- While 말 means 'speech' or 'word' in this phrase, the same word 말 also means 'horse' in Korean.
- Using the polite form 무슨 말씀이세요? can function as a humble way to deflect a compliment, similar to saying 'You flatter me'.
- The word 무슨 was actually a linguistic mistake that became standard. It likely originated as a hypercorrection of the Middle Korean word 므슴, influenced by common grammatical patterns in determiners.
Examples in context
- 죄송합니다, 교수님이 어떤 내용인지 잘 모르겠어요.I'm sorry, I don't understand what the professor is talking about.
- 뭐라는 거야?What are you talking about?
- 갑자기 무슨 말이야?gapjagi museun mariya?What are you talking about all of a sudden?
- 정말 무슨 말이야?jeongmal museun mariya?What on earth are you talking about?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a confusing rumor.
- 수빈 Su-bin민준이가 갑자기 결혼한다고?minjuniga gapjagi gyeolhonhandago?Minjun is getting married all of a sudden?
- 민준 Min-jun수빈아, 무슨 말이야?subin-a, museun mariya?Subin, what are you talking about?
- 수빈 Su-bin그 소문 들었어?geu somun deureosseo?Did you hear that rumor?
- 민준 Min-jun아니, 전혀 몰랐어.ani, jeonhyeo mollasseo.No, I had no idea at all.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 무슨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
