무슨 뜻이에요?
museun tteusieyo?
The English phrase "what does it mean" is translated into Korean as 무슨 뜻이에요? (museun tteusieyo?)
You use this phrase to ask for the definition or the significance of a specific word or phrase.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 무슨 (what/what kind of), 뜻 (meaning) and 이에요? (is it?).
Which one should you use?
Use 무슨 뜻이에요? when asking for the definition of a word. If you are confused by what someone is actually saying or their intent, use 무슨 말이에요? instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes depending on your relationship with the listener. The form 무슨 뜻이에요? uses the polite ending -이에요, making it suitable for speaking to strangers, teachers or people older than you. To ask the same question to a close friend or someone younger, you can use the informal form 무슨 뜻이야? In very formal settings, such as a presentation or a news interview, the form 무슨 뜻입니까? is used.
How do you pronounce it?
museun tteusieyo?
Did you know?
- The word 무슨 in the phrase may actually be a linguistic 'mistake' that became standard. It likely originated as a hypercorrection of the Middle Korean word 므슴, influenced by the common grammatical pattern of adding the suffix '-은' to determiners.
- The word 뜻 is the same word used to describe 'intention' or 'will', meaning the phrase can sometimes carry a double meaning of 'What is your intention?' if the context is ambiguous.
- While 무슨 means 'what', it specifically functions as a determiner that must be followed by a noun like 뜻.
Examples in context
- 이 단어는 무슨 뜻이에요?i daneoneun museun tteusieyo?What does this word mean?
- 그 말은 무슨 뜻이에요?geu mareun museun tteusieyo?What does that expression mean?
- 이 표지판은 무슨 뜻이에요?i pyojipaneun museun tteusieyo?What does this sign mean?
Example conversation
Minjun asks Minji about a Korean word he saw in a book.
- 민준 Min-jun민지 씨, 이 글자는 무슨 뜻이에요?Minji ssi, i geuljaneun museun tteusieyo?Minji, what does this character mean?
- 민지 Min-ji그건 '사랑'이라는 뜻이에요.geugeon 'sarang'iraneun tteusieyo.It means 'love'.
- 민준 Min-jun아, 정말 예쁜 뜻이네요!a, jeongmal yeppeun tteusineyo!Ah, that is a really beautiful meaning!
- 민지 Min-ji맞아요, 민준 씨도 좋아할 거예요.majayo, Minjun ssi-do joahal geoyeyo.That's right, Minjun, you will like it too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 무슨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
