그게 무슨 뜻이에요?
geuge museun tteusieyo?
In Korean, "what does that mean?" is expressed as 그게 무슨 뜻이에요? (geuge museun tteusieyo?)
This phrase is used to ask for the definition or the abstract meaning of something.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 그게 (that thing/it), 무슨 (what/what kind of), 뜻 (meaning) and 이에요? (is it?).
Which one should you use?
While 그게 무슨 뜻이에요? asks for the abstract meaning or definition of a concept, the phrase 그게 무슨 말이에요? refers to actual words spoken and is often used to express confusion regarding what someone just said or what they intended to communicate.
How does it change in a sentence?
The level of formality can be adjusted by changing the ending. Using the ending 이야 instead of 이에요 makes the phrase informal, which is used with friends or people younger than you. Using the ending 입니까 makes the question highly formal, which is suitable for business settings or official inquiries.
How do you pronounce it?
geuge museun tteusieyo?
Did you know?
- The word 무슨 is actually a result of a historical 'hypercorrection'. In the past, speakers likely added an extra consonant to the original word 므슴 to make it sound more grammatically 'correct' or formal, eventually leading to the modern version we use today.
- The word 뜻 for 'meaning' is also used in Korean to describe a person's strong will or determination to achieve a goal.
- The word 뜻 is a pure native Korean word, meaning it does not have Chinese character roots like many other high-level vocabulary terms in the language. This makes it a very fundamental part of the Korean linguistic identity.
Examples in context
- 그게 무슨 의미예요?What does that mean?
- 제가 마지못해 여쭈어 봅니다. 그게 어떤 뜻이에요?I have no choice but to ask. What does that mean?
- 다른 사람들이 얘기할 때 자주 나오는 그 표현, 그게 뭔데?What does that expression that frequently pops up in conversations mean?
- 그게 무슨 뜻이에요? 잘 모르겠어요.geuge museun tteusieyo? jal moreugesseoyo.What does that mean? I don't quite understand.
Example conversation
Dohyun is learning Korean from Seoyeon.
- 도현 Do-hyeon서연 씨, 이 문장은 그게 무슨 뜻이에요?Seoyeon ssi, i munjangeun geuge museun tteusieyo?Seoyeon, what does this sentence mean?
- 서연 Seo-yeon이건 '반가워요'라는 뜻이에요.igeon 'banggawoyo'raneun tteusieyo.This means 'nice to meet you'.
- 도현 Do-hyeon아, 그렇군요. 감사합니다!a, geureokunyo. gamsahamnida!Ah, I see. Thank you!
- 서연 Seo-yeon천만에요, 도현 씨.cheonmaneyo, Dohyun ssi.You're welcome, Dohyun.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 그게, 무슨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
