How to Say "What For" in Korean

무엇 때문에

mueot ttaemune

In Korean, "what for" is expressed as 무엇 때문에 (mueot ttaemune).

The phrase is used to ask about the purpose or the reason behind an action or situation, literally meaning "because of what".

Meaning: for what purpose (adv)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of 무엇, which means "what" and 때문에, which means "because of" or "due to".

While 무엇 때문에 focuses specifically on the cause or the reason, the single word 왜 is a more common and direct way to ask "why".

You can use 무엇 때문에 as a standalone question or as a subordinate clause within a larger sentence.

mueot ttaemune

If you want to sound extremely blunt or even slightly confrontational, asking 'what for' using this phrase can highlight a sense of suspicion.
The word 무엇 was once a combination of 'what' and 'thing' in Middle Korean, appearing as a contraction of 므스 and 것.
In casual speech, Koreans often shorten 무엇 to 뭐, turning the phrase into 뭐 때문에, which is far more common in daily conversation.

선생님, 이 행사는 무엇을 위해 열리나요?
Teacher, what is this event for?
무엇 때문에 울어요?
Why are you crying? (lit. Because of what are you crying?)
무엇 때문에 울고 있어요?
mueot ttaemune ulgo isseoyo?
What are you crying for?
그는 무엇 때문에 화가 났나요?
geuneun mueot ttaemune hwaga nannayo?
What is he angry for?
무엇 때문에 이 일이 늦어졌나요?
mueot ttaemune i iri neujeojyeonnayo?
What is this work delayed for?

Minjun and Minji are talking about a new purchase.

민준 Min-jun

민지야, 그 책은 무엇 때문에 샀어?
Min-ji-ya, geu chaek-eun mu-eot ttae-mun-e sat-eo?
Minji, what for did you buy that book?
민지 Min-ji

다음 주 시험 공부하려고 샀어.
da-eum ju si-heom gong-bu-ha-ryeo-go sat-eo.
I bought it to study for next week's exam.
민준 Min-jun

아, 정말 어려운 책인데 괜찮겠어?
a, jeong-mal eo-ryeo-un chaek-in-de gwaen-chan-get-eo?
Ah, it's a really difficult book, will you be okay?
민지 Min-ji

응, 열심히 읽어 보려고.
eung, yeol-sim-hi il-geo bo-ryeo-go.
Yes, I'm going to try reading it hard.

Sources

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