What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 무슨 (what/what kind of), 일 (matter/work/event) and 이야 (is/am/are in informal style).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To make the phrase polite and suitable for speaking to strangers or elders, you can add the suffix -에요 to the end, resulting in 무슨 일이에요? In formal situations, you may use 어떻게 되었나요? as a standard and polite way to ask what happened, 무슨 일이 생겼나요? to ask what happened or 어떤 일이 있었습니까? to politely ask what kind of events or incidents occurred. For casual settings, you might use 어떻게 됐어? to ask someone what happened or the expression 뭐야? 무슨 일 있었어? to mean "What's up? What happened?" Additionally, 일이 있었어? is an informal way to inquire about an incident or situation.
How does it change in a sentence?
While 무슨 일이야 asks about the current state of affairs, using the past tense form 무슨 일이 있었어? allows you to specifically ask about an event that has already concluded.
How do you pronounce it?
museun iriya
Did you know?
- The modern word 무슨 likely originated from a grammatical error known as hypercorrection, where speakers wrongly applied a common suffix to the Middle Korean word 므슴.
- When asking 'what happened' in a formal setting, the phrase 어떻게 되었나요? shifts the focus from 'what' to 'how', literally asking 'how did it become?'
- When asking 무슨 일이야 to express concern, the tone is often more important than the words. A rising intonation can sound curious, while a falling or soft tone conveys deep empathy.
Examples in context
- 저기 단체로 무슨 일이야?What happened to all those people?This sentence uses 무슨 일이야 to ask about a group of people.Tatoeba #8360532 by Eunhee, translation #3131476 by CK
- 무슨 일이야?Do you know what happened?This sentence uses 무슨 일이야 to ask if someone knows what happened.Tatoeba #1240298 by Brian255, translation #25167 by CK
- 갑자기 왜 울어? 무슨 일이야?gapjagi wae ul-eo? museun ir-iya?Why are you suddenly crying? What happened?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minji and Jihun meet in the hallway and Minji notices Jihun looks upset.
- 민지 Min-ji지훈아, 얼굴이 안 좋아 보여. 무슨 일이야?Jihun-a, eolgul-i an jo-a boyeo. museun ir-iya?Jihun, you don't look well. What happened?
- 지훈 Ji-hun그냥 조금 피곤해서 그래.Geunyang jogeum pigonhaeseo geurae.I'm just a little tired.
- 민지 Min-ji어제 잠을 못 잤어?Eoje jam-eul mot jasseo?Did you not sleep last night?
- 지훈 Ji-hun응, 조금 걱정되는 일이 있었어.Eung, jogeum geokjeongdoeneun ir-i isseosseo.Yeah, something slightly worrying happened.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 무슨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
