What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 왜 (why), 여기 (here) and 있어요 (to be/exist/stay).
Which one should you use?
For a more formal approach, you can use 왜 여기에 계십니까? To be polite when speaking to an elder or someone of higher social status, use the honorific form 왜 여기 계세요? For informal situations, you may use 왜 여기 있어? or the slightly different 여기 왜 왔어?, which asks "Why did you come here?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The formal version 왜 여기에 계십니까? is used in highly formal settings. The polite honorific form 왜 여기 계세요? is appropriate for elders or those of higher social status. The informal version 왜 여기 있어? is used with close friends or people younger than you.
How does it change in a sentence?
In natural Korean conversation, the subject "you" is typically omitted from this phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
Wae yeogi isseoyo?
Did you know?
- In Korean, the word 왜 (why) is a homophone for the Sino-Korean reading of the character 倭, which historically refers to 'Japan'.
- The honorific verb 계세요 used for elders is a 'suppletive' form of 있어요. This means it is a completely different word used to replace the original verb specifically to show respect to the subject.
- While English speakers always include the word 'you' in this question, Korean speakers almost always omit the subject. Including a word for 'you' can actually make the question sound aggressive or unnaturally confrontational.
Examples in context
- 회의가 있어서 왔어요.I came because I have a meeting.
- 친구를 만나러 왔어.I came to meet a friend.
- 왜 여기 있어요?wae yeogi isseoyo?Why are you here?
- 갑자기 왜 여기 있어요?gapjagi wae yeogi isseoyo?Why are you suddenly here?
- 혼자 왜 여기 있어요?honja wae yeogi isseoyo?Why are you here alone?
Example conversation
Seoyeon encounters Jihun at a library unexpectedly.
- 서연 Seo-yeon지훈 씨, 왜 여기 있어요?Jihun ssi, wae yeogi isseoyo?Jihun, why are you here?
- 지훈 Ji-hun공부하려고 왔어요.gongbuharyeogo wasseoyo.I came here to study.
- 서연 Seo-yeon그렇군요. 저도 공부할 거예요.geureokgunyo. jeodo gongbuhal geoyeyo.I see. I am going to study too.
- 지훈 Ji-hun그럼 같이 해요.geureom gachi haeyo.Then let's do it together.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 여기, 왜, CC BY-SA 4.0.
