뭐 원해
mwo wonhae
The English phrase "you want something" is translated into Korean as 뭐 원해 (mwo wonhae).
This phrase is used as a question to ask someone what they desire or would like to have. You may also hear the phrase 갖고 싶어 used among friends to express something you want to have.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To make the phrase polite and suitable for speaking to people you are not close with or who are older than you, you can add the suffix '-요' to the end to say 뭐 원해요.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Korean, the subject "you" is often omitted when it is clear from the context that you are addressing the listener.
How do you pronounce it?
mwo wonhae
Did you know?
- In many social situations, instead of asking 뭐 원해 (what do you want), it is more culturally common to ask 뭐 먹을래? (what will you eat?), as offering food is the standard way to show care for someone's needs.
- The word 원하다 is frequently used in poetry and movie scripts to convey a deep, dramatic longing that goes beyond simple desire.
- In Korean, there is a strict grammatical divide between wanting a physical object and wanting to perform an action, requiring two entirely different verb structures.
Examples in context
- 회의 시간을 약간 늦추는 것을 부탁드립니다.Could you please push the meeting time back a little?
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Min-jun are at a cafe.
- 지은 Ji-eun민준, 뭐 원해?Min-jun, mwo won-hae?Min-jun, what do you want?
- 민준 Min-jun나는 아이스 커피 원해.na-neun a-i-seu keo-pi won-hae.I want an iced coffee.
- 지은 Ji-eun그럼 내가 살게.geu-reom nae-ga sal-ge.Then I will buy it for you.
- 민준 Min-jun정말 고마워, 지은아.jeong-mal go-ma-wo, Ji-eun-a.Thank you so much, Ji-eun.
