무슨 뜻이에요?
1036
What does it mean?
Phrase in 30 Seconds
The essential tool for any Korean learner to ask for definitions or clarify someone's intentions politely.
- Means: 'What does [this/that] mean?' in a polite, standard way.
- Used in: Classrooms, restaurants, or when a friend uses slang you don't know.
- Don't confuse: With '뭐예요?' which asks 'What is it?' rather than the meaning.
Explanation at your level:
意味
Asking for the meaning or interpretation of a word or phrase.
文化的背景
The concept of 'Nunchi' (social sensing) means that people often speak indirectly. Asking '무슨 뜻이에요?' can be a polite way to ask someone to be more direct without being rude. In KakaoTalk, young Koreans use many abbreviations (e.g., '별다줄' - meaning 'You shorten everything'). This phrase is used constantly by older generations or learners to keep up. In formal settings, the Sino-Korean word '{의미|意味}' is preferred over the native '뜻'. It sounds more intellectual and precise. A common trope is a character saying something romantic or cryptic, and the other character asking '무슨 뜻이에요?' while blushing, hoping for a confession.
Add '정확히' for precision
Say '정확히 무슨 뜻이에요?' (What does it mean exactly?) to sound more like a native speaker who wants a clear answer.
Watch your intonation
A rising intonation is a question. A falling, heavy intonation can sound like you are annoyed or challenging someone.
意味
Asking for the meaning or interpretation of a word or phrase.
Add '정확히' for precision
Say '정확히 무슨 뜻이에요?' (What does it mean exactly?) to sound more like a native speaker who wants a clear answer.
Watch your intonation
A rising intonation is a question. A falling, heavy intonation can sound like you are annoyed or challenging someone.
Don't be afraid to ask
Koreans generally appreciate it when learners ask for meanings; it shows you are paying attention to the details of their language.
Use with '말씀'
When asking an elder, say '무슨 말씀이세요?' to be extra respectful.
自分をテスト
Fill in the missing word to ask for the meaning of '사랑' (love).
'사랑'이 ____ 뜻이에요?
'무슨' is the correct modifier to use with '뜻' when asking for a general definition.
Which of the following is the most appropriate casual form to use with a close friend?
Choose the casual version:
Dropping '요' and adding '야' is the standard way to make this phrase casual (Banmal).
Complete the dialogue between a student and a teacher.
Student: 선생님, '경제'가 ____ ____? Teacher: 아, 경제는 'Economy'라는 뜻이에요.
The student is asking for the definition of a word, so '무슨 뜻이에요' is the correct fit.
Match the phrase to the correct situation.
Situation: You are shocked by a friend's sudden news.
In this context, '무슨 뜻이에요?' expresses disbelief or a request for clarification of intent.
🎉 スコア： /4
ビジュアル学習ツール
뭐예요? vs 무슨 뜻이에요?
よくある質問
10 問You can use it for both! Just point at the sentence or say the whole sentence followed by '무슨 뜻이에요?'.
No, it's not rude, but '어떤 {의미|意味}입니까?' sounds slightly more professional.
'뜻' is a native Korean word used in daily life. '{의미|意味}' is a Sino-Korean word used in more formal or abstract contexts.
You can say '지금 그게 무슨 뜻이에요?' with a sharp tone, or more aggressively, '지금 뭐라 그랬어요?' (What did you just say?).
Yes! Point at the sign and ask '저게 무슨 뜻이에요?'.
Because '뜻' ends in a consonant (받침), we use '이에요'.
In texting, people often just write '무슨 뜻?' or '뭔 뜻?'.
Not really. If you didn't hear them, say '다시 말씀해 주세요' (Please say it again). Use '무슨 뜻이에요?' if you heard the words but don't know what they mean.
Yes, it can also mean 'will' or 'intention', as in '뜻이 있는 곳에 길이 있다' (Where there is a will, there is a way).
Say '이 {한자|漢字}는 무슨 뜻이에요?'.
関連フレーズ
무슨 {의미|意味}예요?
similarWhat does it mean? (slightly more formal)
무슨 말이에요?
similarWhat are you saying?
설명해 주세요
builds onPlease explain it.
이해가 안 돼요
similarI don't understand.
다시 말씀해 주세요
relatedPlease say it again.
どこで使う？
At a Restaurant
Learner: 저기요, '공기밥'이 무슨 뜻이에요?
Waiter: 아, 그건 그냥 흰 쌀밥이에요.
Texting a Friend
Friend: 오늘 완전 '얼죽아'네 ㅋㅋㅋ
Learner: 얼죽아? 그게 무슨 뜻이야?
Friend: 얼어 죽어도 아이스 아메리카노라는 뜻이야!
In a Classroom
Student: 선생님, '경제'가 무슨 뜻이에요?
Teacher: 경제는 {Economy|經濟}라는 뜻이에요.
Watching a Drama
Character A: 우리 이제 그만하자.
Character B: 그게 무슨 뜻이에요? 헤어지자는 거예요?
Job Interview
Interviewer: 우리 회사의 인재상에 대해 어떻게 생각하시나요?
Applicant: 죄송하지만, '인재상'이 정확히 어떤 {의미|意味}입니까?
Reading a Webtoon
Reader: 이 대사가 무슨 뜻이에요? 이해가 안 돼요.
Commenter: 주인공이 화가 났다는 뜻이에요.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Museun' as 'Museum'. When you go to a museum, you ask 'What does this art mean?' -> Museun 뜻이에요?
Visual Association
Imagine a giant question mark (?) sitting inside a book. The book is titled 'TTEUS' (뜻). You are pointing at it with a confused face.
Rhyme
Don't be in a mess, just ask for the 'Tteus'!
Story
You are at a Korean restaurant. The menu says 'Bulgogi'. You know 'Bul' is fire, but what is the whole thing? You turn to the waiter, point at the word, and say '무슨 뜻이에요?'. He smiles and explains it's 'fire meat'. Now you've learned a word and got a meal!
Word Web
チャレンジ
Go to a Korean news site or Instagram post. Find one word you don't know. Type it into a translator, but before you look at the result, say '무슨 뜻이에요?' out loud three times.
In Other Languages
¿Qué significa?
Korean distinguishes between 'what kind of meaning' (무슨 뜻) and 'what is it' (뭐예요).
Que veut dire...?
French personifies the word/object as 'wanting' to say something.
Was bedeutet das?
German word order is more rigid than Korean's flexible spoken structure.
どういう意味ですか？
Japanese often uses 'imi' (Sino-Korean) where Korean might prefer the native '뜻'.
ماذا يعني هذا؟
Arabic is verb-centric; Korean is noun-centric in this phrase.
什么意思？
Chinese often omits the verb 'to be', whereas Korean usually includes '이에요'.
뭐라카노?
It is much more informal and can sound aggressive to non-dialect speakers.
O que isso significa?
Portuguese uses 'O que' (What) while Korean uses '무슨' (What kind of).
Easily Confused
Learners often use '뭐예요?' (What is it?) when they mean 'What does it mean?'.
Use '뭐예요?' for objects you can touch; use '무슨 뜻이에요?' for words or ideas.
Both start with '무슨' and are used in confusing situations.
'무슨 일' means 'What's happening?' or 'What's the matter?'.
よくある質問 (10)
You can use it for both! Just point at the sentence or say the whole sentence followed by '무슨 뜻이에요?'.
No, it's not rude, but '어떤 {의미|意味}입니까?' sounds slightly more professional.
'뜻' is a native Korean word used in daily life. '{의미|意味}' is a Sino-Korean word used in more formal or abstract contexts.
You can say '지금 그게 무슨 뜻이에요?' with a sharp tone, or more aggressively, '지금 뭐라 그랬어요?' (What did you just say?).
Yes! Point at the sign and ask '저게 무슨 뜻이에요?'.
Because '뜻' ends in a consonant (받침), we use '이에요'.
In texting, people often just write '무슨 뜻?' or '뭔 뜻?'.
Not really. If you didn't hear them, say '다시 말씀해 주세요' (Please say it again). Use '무슨 뜻이에요?' if you heard the words but don't know what they mean.
Yes, it can also mean 'will' or 'intention', as in '뜻이 있는 곳에 길이 있다' (Where there is a will, there is a way).
Say '이 {한자|漢字}는 무슨 뜻이에요?'.
