무엇을 하고 계세요?
mueoseul hago gyeseyo?
What are you doing? (polite)
Phrase in 30 Seconds
A respectful way to ask someone what they are currently busy with in a formal or polite setting.
- Means: 'What are you doing?' (honorific version)
- Used in: Offices, speaking to elders, or with strangers
- Don't confuse: Never use this for yourself; it's only for others
Explanation at your level:
意味
A polite question asking about someone's current activity.
文化的背景
In Korea, hierarchy is determined by age and social rank. Using '계시다' is not just a choice; it's a social requirement. Failing to use it with an elder can be seen as a sign of poor upbringing. Korean offices are highly hierarchical. Even if you are close to your manager, you would typically use '무엇을 하고 계세요?' in front of others to maintain professional decorum. Modern Korean families are becoming more casual, but the 'Si' honorific remains strong. Children are taught to use honorifics with their parents and grandparents from a very young age. On KakaoTalk, '무엇을 하고 계세요?' is often shortened to '뭐 하고 계세요?' or '뭐 하세요?'. The full '무엇을' is seen as very formal and slightly stiff in text.
The 'Mwo' Shortcut
In 90% of spoken conversations, Koreans say '뭐' instead of '무엇을'. It sounds much more natural.
Self-Honorifics
Never use '계세요' when talking about yourself. It's the fastest way to sound like you're full of yourself!
意味
A polite question asking about someone's current activity.
The 'Mwo' Shortcut
In 90% of spoken conversations, Koreans say '뭐' instead of '무엇을'. It sounds much more natural.
Self-Honorifics
Never use '계세요' when talking about yourself. It's the fastest way to sound like you're full of yourself!
The 'Nunchi' Check
Use this phrase as a 'soft' way to see if someone is busy before asking for a favor. It's more polite than 'Are you busy?'.
Body Language
When asking this to an elder, a slight tilt of the head or a small bow makes the phrase feel even more authentic.
自分をテスト
Choose the most appropriate phrase to ask your boss what they are doing.
부장님, 지금 _______?
The honorific '계세요' is required for a superior like a '부장님' (Manager).
Fill in the blank with the correct honorific auxiliary verb.
할아버지께서 방에서 책을 읽고 _______.
When the subject is an elder (Grandfather), '계시다' must be used instead of '있다'.
Complete the dialogue between a student and a teacher.
학생: 선생님, 지금 무엇을 하고 계세요? 선생님: ________________.
The teacher should use the standard polite form '있어요' for themselves, not the honorific '계세요'.
Match the phrase to the correct social situation.
Match '무엇을 하고 계세요?' to the situation.
In a service environment, using honorifics for the customer is standard.
Match the formality level to the phrase.
Formality Matching
These represent the spectrum of Korean speech levels.
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よくある質問
10 問Yes, it is very common and respectful to use this with parents, especially if you want to show them extra respect.
'뭐 하세요?' is more general and can mean 'What do you do?'. '무엇을 하고 계세요?' specifically asks about the action happening right now.
It is polite, but if the person is much older or higher in rank, '계세요' is much better.
Yes, but it might feel a bit formal. '뭐 하고 계세요?' (without the '무엇을') is more common in texts.
Answer with '[Action] + 하고 있어요'. For example: '공부하고 있어요' (I am studying).
Yes, it's the safest way to ask a stranger what they are doing without being rude.
'계시다' is a special honorific word that replaces '있다' to show high respect to the subject.
Yes: '무엇을 하고 계셨어요?' (What were you doing?).
No, it would sound very strange. Use '뭐 해?' with children.
That's perfectly fine! In fact, dropping '을' is very common in spoken Korean.
関連フレーズ
뭐 하세요?
similarWhat are you doing? (Polite)
뭐 해?
informalWhat's up? / What are you doing?
식사하셨어요?
similarHave you eaten?
바쁘세요?
similarAre you busy?
무엇을 하십니까?
specialized formWhat are you doing? (Very formal)
どこで使う？
At the Office
Employee: 부장님, 무엇을 하고 계세요?
Manager: 아, 다음 주 회의 자료를 정리하고 있어요.
Visiting Grandparents
Grandchild: 할머니, 주방에서 무엇을 하고 계세요?
Grandmother: 우리 강아지 주려고 맛있는 전을 부치고 있단다.
In a Library
Student A: 실례지만, 그 책으로 무엇을 하고 계세요?
Student B: 아, 과제 때문에 자료를 찾고 있어요.
Phone Call with a Teacher
Student: 선생님, 안녕하세요. 지금 무엇을 하고 계세요?
Teacher: 안녕, 지금은 학생들 시험지를 채점하고 있어.
Meeting a Neighbor
Neighbor A: 안녕하세요! 마당에서 무엇을 하고 계세요?
Neighbor B: 꽃에 물을 좀 주고 있었어요.
At a Museum
Visitor: 큐레이터님, 이 작품 앞에서 무엇을 하고 계세요?
Curator: 작품의 상태를 점검하고 있는 중입니다.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Moo-eot' as 'Move what?'. You are asking someone 'What are you moving/doing?' in a very respectful way.
Visual Association
Imagine a young student bowing slightly while asking an old librarian what they are doing. The 'bow' is the '계시다' part of the sentence.
Rhyme
Moo-eot-eul ha-go, respect you show, Gye-se-yo is the way to go!
Story
You enter a room and see your boss (the 'King'). You can't just say 'What's up?'. You use 'Moo-eot' (What) + 'Ha-go' (Doing) + 'Gye-se-yo' (The King's version of 'is').
Word Web
チャレンジ
Try to say this phrase 5 times while imagining you are speaking to: 1. Your boss, 2. Your grandmother, 3. A famous actor, 4. A police officer, 5. Your teacher.
In Other Languages
何をしておられますか？
Japanese has multiple levels of honorifics (Sonkeigo/Kenjougo) that are even more complex than Korean.
您在做什么？
Chinese relies on pronouns for politeness, while Korean changes the verb ending.
¿Qué está haciendo usted?
Spanish doesn't have a special 'honorific' verb; it just uses a different conjugation of the standard verb.
Que faites-vous ?
French doesn't have a progressive 'doing' form as common as Korean's '-고 있다'. It often uses the simple present.
Was machen Sie gerade?
German verbs do not have an honorific form; politeness is strictly in the pronoun 'Sie'.
ماذا تفعل حضرتك؟
Arabic politeness is often more flowery and title-based than the grammatical verb endings of Korean.
O que o senhor está fazendo?
Like Spanish, it uses standard conjugations with formal titles.
What are you doing?
English lacks a built-in grammatical honorific system for verbs.
Easily Confused
Learners often think this only means 'What are you doing now?'.
It can also mean 'What is your job?' or 'What do you usually do?'. '-고 계세요' is specifically for the current moment.
Both use '계세요'.
'어디' means 'where', '무엇' means 'what'. One asks for location, the other for action.
よくある質問 (10)
Yes, it is very common and respectful to use this with parents, especially if you want to show them extra respect.
'뭐 하세요?' is more general and can mean 'What do you do?'. '무엇을 하고 계세요?' specifically asks about the action happening right now.
It is polite, but if the person is much older or higher in rank, '계세요' is much better.
Yes, but it might feel a bit formal. '뭐 하고 계세요?' (without the '무엇을') is more common in texts.
Answer with '[Action] + 하고 있어요'. For example: '공부하고 있어요' (I am studying).
Yes, it's the safest way to ask a stranger what they are doing without being rude.
'계시다' is a special honorific word that replaces '있다' to show high respect to the subject.
Yes: '무엇을 하고 계셨어요?' (What were you doing?).
No, it would sound very strange. Use '뭐 해?' with children.
That's perfectly fine! In fact, dropping '을' is very common in spoken Korean.
