5W1H

5W1H - When, Where, Who, What, How and Why

Note: Please refer to Verbs - Present/Past for the spoken form of verbs.

When, where, who, what, how and why are very useful words to make a question and they are convenient to use in conversations with friends. Here are some simple sentences. You may hear these this pattern of the speech a lot from Korean dramas, animations, and people.

To show you how they are used, I've made simple sentences using the verb,"go".

• When: 언제 가? = When do you go? (Lit. when go?)
  
• Where: 어디 가? = Where do you go?
  
• Who: 누가 가? = Who is going?
  
• What: 뭐가 가? = What is going?
  
• How: 어떻게 가? = How do you go?
  
• Why: 왜 가? = Why do you go?

Note: The subject is usually omitted.

Eg.

• Sam: I will go to school.
• Jenny: 언제 가? [Here, it would mean 'When will you go?']

• Sam: Peter told me that we are going to a museum!
• Jenny: 언제 가? [When are we going?]

• 언제 와? = When do you come?
• 왜 쳐? = Why do you hit me?
• 왜 울어? = Why do you cry?
• 뭐 줘? = What do I give to you? or What do you give to me? [Depends on the context]

Honorific Form

While the spoken form above is used between close friends or when older people are talking to younger people in informal situations. The honorific form is used commonly between adults, by people in formal situations or when younger people are speaking to older people.

● Just add 요 at the end of a sentence.

• When: 언제 가요? = When do you go? (Lit. when go?)
  
• Where: 어디 가요? = Where do you go?
  
• Who: 누가 가요? = Who is going?
  
• What: 뭐가 가요? = What is going?
  
• How: 어떻게 가요? = How do you go?
  
• Why: 왜 가요? = Why do you go?
  

• 언제 와요? = When do you come?
• 왜 쳐요? = Why do you hit me?
• 왜 울어요? = Why do you cry?
• 뭐 줘요? = What do I give to you? or What do you give to me? [Depends on the context]