어디 (eodi) - Where | Korean Grammar Documentation

어디 means "where" in Korean. It's used to ask about location, direction, and places.

Basic Usage

Simple Questions

Asking about location:

어디예요? (Where is it?)
어디 가요? (Where are you going?)
어디 살아요? (Where do you live?)
어디 있어요? (Where is it?)

With Particles

Location At: 어디에/어디서

어디에 (where - location/destination):

어디에 있어요? (Where is it located?)
어디에 살아요? (Where do you live?)
어디에 갈 거예요? (Where will you go?)

어디서 (where - at/from location):

어디서 살아요? (Where do you live? - from where)
어디서 왔어요? (Where are you from?)
어디서 샀어요? (Where did you buy it?)
어디서 만날까요? (Where shall we meet?)

Note:

어디에 = destination/static location
어디서 = source/action location

Often Shortened

In casual speech, particles often dropped:

어디 가요? (Where are you going?)
어디 살아요? (Where do you live?)
어디 있어요? (Where is it?)

Direction: 어디로

Where...to (direction):

어디로 가요? (Where are you going? - which direction)
어디로 갈까요? (Which way shall we go?)
어디로 가야 해요? (Which way should I go?)

Difference:

어디 가요? = Where are you going? (general)
어디로 가요? = Which direction are you going? (emphasis on direction)

Which Location: 어디가

Where (as subject):

어디가 좋아요? (Which place is good?)
어디가 아파요? (Where does it hurt?)
어디가 문제예요? (What's the problem? / Where's the problem?)

Possessive: 어디의

Of where/whose place:

어디의 음식이에요? (What country's food is it? / Where is this food from?)
어디의 전통이에요? (What place's tradition is it?)

More naturally: 어디 음식 (where food)

이거 어디 음식이에요? (What country's food is this?)

Common Usage Patterns

Asking About Current Location

Where something/someone is now:

지금 어디예요? (Where are you now?)
어디 있어요? (Where is it?)
화장실이 어디예요? (Where is the bathroom?)
역이 어디예요? (Where is the station?)

Asking About Destination

Where someone is going:

어디 가요? (Where are you going?)
어디로 가요? (Which way are you going?)
어디 갈 거예요? (Where will you go?)

Asking About Origin

Where someone is from:

어디서 왔어요? (Where are you from?)
어디 출신이에요? (Where are you from? - hometown)
어디 사람이에요? (Where are you from? - which place's person)

Asking About Living Place

Where someone lives:

어디 살아요? (Where do you live?)
어디에 사세요? (Where do you live? - polite)
집이 어디예요? (Where is your house?)

Asking About Meeting Place

Where to meet:

어디서 만날까요? (Where shall we meet?)
어디에서 만날까요? (Where shall we meet?)
어디로 갈까요? (Where shall we go?)

Compound Forms

어디든지 (Anywhere)

Any place at all:

어디든지 좋아요 (Anywhere is fine)
어디든지 갈 수 있어요 (Can go anywhere)
어디든지 앉으세요 (Sit anywhere)

어딘가 (Somewhere)

Some place (not specific):

어딘가 가고 싶어요 (I want to go somewhere)
어딘가 있을 거예요 (It'll be somewhere)
어딘가에서 봤어요 (I saw it somewhere)

어디에도 (Nowhere - with negative)

Not...anywhere:

어디에도 없어요 (It's nowhere / Not anywhere)
어디에도 안 가요 (Not going anywhere)
어디에도 없었어요 (It wasn't anywhere)

Note: Requires negative verb

Politeness Levels

Casual (반말)

어디야? (Where is it?)
어디 가? (Where are you going?)
어디 살아? (Where do you live?)

Polite (해요체)

어디예요? (Where is it?)
어디 가요? (Where are you going?)
어디 살아요? (Where do you live?)

Formal (합니다체)

어디입니까? (Where is it?)
어디에 가십니까? (Where are you going?)
어디에 사십니까? (Where do you live?)

Common Expressions

Location Questions

화장실이 어디예요? (Where is the bathroom?)
역이 어디예요? (Where is the station?)
여기가 어디예요? (Where is this place?)
길을 잃었어요. 여기가 어디예요? (I'm lost. Where is this?)

Origin Questions

어디서 왔어요? (Where are you from?)
어디 출신이에요? (Where are you from?)
어디 사람이에요? (What place are you from?)

Activity Questions

어디 가요? (Where are you going?)
어디 다녀왔어요? (Where have you been?)
어디서 샀어요? (Where did you buy it?)
어디서 먹을까요? (Where shall we eat?)

Pain/Problem

어디가 아파요? (Where does it hurt?)
어디가 불편해요? (Where is uncomfortable?)
어디가 문제예요? (Where's the problem?)

Specific Contexts

At Restaurant

어디 앉을까요? (Where shall we sit?)
화장실이 어디예요? (Where is the bathroom?)

Getting Directions

역이 어디예요? (Where is the station?)
어디로 가야 해요? (Which way should I go?)
여기서 어디예요? (Where is it from here?)

Shopping

이거 어디서 샀어요? (Where did you buy this?)
어디서 팔아요? (Where do they sell it?)

Meeting

어디서 만날까요? (Where shall we meet?)
어디로 갈까요? (Where shall we go?)

Example Sentences

Location

지금 어디예요? (Where are you now?)
가방이 어디 있어요? (Where is the bag?)
우체국이 어디예요? (Where is the post office?)
여기가 어디예요? (Where is this place?)

Direction

학교 어디로 가요? (Which way do you go to school?)
어디로 가야 해요? (Which way should I go?)
이 길로 가면 어디예요? (Where does this road lead to?)

Origin

어디서 오셨어요? (Where are you from? - polite)
서울 어디 살아요? (Where in Seoul do you live?)
이 과일 어디서 왔어요? (Where did this fruit come from?)

Activities

주말에 어디 갔어요? (Where did you go on the weekend?)
휴가 때 어디 갈 거예요? (Where will you go for vacation?)
어디서 공부했어요? (Where did you study?)

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Asking Directions

A: 실례합니다. 역이 어디예요?
(Excuse me. Where is the station?)

B: 저기 보이는 건물이 역이에요.
(The building you see there is the station.)

Dialogue 2: Getting to Know Someone

A: 어디서 오셨어요?
(Where are you from?)

B: 캐나다에서 왔어요.
(I'm from Canada.)

A: 캐나다 어디에서 왔어요?
(Where in Canada are you from?)

B: 토론토에서 왔어요.
(I'm from Toronto.)

Dialogue 3: Making Plans

A: 점심 어디서 먹을까요?
(Where shall we eat lunch?)

B: 학교 근처 식당 어때요?
(How about a restaurant near school?)

A: 좋아요. 몇 시에 어디서 만날까요?
(Good. What time and where shall we meet?)

Dialogue 4: Lost Item

A: 제 가방 어디 있어요?
(Where is my bag?)

B: 의자 위에 있어요.
(It's on the chair.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 어디에서 가요?

Wrong particle for destination

✅ Correct: 어디 가요? or 어디로 가요?

No particle or 로 for destination

❌ Incorrect: 어디이에요?

Wrong combination

✅ Correct: 어디예요?

어디 + 예요

❌ Incorrect: 어디에도 있어요

Positive verb with 어디에도

✅ Correct: 어디에도 없어요

어디에도 requires negative

Usage Notes

어디에 vs 어디서

어디에 (destination/static location):

어디에 살아요? (Where do you live? - destination)
어디에 가요? (Where are you going?)

어디서 (source/action location):

어디서 왔어요? (Where are you from? - source)
어디서 샀어요? (Where did you buy it? - action location)
어디서 만날까요? (Where shall we meet? - action location)

Particle Often Dropped

Casual speech frequently omits particles:

어디 가요? (more common)
어디에 가요? (more precise)

Both correct, first more natural

어디로 Emphasis

어디로 emphasizes direction/route:

어디 가요? (Where are you going? - general)
어디로 가요? (Which direction/way are you going?)

Summary Table

Form	Meaning	Example
어디	Where (general)	어디 가요?
어디에	Where (location/to)	어디에 있어요?
어디서	Where (from/at)	어디서 왔어요?
어디로	Where (direction)	어디로 가요?
어디가	Which place (subject)	어디가 좋아요?
어디든지	Anywhere	어디든지 좋아요
어딘가	Somewhere	어딘가 가고 싶어요
어디에도	Nowhere (negative)	어디에도 없어요

Key Takeaways

✅ Particles matter: 어디에 (to/at), 어디서 (from/at), 어디로 (direction)
✅ Often dropped: Casual speech omits particles frequently
✅ Essential question word: Must know for navigation and directions
✅ 어디가 for pain: 어디가 아파요? (Where does it hurt?)
✅ Common combinations: 어디든지, 어딘가, 어디에도
✅ Context matters: Particle choice depends on verb and context

어디 is fundamental for asking about location in Korean. Master this question word and its particle combinations to ask about places, directions, and locations naturally in any situation.