어떻게 means "how" in Korean. It's used to ask about methods, manners, ways of doing things, and states/conditions.
Basic Usage
Simple Questions
Asking how to do something:
- 어떻게 해요? (How do you do it?)
- 어떻게 가요? (How do you go?)
- 어떻게 알았어요? (How did you know?)
- 어떻게 만들어요? (How do you make it?)
Common Usage Patterns
Asking About Methods
How to do something:
- 어떻게 해요? (How do you do it?)
- 어떻게 만들어요? (How do you make it?)
- 어떻게 써요? (How do you write/use it?)
- 어떻게 읽어요? (How do you read/pronounce it?)
- 어떻게 사용해요? (How do you use it?)
Asking About Transportation
How to get somewhere:
- 어떻게 가요? (How do you go?)
- 어떻게 와요? (How do you come?)
- 어떻게 갈 수 있어요? (How can I go?)
- 학교에 어떻게 가요? (How do you go to school?)
Asking About States/Conditions
How someone is/was:
- 어떻게 지내요? (How are you? / How have you been?)
- 어떻게 됐어요? (How did it turn out? / What happened?)
- 날씨가 어떻게 될까요? (How will the weather be?)
Asking for Discovery
How someone found out:
- 어떻게 알았어요? (How did you know?)
- 어떻게 찾았어요? (How did you find it?)
- 어떻게 만났어요? (How did you meet?)
Expressing Disbelief
How could...?:
- 어떻게 그럴 수 있어요? (How could that be?)
- 어떻게 이럴 수 있어요? (How can this be?)
- 어떻게 몰라요? (How do you not know?)
Common Expressions
Daily Greetings
- 어떻게 지내세요? (How are you? - polite)
- 어떻게 지내요? (How are you?)
- 어떻게 지냈어요? (How have you been?)
Methods and Instructions
- 어떻게 해요? (How do you do it?)
- 어떻게 가요? (How do you go?)
- 어떻게 만들어요? (How do you make it?)
- 어떻게 사용해요? (How do you use it?)
- 어떻게 열어요? (How do you open it?)
Asking for Explanation
- 어떻게 된 거예요? (What happened? / How did it turn out?)
- 어떻게 된 일이에요? (What's going on? / What happened?)
- 어떻게 그렇게 됐어요? (How did it become like that?)
Transportation
- 어떻게 갈까요? (How shall we go?)
- 어떻게 와요? (How do you come?)
- 어떻게 갈 수 있어요? (How can I go?)
- 버스로 어떻게 가요? (How do you go by bus?)
Politeness Levels
Casual (반말)
- 어떻게 해? (How do you do it?)
- 어떻게 가? (How do you go?)
- 어떻게 지내? (How are you?)
Polite (해요체)
- 어떻게 해요? (How do you do it?)
- 어떻게 가요? (How do you go?)
- 어떻게 지내요? (How are you?)
Formal (합니다체)
- 어떻게 합니까? (How do you do it?)
- 어떻게 가십니까? (How do you go?)
- 어떻게 지내십니까? (How are you?)
Related Forms
어떤 (What kind of)
Before nouns:
- 어떤 음식? (What kind of food?)
- 어떤 사람? (What kind of person?)
- 어떤 영화? (What kind of movie?)
Note: 어떤 ≠ 어떻게 (different usage)
어때요? (How is/How about)
Asking opinion or condition:
- 날씨가 어때요? (How's the weather?)
- 영화가 어때요? (How was the movie?)
- 커피 어때요? (How about coffee?)
어떡해요? (What should I do?)
Shortened from 어떻게 해요?:
- 어떡해요? (What should I do? / What to do?)
- 어떡하지? (What should I do? - casual)
Note: Common contraction in spoken Korean
Example Sentences
Methods
- 김치를 어떻게 만들어요? (How do you make kimchi?)
- 한국어를 어떻게 공부해요? (How do you study Korean?)
- 이 문제를 어떻게 풀어요? (How do you solve this problem?)
- 이 단어를 어떻게 읽어요? (How do you read this word?)
Transportation
- 학교에 어떻게 가요? (How do you go to school?)
- 서울에서 부산까지 어떻게 가요? (How do you go from Seoul to Busan?)
- 여기서 역까지 어떻게 가요? (How do you go from here to the station?)
Discovery
- 어떻게 알았어요? (How did you know?)
- 어떻게 찾았어요? (How did you find it?)
- 어떻게 그 소식을 들었어요? (How did you hear that news?)
Well-being
- 요즘 어떻게 지내요? (How are you these days?)
- 가족들은 어떻게 지내세요? (How is your family?)
- 한국 생활은 어떻게 지내요? (How is life in Korea?)
Disbelief
- 어떻게 이럴 수 있어요? (How can this be?)
- 어떻게 그럴 수 있어요? (How could that be?)
- 어떻게 그런 일이 일어났어요? (How did such a thing happen?)
Example Dialogues
Dialogue 1: Asking for Directions
A: 실례합니다. 시청까지 어떻게 가요?
(Excuse me. How do I go to City Hall?)
B: 지하철 2호선을 타세요.
(Take subway line 2.)
A: 여기서 역까지 어떻게 가요?
(How do I get to the station from here?)
B: 똑바로 가면 돼요.
(Just go straight.)
Dialogue 2: Greeting
A: 안녕하세요! 어떻게 지내세요?
(Hello! How are you?)
B: 잘 지내요. 당신은요?
(I'm doing well. And you?)
A: 저도 잘 지내요.
(I'm doing well too.)
Dialogue 3: Learning Something New
A: 이 단어를 어떻게 읽어요?
(How do you read this word?)
B: "김치"라고 읽어요.
(You read it as "kimchi.")
A: 감사합니다. 어떻게 쓰요?
(Thank you. How do you write it?)
Dialogue 4: Surprise
A: 시험에 합격했어요!
(I passed the exam!)
B: 정말요? 어떻게 그렇게 잘 했어요?
(Really? How did you do so well?)
A: 열심히 공부했어요.
(I studied hard.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 어떻게요?
Just "how?" without context - awkward
✅ Correct: 어떻게 해요? or 어떡해요?
Need verb or use contraction
❌ Incorrect: 어떻게이에요?
Wrong combination
✅ Correct: 어떻게예요? or 어때요?
Proper forms
❌ Incorrect: 어떻게에 가요?
Adding unnecessary particle
✅ Correct: 어떻게 가요?
No particle needed
Usage Notes
No Particles
어떻게 doesn't take particles:
- ✅ 어떻게 가요? (How do you go?)
- ❌ 어떻게로 가요? (Wrong)
Common Contractions
어떻게 해요 → 어떡해요:
- 어떡해요? (What should I do?)
- 어떡하지? (What should I do? - casual)
Very common in spoken Korean
어떻게 vs 어떤
어떻게 (how - adverb):
- 어떻게 해요? (How do you do it?)
어떤 (what kind - modifier):
- 어떤 음식? (What kind of food?)
Different functions
어떻게 vs 어때요
어떻게 (how - method):
- 어떻게 가요? (How do you go? - asking method)
어때요 (how is - condition/opinion):
- 날씨가 어때요? (How's the weather? - asking condition)
Answering "How" Questions
Method Explanations
Use connective forms:
- 어떻게 가요? → 버스를 타고 가요 (Go by taking the bus)
- 어떻게 만들어요? → 이렇게 만들어요 (Make it like this)
State Responses
Describe condition:
- 어떻게 지내요? → 잘 지내요 (I'm doing well)
- 어떻게 됐어요? → 잘 됐어요 (It turned out well)
Step-by-Step
Use sequential markers:
- 먼저... 그리고... 마지막으로... (First... Then... Finally...)
Summary Table
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 어떻게 | How (method) | 어떻게 해요? |
| 어떻게 지내요? | How are you? | 어떻게 지내세요? |
| 어떻게 가요? | How do you go? | 학교에 어떻게 가요? |
| 어떡해요? | What should I do? | 어떡해요? |
| 어때요? | How is/How about? | 날씨가 어때요? |
| 어떤 | What kind of | 어떤 음식? |
Key Takeaways
- ✅ Asks about method: How to do something
- ✅ Common greeting: 어떻게 지내요? (How are you?)
- ✅ No particles: Used alone without particles
- ✅ Common contraction: 어떻게 해요 → 어떡해요
- ✅ Different from 어떤: 어떻게 = how (adverb), 어떤 = what kind (modifier)
- ✅ Essential question word: Must know for instructions and methods
어떻게 is fundamental for asking about methods and manners in Korean. Master this question word to naturally ask for instructions, directions, and explanations about how things are done or how situations developed.