-(으)ㄹ까 is a versatile ending that expresses wondering, deliberation, uncertainty, or suggestions. It can mean "I wonder if," "shall I/we," or "should I/we," depending on context.
Structure
Verb stem + -(으)ㄹ까(요)?
With vowel: -ㄹ까 With consonant: -을까
Meanings:
- I wonder if/whether (speculation)
- Shall I/we? (suggestion)
- Should I? (deliberation)
Conjugation Rules
Vowel Ending: -ㄹ까
Verbs ending in vowel:
- 가다 → 갈까? (shall I go? / I wonder if I should go)
- 오다 → 올까? (shall I come? / I wonder if they'll come)
- 하다 → 할까? (shall I do? / I wonder if I should do)
- 보다 → 볼까? (shall I see? / I wonder if I should look)
Consonant Ending: -을까
Verbs ending in consonant:
- 먹다 → 먹을까? (shall I eat?)
- 읽다 → 읽을까? (shall I read?)
- 듣다 → 들을까? (shall I listen?)
- 입다 → 입을까? (shall I wear?)
ㄹ Irregular
ㄹ drops before -ㄹ:
- 살다 → 살까? (shall I live? - NOT 살ㄹ까)
- 만들다 → 만들까? (shall I make?)
- 알다 → 알까? (I wonder if I know?)
Main Meanings
1. Making Suggestions (Shall we/I?)
Proposing actions:
- 같이 갈까요? (Shall we go together?)
- 뭐 먹을까요? (What shall we eat?)
- 영화 볼까요? (Shall we watch a movie?)
- 여기 앉을까요? (Shall we sit here?)
Nuance: Polite, gentle suggestion
Usage: Most common meaning in conversation
2. Wondering/Deliberating (I wonder)
Internal questioning:
- 갈까, 말까? (Should I go or not?)
- 살까, 말까? (Should I buy it or not?)
- 뭐 할까? (What should I do? / What shall I do?)
- 괜찮을까? (I wonder if it'll be okay?)
Nuance: Uncertainty, thinking aloud
3. Asking About Possibilities
Wondering if something might happen:
- 비가 올까? (I wonder if it'll rain?)
- 올까? (I wonder if they'll come?)
- 될까? (I wonder if it'll work?)
- 성공할까? (I wonder if it'll succeed?)
Politeness Levels
Casual: -(으)ㄹ까?
Informal contexts:
- 갈까? (Shall I/we go?)
- 먹을까? (Shall we eat?)
- 할까? (Shall I/we do?)
Polite: -(으)ㄹ까요?
Adding -요 for politeness:
- 갈까요? (Shall we go? - polite)
- 먹을까요? (Shall we eat? - polite)
- 할까요? (Shall we do? - polite)
Usage: Standard polite suggestion/question
Common Patterns
-(으)ㄹ까, 말까?
Should I or shouldn't I?:
- 갈까, 말까? (Should I go or not?)
- 살까, 말까? (Should I buy it or not?)
- 할까, 말까? (Should I do it or not?)
- 먹을까, 말까? (Should I eat or not?)
Usage: Expressing indecision
-(으)ㄹ까 봐
Worried that/afraid that:
- 늦을까 봐 걱정이에요 (I'm worried I'll be late)
- 비가 올까 봐 우산 가져갔어요 (I brought an umbrella afraid it might rain)
- 실패할까 봐 두려워요 (I'm afraid I'll fail)
Note: Different pattern, expressing worry
뭐/어디/언제 + -(으)ㄹ까?
Question word deliberation:
- 뭐 할까? (What shall I/we do?)
- 어디 갈까? (Where shall we go?)
- 언제 만날까? (When shall we meet?)
- 누구한테 물어볼까? (Who shall I ask?)
Tense Considerations
Future Implication
Always implies future:
- -(으)ㄹ까 naturally refers to future actions
- Even without explicit future markers
Examples:
- 내일 갈까요? (Shall we go tomorrow?)
- 지금 할까요? (Shall we do it now?)
No Past Form
Cannot use for past speculation:
- ❌ 갔을까? (Did they go? - incorrect for past speculation)
- ✓ Use -(으)ㄹ까 봐 for past worry only
With Different Subjects
First Person (I/We)
Self-deliberation or suggestion:
- 내가 갈까? (Shall I go?)
- 우리 먹을까? (Shall we eat?)
- 제가 할까요? (Shall I do it?)
Most common usage
Third Person
Wondering about others:
- 올까? (I wonder if they'll come?)
- 비가 올까? (I wonder if it'll rain?)
- 성공할까? (I wonder if they'll succeed?)
Usage: Speculation about others/things
Second Person (Rare)
Questioning listener's action:
- Less common with -(으)ㄹ까
- Usually use -(으)ㄹ래요? instead
Response Patterns
Agreeing to Suggestions
Positive responses:
- 네, 좋아요 (Yes, good)
- 그럽시다 (Let's do that)
- 그래요 (Okay)
- 좋은 생각이에요 (Good idea)
Declining Suggestions
Negative responses:
- 아니요, 괜찮아요 (No, it's okay)
- 다음에 해요 (Let's do it next time)
- 다른 거 할까요? (Shall we do something else?)
Making Plans Together
Suggesting Activities
Common social situations:
- 점심 먹을까요? (Shall we have lunch?)
- 커피 마실까요? (Shall we have coffee?)
- 산책할까요? (Shall we take a walk?)
- 영화 볼까요? (Shall we watch a movie?)
Choosing Options
Deciding together:
- A로 갈까요, B로 갈까요? (Shall we go to A or B?)
- 이거 살까요, 저거 살까요? (Shall we buy this or that?)
Self-Questioning
Thinking Aloud
Internal deliberation:
- 뭐 입을까? (What should I wear?)
- 어떻게 할까? (What should I do?)
- 누구한테 말할까? (Who should I tell?)
Can be rhetorical or expecting input
Offering Help
-(으)ㄹ까요? as Offer
Volunteering to do something:
- 도와드릴까요? (Shall I help you?)
- 창문 닫을까요? (Shall I close the window?)
- 불 켤까요? (Shall I turn on the light?)
- 가져다 드릴까요? (Shall I bring it for you?)
Nuance: Polite offer of assistance
Comparison with Similar Forms
-(으)ㄹ까요 vs -(으)ㄹ래요
-(으)ㄹ래요 (want to/will you):
- 갈래요? (Do you want to go? / Will you go?)
- Asking preference/intention
- More direct
-(으)ㄹ까요 (shall we):
- 갈까요? (Shall we go?)
- Suggesting together
- More inclusive
-(으)ㄹ까요 vs -(으)십시오
-(으)십시오 (please do - command):
- 가십시오 (Please go)
- Direct instruction
- Formal command
-(으)ㄹ까요 (shall we):
- 갈까요? (Shall we go?)
- Suggestion, not command
- Collaborative
-(으)ㄹ까 vs -(으)ㄹ지
-(으)ㄹ지 (whether):
- 갈지 모르겠어요 (I don't know whether I'll go)
- Embedded clause
- Cannot stand alone
-(으)ㄹ까 (wonder/shall):
- 갈까? (Shall I go? / I wonder if I should go)
- Can stand alone
- Question form
Expressing Doubt
Wondering About Outcomes
Uncertain predictions:
- 잘 될까? (I wonder if it'll go well?)
- 맞을까? (I wonder if it's right?)
- 통과할까? (I wonder if I'll pass?)
Tone: Doubtful, uncertain
Polite Requests (Indirect)
Softening Requests
Gentle asking:
- 창문 좀 열어 주실까요? (Could you open the window?)
- 도와주실까요? (Could you help me?)
Note: Adding -주시다 makes it more polite request
Common Expressions
어떻게 할까?
What should I do?:
- Common expression of uncertainty
- Asking for advice or thinking aloud
뭐 먹을까?
What shall we eat?:
- Very common daily question
- Deciding on food
어디 갈까?
Where shall we go?:
- Planning destinations
- Deciding on places
같이 갈까?
Shall we go together?:
- Inviting someone
- Suggesting joint action
Weather-Related Usage
Weather Speculation
Wondering about weather:
- 비가 올까? (I wonder if it'll rain?)
- 눈이 올까? (I wonder if it'll snow?)
- 날씨가 좋을까? (I wonder if the weather will be good?)
Summary Table
| Usage | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Suggestion | 갈까요? | Shall we go? |
| Deliberation | 갈까, 말까? | Should I go or not? |
| Wondering | 올까? | I wonder if they'll come? |
| Offer | 도와드릴까요? | Shall I help you? |
| Planning | 뭐 먹을까요? | What shall we eat? |
| Speculation | 될까? | I wonder if it'll work? |
Key Characteristics
-(으)ㄹ까(요) is used for:
- Making suggestions
- Expressing uncertainty
- Deliberating choices
- Offering help
- Wondering about possibilities
- Planning together
Remember:
- Always future-oriented
- Can be question to others or self
- Very common in daily conversation
- Polite with -요
- Cannot express past speculation