A short haired woman pointing somewhere

How To Say ‘Where’ In Korean

When learning a new language, even if you aren’t attempting to reach full fluency, there are pieces of vocabulary that absolutely should be learned. The word ‘where’ is one such word. Learning how to say ‘where’ in Korean will open so many doors to more vocabulary.

Today’s lesson will focus on how to say ‘where’ in Korean. Not only will it be explained to you briefly, but you will also be shown a lot of examples of the word in use. It is an easy word to learn and to remember, but also so important. Now, where shall we start?

A short haired woman pointing somewhere

‘Where’ in Korean

The word for where in Korean is 어디 (eodi). Its most typical variations are 어디에 (eodie), 어디로 (eodiro) and 어디에서 (eodieseo). 어디에 (eodie) is used when no movement happens. 어디로 (eodiro) is typically used for future tense. And 어디에서 (eodieseo) is usually the one used for past tense.

Additionally, the words 어디서나 (eodiseona) and 어디엔가 (eodienka) mean ‘anywhere’ in Korean. Similarly, the word ‘wherever’ translates to 어디에나 (eodiena) and 어디든지 (eodideunji) in Korean. You can use these words, especially 어디든지 (eodideunji), quite interchangeably. Lastly, 어디나 (eodina) is one way to say ‘everywhere’ in Korean.

Associations for ‘Where’ in Korean

To remember 어디 (eodi) we can use an image of the dog character from the Garfield comic strip, Odie.

Odie the dog running with his tongue out
Source: wikipedia.org

So to remember ‘where’ in Korean tell yourself the story: “No one knows where 어디 (Odie) is!”

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A word of caution about Romanization

While it is possible for you to study the words in this article simply by reading their romanized versions, it will come in handy for you to be able to read Hangeul if you ever wish to come to Korea. Hangeul is the Korean alphabet, and not difficult to learn. In fact, you can learn it in just 90 minutes.

After you’ve familiarized yourself with Hangeul, life in Korea will suddenly seem so much easier and the country won’t appear so foreign for you. So, if you’re serious about learning Korean, why not learn Hangeul today?

Sample Sentences

Sitting with a map

Formal:

어디에서 오셨어요? (eodieseo osyeosseoyo?)

Where are you from?

어디 사세요? (eodi saseyo?)

Where do you live?

실례하지만, 지하철역은 어디 있으세요? (sillyehajiman, jihacheolyeokeun eodi isseuseyo?)

Excuse me, where is the subway station?

Standard:

여행을 어디로 갈거에요? (yeohaengeul eodiro galgeoeyo?)

Where will you go for vacation?

어디가 아파요? (eodiga aphayo?)

Where does it hurt?

그런 것은 어디서나 찾을 수 있어요. (geureon geoseun eodiseona chajeul su isseoyo.)

You can find things like that anywhere.

Informal:

그 카페는 어디쪽 있어? (geu khapheneun eodijjok isseo?)

Where is that cafe located at?

내가 어디까지 이야기를 했지? (naega eodikkaji iyagireul haettji?)

Where was I?

발리에 있었을때 어디 가봤어? (Ballie isseosseulddae eodi gabwasseo?)

Where did you visit while in Bali?

어디서 볼까? (eodiseo bolkka?)

Where shall we meet?

어디에 가도 너를 생각할게. (eodie gado neoreul saengakhalke.)

Wherever I go, I’ll think of you.

Additionally, to help you with responding to this question with places that involve numbers, we have a full guide for you to learn all about Korean numbers.

So now that you know how to say ‘where’ in Korean, what phrase would you like to learn next? Let us know in the comments below!

Want more Korean phrases? Click here for a complete list!

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto

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