TOPIK · Level 271
15 words
Korean word
웬
Pronunciation
Romanizationwen
Meaning
- determinerwhat kind of
Example
어제 웬 사람이 왔어요?eo je wen sa ra mi wa sseo yo
What kind of person came yesterday?
More examples
웬일로 이렇게 일찍 왔어요?we nil lo i reo ke il jjik wa sseo yo
What brings you here so early?
Core concept
A surprised or puzzled reaction to the kind of person or thing being mentioned.
Common phrases
웬일we nil
what happened
웬 사람wen sa ram
what kind of person
웬 소리wen so ri
what kind of sound
Similar words
어떤eotteon: A determiner before a noun asking what kind or quality the noun has.
무슨museun: A determiner before a noun asking what subject, matter, or category is involved.
어느eoneu: A determiner before a noun asking for one choice within a familiar or implied range.
Definition in Korean
놀랍거나 의아한 마음을 담아 명사를 수식하여 '어떤'의 뜻을 나타내는 구어체 관형사.nol lap kkeo na ui a han ma eu meul ta ma myeong sa reul su si ka yeo eo tteon ui tteu seul na ta nae neun ku eo che kwan hyeong sa
Word origin
The exact historical origin is uncertain, so the word is best learned as a fixed colloquial determiner rather than through a guessed decomposition.
Usage tips
- English what kind of can sound neutral, but this word often shows that the speaker finds the person or thing unexpected.