“What Is Your Name?” In Korean | How To Ask And Answer (With PDF)

Just like in other languages, when you meet a Korean-speaking person for the first time it is common to ask “What is your name?” in Korean. In this short lesson, you will learn how to say “What is your name?” in Korean and how to answer this question. Below you’ll find the informal, polite, and formal ways to ask “What’s your name?” so that you can ask this common Korean greeting in various different situations.

How To Say “What Is Your Name?” In Korean

“What is your name?” in Korean is 이름이 뭐예요? [i-reum-i mwo-ye-yo]. This expression is made from the words 이름 [i-reum], which means name, 이 [i], which is a ‘subject marking particle’, 뭐 [mwo], which means ‘what’, and 예요 [ye-yo], which is an ending that means ‘equals to’. 이름이 뭐예요? [i-reum-i mwo-ye-yo] is the most common way to say “What’s your name?” in Korean.

There are of course different ways to say this expression but 이름이 뭐예요? [i-reum-i mwo-ye-yo] is a polite expression, so you can safely use it in the vast majority to situations and you will sound polite and respectful. If you want to learn the informal, polite, and formal ways to say “What is your name?” in Korean, then keep reading.

“What Is Your Name?” In Korean – Informal

The informal way to say “What is your name?” in Korean is 이름이 뭐야? [i-reum-i mwo-ya]. As this is an informal expression, it should only be used to ask “What is your name?” with people much younger than you, such as children.

“What Is Your Name?” In Korean – Polite

The polite way to say “What is your name?” in Korean is 이름이 뭐예요? [i-reum-i mwo-ye-yo]. As you can see, this expression ends in 요 which makes it polite. As this is a polite expression, you can use it in most situations to ask “What’s your name?” and you will sound polite.

“What Is Your Name?” In Korean – Formal

When you want to ask “What’s your name?” to people much older than you or in formal situations, such as business meetings, you should use the formal expression.

The formal way to say “What is your name?” in Korean is 성함이 어떻게 되세요? [seong-ham-i ei-tteo-ke doe-se-yo]. In this expression, the formal word for ‘name’ is used (성함) rather than 이름, and a formal ending is used, too.

How To Answer “What Is Your Name?” In Korean

If someone asks you “What is your name?” in Korean, then you are going to want to know how to answer this question. Here are the most common ways to answer when someone asks you what your name is. We have highlighted the name part so you can easily swap out the name with your name to say “My name is…” in Korean.

• 저는 수민이에요. [jeo-neun su-mi-ni-e-yo] = I’m Sumin.
• 저는 수민입니다. [jeo-neun su-mi-nim-ni-da] = I’m Sumin.
• 제 이름은 수민이에요. [je i-reu-meun su-mi-ni-e-yo] = My name is Sumin.
• 제 이름은 수민입니다. [je i-reu-meun su-mi-nim-ni-da] = My name is Sumin.

Download Lesson PDF

To help you learn how to ask and answer “What’s your name?” in Korean, feel free to download and print this free lesson PDF so you can study at your own pace.

Related Lessons

Thanks for reading. I hope you now have the confidence to go out and ask “What is your name?” in Korean and make lots of new Korean friends and acquaintances. Before you go, be sure to check out these related lessons:

Nice To Meet You In Korean
How Are You? In Korean
Popular Korean Names
Have A Nice Day In Korean