무엇

Korean

Alternative forms

• 뭐 (mwo) (colloquially dominant form)

Etymology

Originally a contraction of Middle Korean 므스〮 (mùsú, “what”) + 것 (kès, “thing”).

First attested in the Sok samgang haengsildo jungganbon (續三綱行實圖 重刊本 / 속삼강행실도 중간본), 1581, as Middle Korean 므엇 (Yale: mues), also given as 무엇 (Yale: mwues) in the same work.

Also attested in the Sohak eonhae (小學諺解 / 소학언해), 1586, as Middle Korean 므섯 (Yale: muses). This is the more conservative form, although it happens to be attested slightly later.

Displaced equivalent Middle Korean pronouns 므스〮 (Yale: mùsú), 므슴〮 (Yale: mùsúm), 므슥〮 (Yale: mùsúk).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [muʌ̹t̚]

  • (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [무얻]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	mueot
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	mueos
McCune–Reischauer?	muŏt
Yale Romanization?	mues

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 무엇의 / 무엇에 / 무엇까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the first syllable, and lowers the pitch of subsequent suffixes.

Pronoun

무엇 • (mueot)

1. (interrogative pronoun) what - used in questions

   이게 뭐예요?

   ige mwoyeyo?

   What is this?

   뭐라고 했어요?

   mworago haesseoyo?

   What did [you] say?

2. something, anything

   무엇인가가 실제와 다른 것처럼 주장하거나 행동하다.

   mueosin'ga-ga silje-wa dareun geotcheoreom jujanghageona haengdonghada.

   to claim that or act as if something is different from what it actually is

   뭐 먹었어요?

   mwo meogeosseoyo?

   Have [you] eaten something?

Derived terms

• 무엇하다 (mueothada, “to be awkward, to be off (euphemistic)”)

References

• 이광호 (Yi Gwang-ho) (2009) “'므스'와 '므슥/므슴/므슷'의 의미특성 및 형태변화 [meuseu wa meuseuk/meuseum/meuseut ui uimiteukseong mit hyeongtaebyeonhwa]”, in Gugeo gungmunhak, volume 151, pages 35—57
• 장요한 (Jang Yo-han) (2013) “중세국어 의문사 '므스'류의 교체 양상과 단일화 [jungsegugeo uimunsa meuseu ryuui gyoche yangsanggwa danilhwa]”, in Eoneowa jeongbo sahoe, volume 20, pages 235—259