What Does 어떡해 (Eottoke) Mean in Korean?
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · Updated · How we write & review
After this page, you can cry 어떡해 (eottoke) when things go wrong, and stop mixing up its spelling with 어떻게.
10-second answer
What does Eottoke mean?
어떡해 (eottoke) means "What do I do?!" / "Oh no!" — the panicked or sympathetic cry you hear all over K-dramas. It's literally a contraction of 어떻게 해 (eotteoke hae, "how do [I] do?"), but it functions as an emotional exclamation more than a real question.
Quick check — did that land?
1. Which spelling completes the panicked cry: "___! 지갑 잃어버렸어!"
어떡해! It means Oh no, what do I do?
Quick Examples
어떡해! 나 폰 잃어버렸어!
eotteokae! na pon ireobeoryeosseo!
Oh no! I lost my phone!
어떡해... 너무 안됐다.
eotteokae... neomu andwaetda.
Oh no... I'm so sorry for them.
Sympathy at someone else's bad news.
나 어떡해, 내일 발표인데 준비 하나도 안 했어.
na eotteokae, naeil balpyoinde junbi hanado an haesseo.
What am I going to do — the presentation is tomorrow and I haven't prepared at all.
A note on spelling. The official romanization of 어떡해 is eotteokae, but you'll see the word written many ways: eottoke, eotoke, otoke, ottoke or eottokhae. They're all the same word.
See also: 제발 (jebal) — please, I'm begging
어떡해 vs 어떻게 — The Famous Spelling Confusion
Even Koreans mix these up in writing, and learners inevitably will too:
| Word | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 어떻게 (eotteoke) | Adverb: 'how' — needs a verb after it | 어떻게 가요? — How do I get there? |
| 어떡해 (eotteokae) | Contraction of 어떻게 해: 'what do I do?!' — a complete exclamation | 어떡해! — Oh no! |
Test: if it stands alone as a cry of panic, it's 어떡해. If 'how' modifies another verb (how to go, how to make), it's 어떻게. They sound nearly identical — spelling is where the difference shows.
Emotional Range
- Panic: your own crisis — 어떡해 어떡해!! (doubling = more panic)
- Sympathy: someone else's crisis — 어떡해... (falling tone, soft)
- Flustered delight: fangirl/fanboy overload — 어떡해 너무 잘생겼어 ('I can't, he's too handsome')
That last use surprises learners: overwhelming cuteness or excitement also triggers 어떡해 — being emotionally overwhelmed is the common thread.
어떡하지? — The Softer, Thinking-Out-Loud Version
어떡해 is a full-blown exclamation — the panic has already landed. 어떡하지? (eotteokaji), built on the same 어떻게 하다 root but with the -지 questioning ending, is quieter and more deliberative: someone genuinely turning a problem over in their head, closer to "what should I do..." than "oh no!" You'll hear it when a character is weighing options rather than reacting to a shock — 늦었는데 어떡하지? ("I'm late... what should I do?") sounds like someone actually thinking, while 늦었어! 어떡해! is pure alarm. Both are extremely common; the difference is whether the moment is still an open question in the speaker's mind or has already tipped into full emotional reaction.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Writing 어떻해
A hybrid misspelling that exists in neither word. It's 어떻게 (how) or 어떡해 (oh no) — never 어떻해.
Mistake #2 — Answering it literally
어떡해 usually isn't requesting instructions. The right response is sympathy (아이고, 어떡해...) or reassurance (괜찮아, 방법 있어) — not a to-do list.
Mini Quiz
2. "___ 가요?" (How do I get there?) — which word fits?
3. A fan sees their idol's new photos and types 어떡해ㅠㅠ. What are they feeling?
Related Knowledge
Learn Next
아이고, 어떡해 is the standard sympathy combo — you now know both halves.
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