무슨 vs 어느 vs 어떤: Three Kinds of "What/Which"
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · How we write & review
After this page, you can ask "what," "which" or "what kind" with 무슨 (museun), 어느 (eoneu) or 어떤 (eotteon).
10-second answer
The short answer
All three sit before a noun and ask about it, but they ask DIFFERENT questions: 무슨 (museun) asks "what?" with no options in mind (무슨 영화 봤어? museun yeonghwa bwasseo? — what movie did you see?), 어느 (eoneu) asks "which one?" from a known, limited set (어느 나라 사람이에요? eoneu nara saramieyo? — which country are you from?), and 어떤 (eotteon) asks "what kind/sort?" about qualities (어떤 사람이에요? eotteon saramieyo? — what kind of person are they?).
Quick check — did that land?
1. "___ 나라 사람이에요?" (Which country are you from?) — which word fits?
Why does Korean need three different words for “what” and “which”?
Three-Way Comparison
| Word | Asks about | Options in mind? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 무슨 (museun) | Identity — "what?" | No — completely open | 무슨 일이에요? — What's going on? |
| 어느 (eoneu) | Selection — "which one?" | Yes — a known set | 어느 것이 좋아요? — Which one do you like? |
| 어떤 (eotteon) | Qualities — "what kind?" | Describes character | 어떤 음악 좋아해요? — What kind of music do you like? |
See also: Korean Question Words: 누구, 언제, 어디, 얼마나
Same Noun, Three Different Questions
무슨 커피 마셨어요?
museun keopi masyeosseoyo?
What coffee did you drink?
Open question — you have no idea what they drank.
어느 커피가 제 거예요?
eoneu keopiga je geoyeyo?
Which coffee is mine?
There are specific cups on the table — pick one from the set.
어떤 커피 좋아해요?
eotteon keopi joahaeyo?
What kind of coffee do you like?
Asking about taste/characteristics: strong? sweet? iced?
The Overlap Zone
In casual speech the lines blur — 무슨 and 어떤 especially get swapped without anyone blinking. The distinction matters most with 어느: using it signals "choose from these specific options," so 어느 나라 (which country), 어느 쪽 (which side/direction) are set phrases where 무슨 would sound off. These join the question-word family you've already met — 누구, 언제, 어디.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Using 무슨 for "which country"
Country is a known, finite set — 어느 나라 사람이에요? is the fixed, natural phrasing.
Mistake #2 — Translating all three as "which" and picking randomly
Ask yourself: identity (무슨), selection from a set (어느), or qualities (어떤)? The answer picks the word for you.
Mini Quiz
2. Which word asks about qualities or characteristics?
3. "무슨 일이에요?" is best translated as:
4. Match each question word to what it asks.
Related Knowledge
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The single most particle-revealing pair in beginner Korean — and the last of this confusing-pairs set.
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