Intonation changing the intention of an interrogative sentence (어디, 누구)

Hello!

You can ask many questions with 어디 or 누구. But did you know that intonation can change the meaning of the same question?
In Korean, an interrogative sentence normally ends with a rising intonation. However, with 어디 or 누구, depending on the speaker’s intention, this isn’t always the case.

→Ending the sentence with a flat tone (어디: interrogative pronoun)

A: 유진이 어디 갔니?
B: 화장실 갔어요. / 글쎄요… 모르겠는데요?

Here, A wants to know exactly where the person (유진) went. So it’s natural to answer by specifying the place.

Listen to the audio file

→Ending the sentence with a flat tone (누구: interrogative pronoun)

A: 아까 누구 왔어요?
B: 옆집 사는 사람 왔었어. / 택배 기사님이 왔었어. / 누가 왔는데, 제가 모르는 사람이었어요.

In this case, A is asking to know exactly who came. Giving a precise answer is appropriate.

Listen to the audio file

↗Ending the sentence with a rising tone (어디: indefinite pronoun)

A: 유진이 어디 갔니?
B: 네, 아까 나가더라고요. / 네, 어디 갔나 봐요. / 아니요, 저쪽 방에 있는데요?

Here, A just wants to check that the person (유진) has gone somewhere, without asking for details.

You may simply reply ‘yes’ or ‘no’ depending on the context, though more often, a slightly extended answer is provided.

Listen to the audio file

↗Ending the sentence with a rising tone (누구: indefinite pronoun)

A: 아까 누구 왔어요?
B: 응, 누가 잠깐 왔다 갔어. / 어, 시끄러웠지?

The question here serves to confirm that there was someone, without asking who it was.
A simple answer like ‘yes’ or ‘no’ works, but more often, a slightly extended answer is given.

Listen to the audio file

By keeping these points in mind, you’ll better understand the nuance of questions with 어디 and 누구, and be able to respond appropriately.


See you soon! 👋