-냐
Casual Question Ending
-냐 is a casual question ending, similar to asking '...?' in English. It's used in informal speech (반말) with close friends.
How It Works
-냐 is a fundamental part of casual Korean speech (반말) for asking questions. Its usage depends on the type of stem it attaches to.
1. Adjective Stems
Attach -냐 directly to the stem, regardless of whether it ends in a vowel or a consonant.
- 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁘냐?
- 작다 (to be small) → 작냐?
2. Verb Stems
- For stems ending in a vowel, attach -냐 directly.
가다 (to go) → 가냐? - For stems ending in a consonant, the standard plain form, often seen in writing, is -느냐. However, in colloquial speech, it is almost always shortened to just -냐.
먹다 (to eat) → 먹느냐? (Standard/Written) / 먹냐? (Colloquial/Spoken)
3. Past Tense (-았/었-)
Attach -냐 directly to the past tense stem.
- 했다 (did) → 했냐?
- 먹었다 (ate) → 먹었냐?
4. Nouns (with 이다/아니다)
This has a special rule:
- Noun ending in a consonant + 이냐
학생이다 → 학생이냐? (Are you a student?) - Noun ending in a vowel + 냐
의사이다 → 의사냐? (Are you a doctor?) - For 아니다 (to not be), it becomes 아니냐?
아니다 → 아니냐? (Isn't it?)
Important Note on Politeness:
Using -냐 is strictly for informal situations. Using it with someone you should be polite to is considered rude. It's a core part of question formation in 반말.
Examples (5)
- 지금 뭐 하냐?
What are you doing now?
Word by Word: Now what do?
- 이 옷 예쁘냐?
Are these clothes pretty?
Word by Word: This clothes pretty?
-냐 attaches directly to the adjective stem 예쁘다.
- 어제 숙제 다 했냐?
Did you finish all your homework yesterday?
Word by Word: Yesterday homework all did?
-냐 attaches to the past tense form 했다.
- 저 사람이 네 동생이냐?
Is that person your younger sibling?
Word by Word: That person your younger sibling is?
For a noun ending in a consonant (동생), -이냐 is used.
- 점심 뭐 먹냐?
What are you eating for lunch?
Word by Word: Lunch what eat?
In spoken Korean, -냐 is commonly attached to consonant verb stems like 먹다.
Common Mistakes
Using -냐 in polite or formal situations.
Different Meaning사장님, 식사하셨냐?Better사장님, 식사하셨어요?-냐 is a very casual ending (반말). Using it with a superior like a boss (사장님) is very rude. You must use a polite ending like -요 or a formal one like -ㅂ/습니다.
Incorrectly attaching -냐 to nouns ending in a consonant.
Not Quite이거 네 책냐?Better이거 네 책이냐?When asking a question about a noun that ends in a consonant (like 책), you must use -이냐, not just -냐. -냐 is used for nouns ending in a vowel (e.g., 의사냐?).
Learn This First
To use this casual question ending, you need conjugation and question knowledge.
Related Patterns
- -나?Do You...? Is It...?
Both are casual question endings. However,
-나?often has a softer, more self-reflective nuance ('I wonder if...'), while-냐is a more direct question. For example, '비가 오나?' (I wonder if it's raining?) vs. '비 오냐?' (Is it raining?). - -지?Right?
Both are question endings, but
-지?is used to confirm something the speaker already assumes to be true, similar to '..., right?'.-냐is used to ask for new information. '춥지?' (It's cold, right?) vs. '춥냐?' (Are you cold?). - -아/어Informal Ending
Both are informal (반말) question forms. However, asking a question with a rising intonation on -아/어 (e.g., 밥 먹어?) is a softer, more common informal question form.
-냐is more direct and can sound more blunt. Both are used with close friends.