Negative Questions in Korean: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Form a negative question with 안, 못 and -지 않아요.
• Answer 안 먹어요? with 네 or 아니요 and the right verb.
• Explain why Korean 네 can mean "I do not."
• Recognise when a negative question is an invitation or a concern.
• Avoid the habit of translating English yes/no directly.

Before you start: you should know the short negatives 안 negation in Korean and basic yes/no questions from yes no questions in Korean. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Are Negative Questions in Korean?

Negative questions in Korean are yes/no questions built from a negative sentence. Korean makes a question by raising the pitch at the end of the sentence, so 안 먹어요. (I don't eat.) becomes 안 먹어요? (Don't you eat? / Aren't you eating?). No extra question word is needed.

Negative questions appear in everyday life: restaurants, shops and family conversation. They check a fact ("You're not eating?"), show concern ("Aren't you cold?") or invite someone ("Won't you come?").

Two First Examples

The Revised Romanization (RR) after each example is South Korea's official Latin spelling, and it is only a learning aid here.

• 커피 안 마셔요? (keopi an masyeoyo?) = "Don't you drink coffee?" The speaker checks whether you drink coffee.
• 내일 못 와요? (naeil mot wayo?) = "Can't you come tomorrow?" The speaker asks whether something blocks you.

Both questions use the same sentences you already know, and only the rising tone at the end changes. The question that matters is how to answer them.

How Do You Answer a Negative Question in Korean?

You answer a negative question by agreeing or disagreeing with the whole question. 네 (yes) means "what you said is right," and 아니요 (no) means "what you said is wrong." Then add the real answer in a short sentence so the listener is sure.

Take the question 커피 안 마셔요? ("You don't drink coffee?"). There are two true situations:

The English column shows the trap. English "No, I don't" answers the fact, so "no" goes with "not drinking." Korean answers the sentence, so 네 goes with "not drinking," because the question was already negative and you agree. The two languages give opposite yes/no words for the same situation.

The Simple Rule: Check the Question, Not the Fact

Check the question, not the fact. Ask yourself, "Is what the speaker said true?" If it is true, say 네 and repeat the statement. If it is false, say 아니요 and give the correct fact. Because this rule works for positive questions too, it is a single habit for all yes/no questions: 커피 마셔요? (Do you drink coffee?) is answered with 네, 마셔요 or 아니요, 안 마셔요.

Having the rule, the next section shows how to build negative questions of different types.

How Do You Form Negative Questions?

You form a negative question by taking any negative sentence and using rising intonation. The table shows the common types, each with its own sample sentence.

The table shows two points. First, nothing is added to the sentence except the rising tone. Second, the long form with 않다 carries a gentler, slightly more formal feel, and the honorific version 가지 않으세요? shows respect to an older listener. For past forms, see negative past tense in Korean, and for the verb 아니다, see 아니에요 not to be.

Once you can form the question, compare how positive and negative questions are answered.

How Do Positive and Negative Questions Get Different Answers?

Positive and negative questions use the same two answer words, but the verb that follows them differs. The comparison table uses one situation: you do not drink coffee. Only the question changes.

The final words of the answer, 안 마셔요, are the same in all four rows. Only the first word flips. This is the clearest way to see the logic: the first word judges the question, and the second part states your own fact.

A short exchange puts it together. A: 커피 안 마셔요? B: 네, 안 마셔요. 차를 좋아해요. (Right, I don't. I like tea.) The friend now knows two things: the assumption was right, and there is a preference for tea. Short follow-up facts like this make conversations smoother and prevent a second misunderstanding.

Worked Example: a Negative Question and Its Answer

Follow the steps in a short exchange. A friend asks, "You don't eat breakfast?"

1. Hear the question. 아침 안 먹어요? (achim an meogeoyo?) = "You don't eat breakfast?" The sentence contains 안, so it is a negative question.
2. Turn the question into a statement. Take away the rising tone: 아침 안 먹어요 = "You don't eat breakfast."
3. Check it against your life. Suppose it is true: you never eat breakfast. Then the statement is right.
4. Pick the word. The statement is right, so say 네.
5. Repeat the verb phrase. 네, 안 먹어요. (ne, an meogeoyo.) [네, 안 머거요] = "Right, I don't eat it."

Now suppose you do eat breakfast. The statement is wrong, so say 아니요 and give the real fact: 아니요, 먹어요. (aniyo, meogeoyo.) = "No, I do eat it."

You will know it worked when your first word agrees with the question and your second part repeats the verb. A common slip at step 4 is to choose the word by the English habit, so check the question's meaning, not your own situation. For broader practice with these two words, read answering yes or no questions in Korean.

The rule is clear for the question itself, but the meaning of the question changes with context.

Using Negative Questions: Invitation, Concern, Surprise

Use negative questions to check an assumption, to show concern or to invite someone politely. Context and tone decide which meaning you hear.

• Checking a fact. 점심 안 먹었어요? means "Didn't you eat lunch?" The speaker believed you ate and is surprised.
• Concern. 안 추워요? means "Aren't you cold?" The speaker cares about your comfort.
• Invitation. 같이 안 가요? means "Won't you come with me?" Here the question is a polite way to suggest something.
• Surprise. 배 안 고파요? means "Aren't you hungry?" and may express surprise that you are not eating.

The agreement rule holds for checking a fact, concern and surprise. An invitation bends it: 같이 안 가요? really means "Let's go together", so people answer the suggestion itself. 네, 같이 가요 ("Yes, let's go") accepts, and 죄송해요, 못 가요 ("Sorry, I can't") declines.

An honest limit: this lesson covers the standard agreement pattern taught in Korean classes. In fast, casual speech, or when a question is unclear, some speakers answer by the fact instead of by agreement. For that reason, careful speakers repeat the verb after 네 or 아니요. Long-form questions add a second wrinkle. 춥지 않아요? often means "It's cold, isn't it?", and then 네, 추워요 ("Yes, it is cold") is a natural reply, because it agrees with what the speaker assumes. If you hear a bare 네 or 아니요 to a negative question, check the next words before you decide what the person meant.

The patterns above help you recognise what a question is doing, and the mistakes below show where learners go wrong.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Negative Questions?

Learners most often pick 네 or 아니요 by English habit. Four mistakes are common.

1. Answering 안 가요? with 네, 가요. Learners often assume English "yes" means "I go." Actually, 네 agrees with the question, and the question says "you don't go." The sentence 네, 가요 contradicts itself. Say 네, 안 가요 or 아니요, 가요.
2. Using a bare 아니요. A lone 아니요 to a negative question means "no, that's wrong," so it can mean "I do." An English listener may take it as "no, I don't." Always add the verb.
3. Mixing up 아니요 and 아니에요. 아니요 is "no" as an answer. 아니에요 means "is not" or, as a reply to thanks or praise, "not at all." Use 아니요, 먹어요 to answer a question, not 아니에요, 먹어요.
4. Dropping the rising tone. Without the rising tone, 안 먹어요 is a statement ("I don't eat"), not a question. Pitch is the only signal, so keep it clear.

Use this check when you reply: is the question negative? Which word agrees with it? Did I repeat the verb? Practice turns the check into a reflex.

Practice and Answers

Try these four items. Cover the answers first.

1. Choose the answer. 책 안 읽어요? You do read books. Reply: ___ , 읽어요. (네 / 아니요)
2. Fix the error. A learner answers 내일 안 와요? ("Aren't you coming tomorrow?") with 네, 와요 while meaning "I am coming." Correct it.
3. Translate. "Don't you like spicy food?" Use 안 and 좋아해요.
4. Write your own. Write one negative question using 못, and write both possible answers.

Answer key

1. 아니요. The question says "you don't read books," which is wrong, so the reply is 아니요, 읽어요.
2. 아니요, 와요. (aniyo, wayo.) You disagree with "you aren't coming," so use 아니요. If you were not coming, the correct reply would be 네, 안 와요.
3. 매운 음식 안 좋아해요? (maeun eumsik an joahaeyo?) The word 안 goes before 좋아해요, because 좋아하다 is a single verb.
4. Answers vary. Example: 내일 못 가요? with 네, 못 가요 (Right, I can't go) and 아니요, 가요 (No, I can go). Check that 네 goes with the negative and 아니요 with the positive.

If your replies agree with the answer key, you have the main habit. The next lessons build on it.

Next Lessons after Negative Questions in Korean

After negative questions in Korean, learn the negative words that need a negative verb, then review the full set of 네 and 아니요 answers. This lesson covers the polite forms and the agreement rule. It does not cover tag questions (…, 그렇죠?) or indirect questions.

1. Continue with 아무도 아무것도 전혀 negative words, the next lesson in the set.
2. Revisit answering yes or no questions in Korean for the full range of replies.
3. Review the forms in 안 negation in Korean and negative past tense in Korean.
4. Look at general question forms in yes no questions in Korean.
5. Return to Korean negation to see every lesson in the set.

Try asking a friend three negative questions and answering three of your own. Once 네, 안 먹어요 stops feeling backwards, you have mastered negative questions in Korean.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 네 mean "I don't" after a negative question?

네 does not mean "I do" or "I don't". It means "you are right". After 안 먹어요? (aren't you eating?), the true statement is "I'm not eating", so you agree with the question and say 네, 안 먹어요. English "yes" would mean "I eat", which is the opposite.

Do Korean speakers answer like English speakers?

Sometimes, in fast speech or when the question is unclear, a speaker may answer by the fact instead of by agreement. That is why Korean speakers repeat the verb: 네, 안 먹어요 or 아니요, 먹어요. The repeated verb removes any doubt, so always include it, especially with strangers.

Does a negative question always ask for information?

No. A negative question often invites, suggests or shows surprise. 같이 안 가요? can mean "Won't you come with me?", and 안 추워요? can show concern, "Aren't you cold?". Tone and context tell you which meaning applies. For an invitation, people answer the suggestion itself, as in 네, 같이 가요.

How do I form a negative question with 이다?

Use 아니에요 with rising intonation: 학생이 아니에요? means "Aren't you a student?". The answers are 네, 학생이 아니에요 (right, I'm not a student) or 아니요, 학생이에요 (no, I am a student). Pair 아니에요 with its noun to keep the meaning clear.

Should I use the long form for negative questions?

Both work. 안 먹어요? is the common spoken form, and 먹지 않아요? is a little more formal and slightly gentler. Another option is 먹지 않으세요?, which adds respect for an older listener. The answers 네 and 아니요 follow the same agreement rule for all three.