-냐고 하다 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Report a yes/no question or a wh-question.
• Choose between -냐고, -(으)냐고 and (이)냐고.
• Report the past and the future.
• Shift pronouns and use the right speech verb, 묻다 or 하다.
• Tell it apart from -(느)ㄴ다고 하다, -(으)ㄴ/는지 and -니까.

Before you start: you should know how to find a verb stem (drop 다 from the dictionary form) and how to report a statement with -(느)ㄴ다고 하다. If stems are new to you, read about verb stems first. For the styles of speech, see Korean speech levels. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does -냐고 하다 Grammar Mean?

-냐고 하다 grammar means "(someone) asks whether..." or "(someone) asks what, where, who..." It is built from two parts. The first is the plain-style question ending -냐 (as in 가냐? "are you going?"), plus the quoting particle 고, which marks the words as a report. The second is a speech verb, usually 묻다 ("to ask") or 하다 ("to say"). Together, 가냐고 묻다 means "to ask whether (someone) goes."

Here are the first two examples. The pattern is the same in both, and only the verb changes.

• 친구가 어디 가냐고 물었어요. (chinguga eodi ganyago mureosseoyo.) [친구가 어디 가냐고 무러써요] = "My friend asked where I was going."
• 선생님이 숙제를 했냐고 하셨어요. (seonsaengnimi sukjereul haennyago hasyeosseoyo.) [선생니미 숙쩨를 핸냐고 하셔써요] = "The teacher asked whether I had done my homework."

The first sentence reports a wh-question, and the second reports a yes/no question. Both use the same ending, -냐고. Korean does not change the ending for a question word like 어디. In the second sentence the speech verb is 하셨어요 ("said"), but the meaning is still "asked," because -냐고 already marks a question. The next section shows how to build the pattern.

How Do You Form -냐고 하다?

-냐고 하다 is formed by putting the original question in the plain style, adding 고, and then adding 묻다 or 하다. The plain question style is the one you hear among close friends and in writing: 가냐? 먹냐? 학생이냐? Drop the final ? and add 고.

The table shows one rule applied to seven types. The short form -냐고 is the one you will hear most, and -느냐고 is the fuller form that textbooks and writing prefer. The next three parts look at the groups one at a time.

Verbs Ending in a Vowel

A verb stem that ends in a vowel takes -냐고 directly: 가다 becomes 가냐고, 오다 becomes 오냐고, and 하다 becomes 하냐고. Examples:

• 친구가 언제 오냐고 물었어요. (chinguga eonje onyago mureosseoyo.) [친구가 언제 오냐고 무러써요] = "My friend asked when I am coming."
• 엄마가 저한테 어디 가냐고 물었어요. (eommaga jeohante eodi ganyago mureosseoyo.) [엄마가 저한테 어디 가냐고 무러써요] = "Mom asked me where I was going."

Notice that 묻다 changes its stem to 물- before a vowel, so "asked" is 물었어요, not 묻었어요. 묻다 is a ㄷ-irregular verb in the meaning "to ask," and the sound is [무러써요]. Vowel stems are the simplest case. A stem with a final consonant changes the sound, though not the spelling.

Verbs Ending in a Consonant

A verb stem that ends in a consonant also takes -냐고 directly. The final consonant links to ㄴ, so the sound changes: 먹냐고 is spoken [멍냐고], 읽냐고 is spoken [잉냐고], and 했냐고 is spoken [핸냐고]. This follows the standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the 국립국어원 (National Institute of Korean Language) for nasal assimilation, where a final ㄱ becomes ㅇ and a final ㅆ or ㅅ becomes ㄴ before ㄴ.

• 엄마가 저한테 밥 먹었냐고 물었어요. (eommaga jeohante bap meogeonnyago mureosseoyo.) [엄마가 저한테 밥 머건냐고 무러써요] = "Mom asked me whether I had eaten."

In the past, the stem takes -았/었- first, and the final ㅆ becomes [ㄴ] before 냐: 먹었냐고 [머건냐고]. For the fuller form, 먹느냐고 (meongneunyago) [멍느냐고] has the same meaning and is a little more formal. Two more groups need a short note, because learners expect trouble with them.

Do ㄹ-Stems, Adjectives and Nouns Change?

Yes, in a few places. The ending begins with ㄴ, and ㄹ does not stay before ㄴ.

• ㄹ-stems drop the ㄹ before -냐고: 살다 gives 사냐고, 만들다 gives 만드냐고, and 알다 gives 아냐고.

• Adjectives that end in a vowel take -냐고: 크냐고, 비싸냐고. Adjectives that end in a consonant take -으냐고 in the textbook form: 작으냐고, 좋으냐고 [조으냐고]. In everyday speech, most people say 작냐고 and 좋냐고 [존냐고] instead, and dictionaries now also list this shorter form.

• Nouns use (이)냐고: 학생이냐고 after a consonant and 의사냐고 after a vowel. The 이 comes from 이다.

• 친구가 어디 사냐고 물었어요. (chinguga eodi sanyago mureosseoyo.) [친구가 어디 사냐고 무러써요] = "My friend asked where I live."

• 친구가 그 가방이 비싸냐고 물었어요. (chinguga geu gabangi bissanyago mureosseoyo.) [친구가 그 가방이 비싸냐고 무러써요] = "My friend asked whether that bag is expensive."

• 점원이 이 옷이 크냐고 물었어요. (jeomwoni i osi keunyago mureosseoyo.) [저뭐니 이 오시 크냐고 무러써요] = "The clerk asked whether this outfit is big."

• 동생이 이게 얼마냐고 물었어요. (dongsaengi ige eolmanyago mureosseoyo.) [동생이 이게 얼마냐고 무러써요] = "My younger sibling asked how much this is."
• 친구가 이 사람이 누구냐고 물었어요. (chinguga i sarami nugunyago mureosseoyo.) [친구가 이 사라미 누구냐고 무러써요] = "My friend asked who this person is."
• 그 사람이 학생이냐고 물었어요. (geu sarami haksaenginyago mureosseoyo.) [그 사라미 학쌩이냐고 무러써요] = "That person asked whether I was a student."

With the formation clear, one sentence can be built step by step.

Worked Example: Building a Sentence with -냐고 하다

-냐고 하다 grammar works by moving someone's question into your sentence. Follow the steps with the idea "Mom asked me where I was going." Suppose Mom said to you: "어디 가니?" (Where are you going?).

1. Find the original question. Mom asked 어디 가니? (or 어디 가요?). The verb is 가다.
2. Put the verb in the question form. Drop 다 and add -냐: 가 + 냐 = 가냐. The stem ends in a vowel, so nothing else is needed.
3. Shift the pronouns. Mom's "you" becomes your "me." If you say the pronoun, it is 저한테 ("to me"), and the subject of the going stays unspoken.
4. Add 고 and a speech verb. 가냐 + 고 + 물었어요 = 가냐고 물었어요.
5. Rebuild the sentence. Put the speaker first: 엄마가 저한테 어디 가냐고 물었어요. (eommaga jeohante eodi ganyago mureosseoyo.) [엄마가 저한테 어디 가냐고 무러써요] = "Mom asked me where I was going."

You will know it worked when the question word stays in place (어디), the reported verb ends in -냐고, and the speech verb comes last. The most common slip at this step is to write 가요고 물었어요 or 가니까 물었어요. The reported clause never takes 요, and -니까 means "because." The sentence is now a reported question, but the pattern has limits on tense and sentence type.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -냐고 하다?

-냐고 하다 works in the present, the past and the future. The tense of the original question goes on the reported verb. The time of the asking goes on the speech verb. The table shows the forms for 가다.

The past 갔냐고 is spoken [간냐고], the future 갈 거냐고 is spoken [갈꺼냐고], and 물으셨어요 is spoken [무르셔써요].

• 선생님이 내일 올 거냐고 물으셨어요. (seonsaengnimi naeil ol geonyago mureusyeosseoyo.) [선생니미 내일 올꺼냐고 무르셔써요] = "The teacher asked whether I will come tomorrow."
• 친구가 왜 안 가냐고 물었어요. (chinguga wae an ganyago mureosseoyo.) [친구가 왜 안 가냐고 무러써요] = "My friend asked why I am not going."

Notice that the future form 올 거냐고 includes the bound noun 거 (short for 것). The question ending then attaches to 이다 in contracted form: 거냐고, from 것이냐고. The pattern is not a command or a suggestion. A question reported as a request would use another ending. The most useful contrast for a learner is next to the pattern it is closest to.

How Is -냐고 하다 Different from -(느)ㄴ다고 하다?

-냐고 하다 reports a question, while -(느)ㄴ다고 하다 reports a statement. Both end in 고 하다, and one small syllable changes the sentence type: 냐 for a question, 다 for a statement.

The first sentence is a question, so the answer is expected from you. The second is a statement, so no answer is needed. The full rules are on the page for -(느)ㄴ다고 하다. The other two reported endings are -자고 하다 for suggestions and -(으)라고 하다 for commands.

Two other neighbours are worth knowing.

• -(으)ㄴ/는지 puts a question inside a sentence with verbs of knowing, wondering or asking. 민수가 어디 가는지 물었어요 (minsuga eodi ganeunji mureosseoyo) [민수가 어디 가는지 무러써요] also means "Minsu asked where (I) am going." The difference is that -냐고 repeats the question as someone said it, and -(으)ㄴ/는지 states the content of the question. With 알다 and 모르다, only -(으)ㄴ/는지 works: 어디 가는지 몰라요. See -(으)ㄴ/는지.
• -니까 means "because." 가니까 물었어요 means "I asked because I went." It looks like -냐고 on the page but is a different pattern.

These contrasts lead to the smaller variations of the pattern itself.

Variations and Edge Cases of -냐고 하다

-냐고 하다 has three common variations: the short form -냬요, other speech verbs and the "talking back" use at the end of a sentence. Each one appears in real conversation.

• The short form. In everyday speech, -냐고 해요 is shortened to -냬요. 어디 가냐고 해요 becomes 어디 가냬요 (eodi ganyaeyo) [어디 가냬요], "(He) asks where you are going." This short form is the sound of passing on a question.
• Other speech verbs. Besides 묻다 and 하다, you can use 물어보다 ("to ask and see"), 그러다 ("to say so") and 궁금해하다 ("to wonder"). 물어봤어요 is common: 어디 가냐고 물어봤어요.
• Talking back. A sentence can end on -냐고(요) to repeat a question with surprise or annoyance: 그게 말이 되냐고요! (geuge mari doenyagoyo!) [그게 마리 되냐고요] means "Does that even make sense?" It often shows a complaint, not a real question.

Also keep in mind two points about use. First, the quoted clause always uses the plain style, whatever style the original speaker used. 어디 가요? and 어디 가십니까? are both reported as 어디 가냐고. Second, politeness is shown only on the last verb: 물었어요, 물었습니다 or 물었어. This lesson covers the usual reporting use. The mistakes below show where the boundary causes real errors.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -냐고 하다?

Learners most often get the ending, the pronouns or the speech verb wrong. Four mistakes appear again and again.

1. Writing -니까 instead of -냐고. 가니까 물었어요 means "I asked because I went." For "asked whether I go," write 가냐고 물었어요.
2. Using the statement ending for a question. 간다고 물었어요 is wrong. A question needs -냐고: 가냐고 물었어요.
3. Keeping the polite ending. 가요고 물었어요 and 가세요고 물었어요 are wrong. The quoted clause is plain.
4. Leaving the pronouns unchanged. If a friend asked 너 어디 가?, do not report 너 어디 가냐고 물었어요. Say 친구가 어디 가냐고 물었어요, or 친구가 저한테 어디 가냐고 물었어요.

A quick check for any reported question: Is the quoted verb in the plain question form (-냐)? Is 고 attached? Does the speech verb carry the tense and politeness of the asking? If all three answers are yes, the sentence is sound.

The practice set below tests these four points directly.

Practice and Answers

Try the four items before you read the answer key. Cover the answers with your hand.

1. Choose the form. Complete: 엄마가 밥 먹었___ 물었어요. (냐고 / 니까 / 다고)
2. Fix the error. A learner says 친구가 어디 간다고 물었어요 to mean "My friend asked where I was going." Correct it.
3. Translate. "My friend asked when I am coming." Use 오다 and 묻다.
4. Write your own. Write one question a teacher or friend asked you, in indirect speech with -냐고 물었어요. Then write the same question with -(으)ㄴ/는지.

Answer key

1. 냐고. The reported question needs -냐고: 먹었냐고 물었어요.
2. 친구가 어디 가냐고 물었어요. A question needs -냐고, not -(느)ㄴ다고.
3. 친구가 언제 오냐고 물었어요. (chinguga eonje onyago mureosseoyo.) [친구가 언제 오냐고 무러써요] = "My friend asked when I am coming."
4. Answers vary. Check that the reported verb ends in -냐고, the speech verb comes last, and the -(으)ㄴ/는지 version ends in -는지 물었어요. An example: 어디 가냐고 물었어요 → 어디 가는지 물었어요.

If you can complete items 1 to 3 without the key, you can use the pattern in conversation. Next, the lesson hands off to related patterns.

What Should You Learn Next?

You now know how to report a question. Continue with -자고 하다 for suggestions and -(으)라고 하다 for commands. Then study the embedded question -(으)ㄴ/는지, and review statements with -(느)ㄴ다고 하다. For the styles of speech that the reported clause flattens, read Korean speech levels. All the related lessons are collected under Reported Speech. The pattern also sits at level B1 on the Intermediate Grammar list.

This page covers the meaning, the formation and the common mistakes of -냐고 하다. It does not cover direct quotation with quotation marks, nor every contracted form such as -냬요 in full. Level placement here is an editorial estimate from textbook syllabi. For official exam information, see topik.go.kr.

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