Formal Question -ㅂ니까/습니까: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Turn any formal statement into a question by replacing 다 with 까.
• Build yes-no questions and wh-questions with 무엇, 어디, 몇 and 누구.
• Say spoken forms such as [함니까] and [먹씀니까] aloud.
• Answer a formal question with 네 or 아니요 and a formal ending.

Before you start: you should know the statement ending in formal speech -ㅂ니다/습니다. Time: about 30 minutes.

What Does the Formal Question -ㅂ니까/습니까 Mean?

-ㅂ니까/습니까 is the question form of the formal speech level 하십시오체. It asks the listener something while keeping the respectful, official tone of -ㅂ니다/습니다. The final syllable 까 is the question marker, in the same way that English uses a raised voice and a question mark.

The formal level has one ending for each sentence type, and the statement and the question differ only in the last syllable:

Pronunciation: 갑니까 is [감니까] (gamnikka), 먹습니까 is [먹씀니까] (meokseumnikka), and 학생입니까 is [학쌩임니까] (haksaeng-imnikka). The question ending is short, because the whole change is 다 to 까.

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 이름이 무엇입니까? (ireumi mueosimnikka) "What is your name?"

Pronunciation: [이르미 무어심니까]. The word 무엇 means "what", and 입니까 is the formal question form of 이다. The 이름이 is spoken [이르미] because the final ㅁ moves to the next syllable.

2. 식사하셨습니까? (siksahasyeotseumnikka) "Have you had your meal?"

Pronunciation: [식싸하셛씀니까]. The verb 식사하다 means "to have a meal" and is a respectful word for eating. The part 시 is the honorific marker, which raises the person you are asking, and 셨 is 시 merged with the past-tense marker 었. This sentence is a common greeting to an older person.

The first sentence asks with a question word and the second asks yes or no, and both end in 까. The next section shows how to build the ending.

How Does the Formal Question -ㅂ니까/습니까 Work?

The formal question is built from the formal statement: change the final 다 to 까. The choice between ㅂ니까 and 습니까 is the same as in statements. A vowel stem takes ㅂ니까, a consonant stem takes 습니까, and a stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ.

Pattern Table

Three details make the table easy to apply.

1. Start from the dictionary form, not from English. Remove 다 from 먹다, choose 습, and add 니까 to get 먹습니까. The same steps give 먹습니다 for a statement.
2. Keep the spelling and change the sound. 합니까 is written with ㅂ but spoken [함니까]. The 국립국어원 standard pronunciation rules describe ㅂ turning into ㅁ before ㄴ as nasalization (비음화).
3. Write a question mark. Written Korean uses the same question mark as English, so 합니까? is a full written question.

The negative copula 아니다 follows the same pattern. 아닙니까 is the question "Is it not?" and 아닙니다 is the answer "It is not." Adjectives work the same way: 좋습니까? means "Is it good?" and 큽니까? means "Is it big?". The wider yes-no question system is in yes no questions in korean.

Wh-Questions with the Same Ending

A wh-question asks with a question word such as "what" or "where". The formal ending does not change. Only the question word is added.

Pronunciation: 이것은 무엇입니까 is [이거슨 무어심니까], 어디에 갑니까 is [어디에 감니까], 몇 시입니까 is [멷씨임니까], 누구입니까 is [누구임니까] and 언제 옵니까 is [언제 옴니까]. The word 몇 is spoken [멷] before 시, and the 시 becomes tense [씨]. The question word 무엇 is the standard form, and 뭐 is its short spoken form. Formal speech prefers 무엇. The next section builds a full question step by step.

How Do You Build a Formal Question Step by Step?

To make a formal question, write the formal statement first, then replace 다 with 까. Follow these steps with 이름이 무엇입니다 and then repeat with 먹다.

1. Choose the verb or copula. 이다 ("to be") with the noun 이름 ("name").
2. Add the question word. 무엇 ("what") sits where the answer will go: 이름이 무엇.
3. Make the formal statement ending. 이다 becomes 입니다 after a noun.
4. Replace 다 with 까. 입니다 becomes 입니까.
5. Add the question mark. 이름이 무엇입니까?

You'll know it worked when the sentence ends in 까 and the writing has a question mark. Common mistake at this step: writing 이름이 무엇입니다? with a question mark but keeping the statement ending. Korean does not make a formal question by punctuation alone.

Repeat the steps with 먹다. The statement is 먹습니다. Replace 다 with 까 and the result is 먹습니까. Add the object: 밥을 먹습니까? ("Do you eat a meal?"), spoken [바블 먹씀니까].

With the rule clear, the next question is how this ending compares with questions at other levels.

How Is -ㅂ니까/습니까 Different from Similar Forms?

-ㅂ니까/습니까 differs from the other question styles in two ways: it has its own ending, and it sounds official. The everyday polite question reuses the statement form and relies on pitch. The casual question uses a different set of endings.

Pronunciation: 먹어요 is [머거요] (meogeoyo), and 먹니 is [멍니] (meongni). The 요 question has the same shape as the statement, so only a rising pitch and the question mark tell 가요? from 가요. The formal question carries the question mark in its ending, so the pitch matters less. The pitch patterns of questions are taught in korean polite question intonation.

A useful comparison is that formal speech has two sentence types that look alike but differ in one syllable: 갑니다 (statement) and 갑니까 (question). Polite speech has one form for both. For the full contrast of formal and polite, read -ㅂ니다 vs -아요/어요. The next section covers the situations where the formal question appears.

When Do You Use It, and When Not?

Use the formal question when you speak to a customer, an interviewer, a senior person you do not know or a public audience. Avoid it with friends, where it sounds like a job interview. The setting decides, as it does for formal statements.

Pronunciation: 찾으십니까 is [차즈심니까], 지원 동기가 무엇입니까 is [지원 동기가 무어심니까], 누구십니까 is [누구심니까] and 질문 있습니까 is [질문 읻씀니까]. These examples come from service and business settings where formal endings are common.

How Do You Answer a Formal Question?

The answer usually starts with 네 ("yes") or 아니요 ("no") and then repeats the verb in the statement form. The reply stays formal when the question is formal.

Pronunciation: 먹지 않습니다 is [먹찌 안씀니다], and 학생이 아닙니다 is [학쌩이 아님니다]. The negative with 않습니다 is explained in the grammar hub. A reply in the polite style, such as 네, 먹어요, is also heard, because many speakers mix the two levels (see mixing -요 and -ㅂ니다 in korean).

Two Close Endings That Are Not the Same

First, -(으)십니까 adds the honorific marker 시 before the ending: 가십니까? ("Are you going?", said to someone you respect). Use it for a listener who deserves respect, since the plain 갑니까 about that person can sound blunt. Second, -ㄹ까요 is a different ending. It makes a polite offer or suggestion, as in 도와드릴까요? ("Shall I help you?"). It belongs to the polite level, not the formal one, so do not mix it up with -ㅂ니까. Other soft polite question endings are treated in -나요/-(으)ㄴ가요 soft questions. The next section lists the errors to avoid.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Six mistakes cover most wrong formal questions.

1. Adding 까 to the stem alone. 먹까 is wrong. The full ending is 습니까: 먹습니까.
2. Keeping the statement ending with a question mark. 먹습니다? is not a formal question. Change 다 to 까: 먹습니까?
3. Using 습니까 after a vowel stem. 가습니까 is wrong. A vowel stem takes ㅂ니까: 갑니까.
4. Keeping the ㄹ. 살습니까 is wrong. Drop it: 삽니까.
5. Adding 요 to the ending. 합니까요 is not standard. Choose one level: 합니까 or 해요.
6. Using 입니까 after a verb. 가입니까 is wrong. 입니까 belongs after nouns only: 학생입니까. Verbs take ㅂ니까 or 습니까.

A seventh issue is about meaning rather than form. Learners ask a customer "너 먹어?" or "먹어요?" where the formal 드시겠습니까? ("Would you like to eat?") is expected. In service Korean, the respectful verb 드시다 replaces 먹다 for the listener. The same habits carry over to when to use formal speech in korean. Now test yourself.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio, normal and slow.

1. Choose the form. 하다 ("to do"): 합니다? or 합니까? Which one is the question?
2. Fix the error. 몇 시입니다? (The speaker wants to ask "What time is it?" formally.)
3. Translate. "Do you eat?" Use 먹다 and the formal question ending.
4. Write your own. Write one formal question that uses 어디 ("where") and a verb ending in -ㅂ니까/습니까.

Answer Key

1. 합니까 (hamnikka) Pronounced [함니까]. The question changes 다 to 까. The statement is 합니다.

2. 몇 시입니까? (myeot si-imnikka) Pronounced [멷씨임니까]. The question needs 까, and a question mark alone is not enough.

3. 먹습니까? (meokseumnikka) Pronounced [먹씀니까]. The stem 먹 ends in a consonant, so the ending is 습니까.

4. Sample answer: 어디에 갑니까? (eodie gamnikka) "Where are you going?" Pronounced [어디에 감니까]. Any question with 어디 and a correct ending is right.

If you chose the wrong ending, find the final 다 of the statement and replace it with 까. Then continue with the next lessons.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After formal question -ㅂ니까/습니까, the natural next lesson is formal commands -(으)십시오, which completes the formal sentence types. To compare question styles, read korean polite question intonation. To review the statement ending, read formal speech -ㅂ니다/습니다. To see where formal questions belong, read when to use formal speech in korean. The set overview, korean formal speech, lists every lesson in order.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: formal question -ㅂ니까/습니까 replaces the 다 of the formal statement with 까, so 합니다 becomes 합니까 and 먹습니다 becomes 먹습니까.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -ㅂ니까/습니까 Mean?

-ㅂ니까/습니까 is the formal question ending of Korean in the 하십시오체 level. It is the question partner of -ㅂ니다/습니다. The syllable 까 marks the sentence as a question, and the ending is polite and distant, so it suits service counters, interviews, news interviews and formal meetings.

How Do I Form -ㅂ니까/습니까?

Start from the formal statement and replace 다 with 까. The statement 합니다 becomes the question 합니까, 먹습니다 becomes 먹습니까, and 입니다 becomes 입니까. The rule for choosing ㅂ or 습 is the same as in statements: a vowel stem takes ㅂ니까, a consonant stem takes 습니까, and ㄹ drops.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with -ㅂ니까/습니까?

Learners often add 까 directly to the stem, as in 먹까 for 먹습니까, or write the statement ending with a question mark, as in 먹습니다? A formal question needs the full ending ㅂ니까 or 습니까. Another error is adding 요 afterwards, as in 합니까요, which is not standard.

How Is -ㅂ니까/습니까 Different from -아요/어요 Questions?

The 요 question has the same form as the statement, so only a rising pitch and the question mark separate 가요? from 가요. The formal question has its own ending, 까, so 갑니까 is a question even without pitch. The 요 style is warmer; the formal style is stiffer and more official.

Do I Use -ㅂ니까/습니까 in Speech, Writing or Both?

Both, in formal settings. It appears in spoken service, interviews, announcements and meetings, and in written questionnaires and formal letters. Everyday conversation with people you meet often uses the 요 question instead. Newspapers and papers usually phrase questions in the plain style, such as 먹는가, rather than with -ㅂ니까.