39. Where Questions : 어디

Where is : 어디에요?

어디에요 question use 어디(where) as an object. It always takes a noun for the subject. The meaning is simple : ‘where is some place?’.

지하철 역이 어디에요?
The subway station is where?
= Where is the subway station

집이 어디에요?
Your house is where?
= Where do you live?

화장실이 어디에요?
Restroom/bathroom is where?
= Where is the restroom?

Where Questions with 하다 Verb

Korean question sentence with where interrogative can be very hard with 하다 verb because it isn’t simple as much as English where questions. ‘Where’ keeps changing. It happens because of the feature of Korean post-positions. It’ll be much easier to understand with examples.

어디에서 자요?
At where do (we/you) sleep?
= Where do (we/you) sleep?

어디로 가요?
To where are (we/you) going?
= Where are (we/you) going?

어디에서 왔어요?
From where did you come?
= Where did you come from?
= Where do you come from?

어디 vs 어디서 vs 어디에서

어디, 어디서 and 어디에서 all mean ‘where’ in English. However, in Korean, they are used differently. 어디 is used as a noun for a subject or an object. 어디서 and 어디서 are used when a sentence has an subject already like ‘Where are you from?’

어디 = Where
어디에서 = At where / From where
어디서 = Abbreviation of 어디에서

You need to learn one more. It’s 어디로 which means ‘to where’.
어디로 = To where

Where Questions with 이다 Verb

Where question with 이다 is way easier for you when it’s used as ‘be + noun’ or ‘be + adjective’ because it’s very similar to English. When you say 이다 where questions, 어디 is used as an subject, so you must use a subject marker. This subject marker can’t be dropped with where questions.

어디가 학교예요?
Where is a school?
= Be + Noun

어디가 서울이에요?
Where is Seoul?
= Be + Noun

어디로 움직여요?
To where are (you/he/she/we/it) moving?
= Where is it moving to?

But I really need to tell you that 어디에요 question is much natural for ‘where + be + none’ questions in general.

학교가 어디에요?
Where is the school?
= More natural

서울이 어디에요?
Where is Seoul?
= Yes natural

Where Questions with 있다 Verb

어디(where) with 있다 verb has a fixed position. It’s always placed before 있어요. It’s very simple. 있다 where questions don’t mean possession at all.

준씨는 어디 있어요?
Jun is where?
= Where is Jun?

준씨 차는 어디 있어요?
Where is Jun’s car?

정신병원은 어디 있어요?
Where is the insane asylum?