KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Introductions & meeting people › 고향이 어디신지 여쭤봐도 될까요?

How to Say “May I ask where you are from” in Korean

고향이 어디신지 여쭤봐도 될까요?

gohyangi eodisinji yeojjwobwado doelkkayo?

Situation: Introductions & meeting peopleLevel: Advanced (TOPIK 5–6)

Meaning

May I ask where you are from?

여쭙다 is the humble verb for “to ask.” The indirect -(으)신지 makes the question softer and safe to use with elders or superiors.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 14 · Words: 4

In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
고향이
고	ㄱ+ㅗ	go
향	ㅎ+ㅑ+ㅇ	hyang
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	i
어디신지
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	eo
디	ㄷ+ㅣ	di
신	ㅅ+ㅣ+ㄴ	sin
지	ㅈ+ㅣ	ji
여쭤봐도
여	ㅇ+ㅕ	yeo
쭤	ㅉ+ㅝ	jjwo
봐	ㅂ+ㅘ	bwa
도	ㄷ+ㅗ	do
될까요
될	ㄷ+ㅚ+ㄹ	doel
까	ㄲ+ㅏ	kka
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Question

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
고향	noun	hometown	TOPIK level 2

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “고향이 어디신지 여쭤봐도 될까요?” mean?

Show the answer

Answer: May I ask where you are from

Question 2 How do you say “May I ask where you are from” in Korean?

Show the answer

Answer: 고향이 어디신지 여쭤봐도 될까요? gohyangi eodisinji yeojjwobwado doelkkayo?

Learn this phrase by playing: typing drills and quizzes help it stick.