# 무엇 or 뭐



## soupdragon78

Could anyone please tell me the difference between *무엇* and *뭐 *in Korean

I know they both mean *what* but I want to know if there are any rules governing which one I should use and when.
Is it simply that 뭐 is an abbreviation of무엇?

Thanks in advance


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## glaspalatset

I think the difference has to do with formality/informality.

"뭐"
이거 뭐죠? What is this? informal. I would ask shopkeeper this way.
이게 뭐야? What is this?, what the heck? depending on tone. Parents to children, with friends. Listen to famous comedian 김구라 uttering this.
뭐라고? 뭐라구? What?
이게 뭐냐? What is this? Depending o

"무엇"
이것은 무엇입니까? What is this? (formal) Rarely used, though.
무엇이든지 상관없습니다. Anything would do. It doesn't matter.
"무엇이든 물어보세요" Ask (us) anything. KBS program.


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## glaspalatset

무엇 (anything, something (at all))

무엇이든 물어보세요 Ask [us,me] anything. Also KBS program.
니(네)가 무엇을 하든지... whatever you do...
무엇이 옳고 그른지... what is right or wrong...
인간이란 무엇인가? What is human?
무엇이 문제인가? What is wrong? 

뭐 (questions)
뭐라고? What?
이게 뭐야? What is this? Depending on the tone, "What the heck?" Listen to famous comedian 김구라 uttering this.
뭐 할까? What shall we do?
뭐 필요한 거 없어요? Do you need anything?
이건 뭐, 말할 가치도 없다. Well, this is not worth mentioning.
뭐라카노? Southeast dialect meaning "What is he/she talking about?"


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## soupdragon78

고맙습니다 Glaspaletset!
Thanks for providing so much information. It's a great help. Especially 뭐야? I hear people say it in the dramas all the time, usually after they have been told something outrageous. 
All the best and thanks again.
 Soup


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