How to Ask Someone's Name in Korean: Formal and Informal Phrases
Learn to ask 'What is your name?' in Korean at three politeness levels, from casual friends to formal strangers, with Hangul, Revised Romanization and usage notes.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
Asking someone's name is one of the first real conversations you will have in Korean, and Korean makes you choose a politeness level before you open your mouth. The same English question, 'What is your name?', has several Korean versions, and the one you pick depends on who you are talking to: a close friend, a new acquaintance your age, or an older person you have just met. This lesson gives you five ready-made questions, all written in Hangul with Revised Romanization, and explains exactly when each one is safe to use. You will not learn self-introductions here; the focus is only on asking the other person's name and understanding the answers you may hear.
By the end, you can…
- ask someone's name in Korean using formal, polite and casual speech.
- choose the right question based on the listener's age and my relationship with them.
- recognise the common answers 네 and 이름이 뭐예요? when someone replies.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
성함이 어떻게 되세요?
May I ask your name? (very formal)
seong-ham-i eo-tteo-ke doe-se-yo?
The safest choice for customers, strangers, interviews or anyone clearly older. Uses the honorific noun 성함 instead of 이름.
이름이 어떻게 되세요?
May I ask your name? (polite)
i-reum-i eo-tteo-ke doe-se-yo?
Polite and common between adults of similar age or in a friendly workplace. Slightly less formal than 성함이 어떻게 되세요?
이름이 뭐예요?
What is your name? (polite casual)
i-reum-i mwo-ye-yo?
Standard polite speech with the -요 ending. Fine with new acquaintances, classmates and people your age once the conversation is friendly.
이름이 뭐야?
What's your name? (casual)
i-reum-i mwo-ya?
Plain casual speech. Use only with close friends or people clearly younger than you. It can sound rude to a stranger or an older person.
성함이 어떻게 되십니까?
May I ask your name? (highly formal)
seong-ham-i eo-tteo-ke doe-sim-ni-kka?
Very formal and businesslike, common in formal service settings and official situations. The ending -십니까 is more formal than -세요.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Most of these questions follow one shape: name word + 이 + 어떻게 되세요? or 뭐예요? The particle 이 marks the subject, so 이름이 뭐예요? literally means 'the name, what is it?'. To raise the politeness, swap the name word and the verb ending together: 이름이 뭐야? (casual), 이름이 뭐예요? (polite), 이름이 어떻게 되세요? (polite formal), 성함이 어떻게 되세요? (formal). The word 성함 is the honorific form of 이름, so 성함이 뭐예요? sounds mismatched; keep 성함 with 어떻게 되세요? or 어떻게 되십니까?.
When to use it
Choose by listener, not by your own age. With a friend your age or younger, 이름이 뭐야? is natural. With a new classmate, a colleague or a shop worker your age, 이름이 뭐예요? is safe. With an older person, a teacher, a client or anyone you have just met in a formal setting, use 성함이 어떻게 되세요? or 성함이 어떻게 되십니까?. If you are unsure, the longer formal question is never wrong. You may also hear the answer 네, which means 'yes' and often signals 'yes, go ahead' or simply agreement in conversation.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
안녕하세요. 성함이 어떻게 되세요?
Hello. May I ask your name?an-nyeong-ha-se-yo. seong-ham-i eo-tteo-ke doe-se-yo?네, 김민수입니다.
Yes, I am Kim Minsu.ne, gim-min-su-im-ni-da.아, 김민수 씨. 반갑습니다.
Ah, Mr Kim Minsu. Nice to meet you.a, gim-min-su ssi. ban-gap-seum-ni-da.네, 반갑습니다.
Yes, nice to meet you too.ne, ban-gap-seum-ni-da.A little context goes a long way
Korean politeness is built into the verb ending, so the question changes shape, not just tone, when you speak to someone older or in a formal role. Using 이름이 뭐야? with a stranger can come across as blunt, while 성함이 어떻게 되세요? with a close friend sounds oddly distant. Age matters in Korean relationships, so when in doubt, start formal and let the other person invite you to relax.
One thing to watch for
Using 이름이 뭐야? with an older person or a stranger because it is shorter and easier to remember.
Try this instead: Match the ending to the listener. With an older person or a stranger, say 이름이 어떻게 되세요? or, more formally, 성함이 어떻게 되세요? Keep 이름이 뭐야? for close friends and people clearly younger than you.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You are talking to a new classmate your own age. Which question fits best: 이름이 뭐야?, 이름이 뭐예요?, or 성함이 어떻게 되세요?
Show a sample answer
이름이 뭐예요?
Polite speech with -요 is the normal choice for a peer you have just met. 이름이 뭐야? is too casual for a new acquaintance, and 성함이 어떻게 되세요? sounds unnecessarily formal here.
2Rewrite 이름이 뭐예요? so it is appropriate for a job interview.
Show a sample answer
성함이 어떻게 되세요? or 성함이 어떻게 되십니까?
Both use the honorific noun 성함 and a formal ending. 성함이 어떻게 되십니까? is the most formal option and is common in official or business settings.
3Someone answers your question with 네. What does this usually mean here?
Show a sample answer
Yes, or 'yes, go ahead'.
네 is a general agreement or acknowledgement. In this context it often means the person is confirming and about to give their name, not that they are named 'yes'.
Pick the question by listener: 이름이 뭐야? for close friends, 이름이 뭐예요? for peers, and 성함이 어떻게 되세요? for anyone older or formal. When unsure, choose the more formal version.
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