What does 왜 mean?
왜 means "Why?" in Korean.
How it works here
Repeating ‘왜’ creates a short, emphatic question.
When it's used
Used to ask directly about the reason for something.
The line
왜? 왜?
Why? Why?
Asking immediately why someone repeated the same statement.
Scene from “Run BTS! 2023 Special Episode - Next Top Genius Part 1” · Channel: BANGTANTV Watch on YouTube
More examples
왜 늦었어요?
Why are you late?
왜 그렇게 말해?
Why do you talk like that?
Quick check
What does this mean here?
왜
왜? 왜?
Why? Why?
- Asking where
- Asking how much
- Asking with whom
- A word used to ask for a reason
Show the answer
A word used to ask for a reason
‘왜’ (why) is a common everyday question word and can stand alone. Repeating it makes the question more forceful.
Same expression in other scenes
- 왜 이렇게 — Why
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