What does 왜 mean?
왜 means "Why; for what reason" in Korean.
How it works here
Together with the following content, it asks for a reason. Combined with the sentence-final ‘-세요’, it forms a polite question about the cause.
When it's used
Used when asking someone the reason for an action or situation, or pointing out what caused it. It is the most common everyday question word for reasons and is very frequent in conversation.
The line
정한 씨, 도겸 씨가 우는데 왜 웃으세요?
Jeonghan, why are you laughing while Dokyeom is crying?
This is said when someone’s reaction differs from what is expected and the speaker immediately asks why.
Scene from “[SPECIAL VIDEO] SEVENTEEN 5th Anniversary '빛나는 5주년(Shining 5th Anniversary)'” · Channel: SEVENTEEN Watch on YouTube
More examples
왜 이렇게 늦었어요?
Why are you so late?
비가 오는데 왜 창문을 열어 두죠?
Why do you leave the window open when it’s raining?
Quick check
What does this mean here?
왜
정한 씨, 도겸 씨가 우는데 왜 웃으세요?
Jeonghan, why are you laughing while Dokyeom is crying?
- A rainy day
- A quiet dawn
- Something suddenly coming to mind
- For some reason
Show the answer
For some reason
This everyday expression is used like an adverb before a verb, adjective, or predicate to ask for a reason. It is much more natural and colloquial than ‘어째서’ (for what reason), and is often used not only in questions but also to press for a cause, as in ‘왜 그렇게 했어?’ (Why did you do that?).
Other words in this line
- 울다
- To cry; to burst into tears
- 웃다
- To laugh
Same expression in other scenes
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