-(으)ㄴ가요?
(eu)n-ga(yo), na(yo)
Grammar · 2 senses
I wonder - asking yourself
Examples
이 방법이 정말 최선인가요?
Is this really the best way, I wonder.
내가 뭘 잘못한 건가?
Did I do something wrong?
When you'd hear it
This pattern often appears in written reflections, narration, and dramatic inner monologue, as well as in spoken self-questioning. With 요, it can sound polite and tentative; without 요, it is common in private thoughts, literary writing, or rhetorical questions.
What learners get wrong
The same ending turned inward, wondering rather than asking. Without 요 it is what you mutter to yourself: 이게 맞는가. Common in writing that thinks aloud, and in rhetorical questions.
I was wondering... - a gently asked question
Examples
이 자리 비어 있는가요?
Is this seat free, by any chance?
혹시 사장님이신가요?
Would you be the owner?
When you'd hear it
This is common in polite spoken Korean, including customer-service interactions, workplace questions, and everyday conversation. It makes a question sound gentler or less direct than a plain question ending.
What learners get wrong
Softens a question about a state or quality: -ㄴ가요? after a vowel, -은가요? after a consonant, and -인가요? on a noun. Less blunt than -아/어요?, which is why it suits asking a stranger or a customer. Its counterpart for verbs is -나요?.
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