어디 가요? — Where are you going?
The most common question you'll hear in Seoul. Learn how Koreans casually check in on each other — and why it's not as nosy as it sounds.
You're walking out of your apartment building and your neighbour spots you. Before you can say anything, she smiles and says:
"어디 가요?"
She's not actually demanding your itinerary. In Korea, this phrase is basically a warmer version of "Hey!" — a social ritual, not a question that needs a real answer.
The words
Hear it in action
Neighbourhood small talk
Outside an apartment building, morning
Cultural note
Koreans use 어디 가요? the way English speakers use "How are you?" — it's a greeting, not an interrogation. If a stranger asks, they're being friendly. If your parent asks, they might actually want to know. Context is everything.
Questions that aren't really questions
Korean has several greeting-questions where the literal meaning isn't the point:
🎙️ Voice generated with ElevenLabs
elevenlabs.io