Meaning
어떻게?
eotteoke?
How? / What to do?
Real Feeling
What Koreans really mean
This phrase is incredibly common and can convey a range of emotions from genuine curiosity ('How did you do that?') to distress ('What am I going to do now?'). It's perfectly fine in both casual and semi-formal contexts, often used as a direct question or as a rhetorical expression of helplessness. The nuance depends heavily on context and intonation.
💬 Used in real life
• Said when you've accidentally deleted an important file and don't know how to recover it.
• Used when a friend tells you surprising news, and you're asking for details on 'how' it happened.
How It's Used
Real example sentences — tap any bubble to explore it
Similar Expressions
Related feelings and meanings — click to explore
Grammar Breakdown
Part by part — learn the structure, not just the meaning
Tags
Korean expressions carry layers of meaning that direct translation misses. The real meaning lives in the emotion, context, and cultural moment.
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