Learn Korean: Noun + 어딨어

Let’s take a look at the Korean sentence pattern Noun + 어딨어. 어딨어 is short for 어디 있어. We normally use it to ask where something is. But when used as a rhetorical question, we try to make a point that there is no such person or thing. There is actually a popular expression 그런 거 어딨어? which is used when we think something is unfair, ridiculous, etc. For example, if my friend wants to swap his iPhone 6 with my Macbook Air, I would say ‘그런 거 어딨어?’ If my older brother says I should do the dishes on weekends while he does it on weekends, I would say ‘그런 거 어딨어?’ We are not literally asking where. What we mean is there is no such thing. We can specific the noun by forming relative phrases in Korean. For example, my friend’s baby is throwing tantrums and has been crying nonstop. She starts spanking and yelling at it. I think it is normal for babies to cry. I say, All babies cry. Where can you find a baby that doesn’t cry? My point is just let him cry. The relative clause here is a baby that doesn’t cry. In Korean, we say 안 우는 얘기. We attach 은/는 to it and add 어딨어. The actual sentence is 안 우는 얘기는 어딨어?

안 싸우는 커풀이 어딨냐?

All couples get on a fight.

화장 안 하는 여자가 어딨냐?

All women does make-up.

김정은 모르는 사람이 어딨냐?

Everyone knows Kim Jung Eun.