무슨 versus 어떤

[matthew254]

무슨 versus 어떤

How might we differentiate between these two? Sometimes when I'm trying to form new questions in Korean I find myself being corrected or not understood if I use one over the other.

For example, I asked my friend which restaurant that he wanted to eat at by asking "무슨 식당?" but then he asked our mutual friend "어떤 식당? 니가 결정 해"

Anyways, some sentences would help. Thanks in advance!

[Chris1]

무슨 is usually "what type/kind" (많은 종류중에서 ~~)

어떤 is "which" (more or less) when used in a question, and can be translated as "some ~" when used in a statement:

아까 부른 노래는 무슨 내용이었어?
What did the lyrics of the song you were singing a little while ago mean? (What kind of content)

어제 길에서 어떤 아저씨가 담배를 피고 있었는데 연기 때문에 내가 기침을 많이 했어요.
There was some guy smoking cigarettes on the street yesterday and I started caughing because of the smoke.

무슨 식당에 갈까요? would probably be understood as 무슨 음식을 먹으면 좋을까요? (what type of food?) because

어떤 식당 will mean "which restarunt" and even though "What kind of restarunt?" makes sense in English, it might be safer to use 무슨 음식을~ as it probably makes more sense in Korean.

Don't take my word for it until our good friend manyakumi comes by and refutes/verifies what I say!

[yhenry]

무슨 versus 어떤

How might we differentiate between these two? Sometimes when I'm trying to form new questions in Korean I find myself being corrected or not understood if I use one over the other.

For example, I asked my friend which restaurant that he wanted to eat at by asking "무슨 식당?" but then he asked our mutual friend "어떤 식당? 니가 결정 해"

Anyways, some sentences would help. Thanks in advance!

Chris' answer is excellent.
I just want to put a little more toppings(?) for your thirst for Korean.
(I myself learned from the Naver 사젼)

무슨 (basically what)
[관형사] come before a noun modifying it and functioning like determiners in English.
1 무엇인지 모르는 일이나 대상, 물건 따위를 물을 때 쓰는 말. Used to ask questions on things you don't know about.
2 사물을 특별히 정하여 지목하지 않고 이를 때 쓰는 말.used when you point to something not specified
3 예상 밖의 못마땅한 일을 강조할 때 쓰는... to emphasize things of unfavorable turn out unexpectedly.


* 무슨 what 일 thing 있었니 was there? What happened?
* 그 the사람은man 무슨what 죄를crime 지어commited 붙잡혀caught/arrested 갔대?sent/gone; what crime the man committed and arrested for?
* 이게this 무슨what 냄새지smell? what kind of smell is this or what is this smell?

* 그는he 무슨what 일이든work 척척easily 해냈다 have done/finished/accomplished.
He was able to do any sort of work easily.

무슨what 바람이wind 불어서blow+cause 무슨what(emphasizing) what wind blown to move you do this, how unlikely!
무슨 마음이 내켜서 왔오?. what kind/state of mind made you come?
무슨 일이 있어서오셨어오. what kind of business is there for you to come/ what brought you here? what can i do for you?

어떤(some/certain)
[관형사]
1 ｛의문문에 쓰여｝ 사람이나 사물의 특성, 내용, 상태, 성격이 무엇인지 물을 때 쓰는 말.used in question to ask for spec, content, state or character of things.
2 ｛의문문에 쓰여｝ 주어진 여러 사물 중 대상으로 삼는 것이 무엇인지 물을때used when you ask what the specific topic can be out of many.

* 그는 어떤 사람이니? what kind of person is he? (asking for character/taste/background/etc.)
(그는 무슨 사람이니; usually 뭐하는 사람 what does he do?)
선생님, 어떤 생각을 가지고 있나요? Teacher, what is your thought/opinion in depth?
cf. 무슨 생각해요? what is on your mind/what do you think?
어떤 생각 해요? what specific thoughts do you have?

* 어떤 분을 찾아오셨습니까? Whom do you come to see for? (in this case, we never say, 무슨 분을.
무슨 책을 찾아요 title, field, subject?
어떤 책을 찾아요 conversational or grammar, low or high level?

* 너는 이 둘 중에서 어떤 옷이 더 마음에 드니? which would you like better?

I am not good at my own language because I don't have Korean major.
But I did my best, leaving room to be corrected.

어떻게how 생각think 하십니까do you? what do you think?

[manyakumi]

Well.. A dictionary is always needed even for me.
Chris and yhenry already gave us great answers though
I'd like to make it more simple in general term.

무슨 : what
어떤 : which

I guess this is too simple and may not fit sometimes however.

If you ask 무슨 식당? your meaning would be "What restaurant (do you mean)?"
Since you wanted to ask "Which restaurant (shall we go)?" you should ask as 어떤 식당? or 어느 식당?

[kyuree]

I think I always used them the other way around
I always thought of 어떤 as "what kind of" since 어떻게 means "in which manner"...