어떡해 (eotteokhae) — The Words That Burst Out When Everything Goes Dark

When you watch Korean dramas, you’ll often see the main character cup their face in both hands and cry out, “어떡해!” Flunking an exam, tripping in front of their crush, hearing bad news about a friend — the situations are all different, but the words that fly out of their mouth are always the same. Today’s expression, 어떡해 (eotteokhae), is a phrase Koreans blurt out several times a day without even realizing it — the one line where emotion runs the deepest.

어떡해

어떡해 (eotteokhae) originally comes from 어떻게 해 (eotteoke hae) — that is, “어떻게 하지?” (“What do I do?”) — shortened down. Taken literally, it’s the question “What should I do?”, but in real conversation it’s less a question looking for an answer and more of an exclamation where panic, worry, and sympathy all burst out at once.

This one phrase is used at roughly three emotional temperatures.

When you’re in trouble: stamping your feet, close to “I’m in big trouble.”
When you feel bad for someone else: an “oh no…” offered as empathy and comfort.
When something is so good or cute you can’t handle it: an expression of affection when you’re beside yourself.

So depending on the situation, that single 어떡해 can carry “I’m in big trouble,” “what do I do,” and “oh no…” all at once. Even with the same three syllables, the meaning changes completely depending on tone and facial expression — so when you practice it out loud, it’s important to put real feeling into it.

Seeing it in a real conversation

Situation: Moving day. While carrying the last box, something inside makes a cracking sound.

에밀리: (상자를 내려놓으며) 어…? 어떡해, 안에서 뭐 깨진 것 같은데? Uh…? Oh no, I think something broke inside.

준경: 잠깐, 열어 보자. …아, 머그컵 하나 금 갔네. Wait, let’s open it. …Ah, one of the mugs is cracked.

에밀리: 그거 네가 제일 아끼는 거잖아. 어떡해, 나 때문에… That’s the one you love most. What do I do, it’s my fault…

준경: 야, 괜찮아. 컵인데 뭐. 너 안 다쳤으면 됐어. Hey, it’s fine. It’s just a cup. As long as you’re not hurt.

에밀리: 진짜 미안해. 똑같은 걸로 하나 사줄게. I’m really sorry. I’ll buy you the exact same one.

준경: 됐어, 그럴 필요 없어. 자, 이것만 마저 옮기고 짜장면이나 시키자. Forget it, no need. Come on, let’s finish this one and order some jjajangmyeon.

Trying out 어떡해 by situation

1. Stamping your feet after missing the last train — Around midnight at the subway station, staring at the tail end of the train that just pulled away: 어떡해, 막차 놓쳤어! (eotteokhae, makcha nochyeosseo!) This is purely a case of you being in a bind.

2. Sympathizing with a friend’s news — Hearing that your friend fell on the stairs and got hurt: 어머, 어떡해. 많이 아팠겠다. (eomeo, eotteokhae. mani apatgetda.) Here, 어떡해 isn’t about your problem — it’s comfort directed at the other person.

3. When something’s so lovable you don’t know what to do — Watching a video of a puppy and, without meaning to: 아, 진짜 어떡해. 너무 귀엽잖아. (a, jinjja eotteokhae. neomu gwiyeopjanha.) This time it isn’t worry — it’s affection overflowing.

Polite and casual forms, and similar expressions

어떡해 on its own is casual speech (반말), used with friends and family. With someone older or in a formal setting, you’d switch it to:

어떡해요 (eotteokaeyo) or 어떡하죠 (eotteokajyo) — a polite tone.
어떻게 해요? (eotteoke haeyo?) — the full, unshortened form.

The pair Korean learners mix up the most is 어떡해 and 어떻게. In fact, even Koreans often get them wrong in writing.

어떻게 (eotteoke) is an adverb meaning “in what way,” so it must always be followed by a verb. e.g. 이거 어떻게 열어? (igeo eotteoke yeoreo?) (“How do you open this?”)
어떡해 (eotteokhae) is already a complete phrase meaning “어떻게 해” (“what to do”), so it stands alone at the end of a sentence. e.g. 이거 안 열려. 어떡해? (igeo an yeollyeo. eotteokhae?) (“This won’t open. What do I do?”)

An easy way to remember it: if another verb follows, it’s 어떻게; if the sentence ends right there, it’s 어떡해. It’s also worth learning some similar expressions alongside it: 어쩌지 (eojjeoji), 어쩌면 좋아 (eojjeomyeon joha), and 큰일 났다 (keunil natda).

어떡해 in culture

어떡해 shows up nonstop in K-dramas and variety shows. The scene where, at every moment of crisis, a character covers their mouth with their hand and fires off “어떡해, 어떡해” has practically become a cliché by now. In particular, when a character who’s just received a love confession blushes and mutters “어떡해…” to themselves, it’s often not rejection but a signal of butterflies — which is exactly why it’s an expression that’s easy to misread if you look only at the meaning without the context.

The same goes for everyday life. A friend who spills a drink at a café, a stranger who almost falls on the subway — even at someone’s minor mishap, “어머, 어떡해” is the first thing out of a Korean’s mouth. So once you can use this one phrase naturally and fittingly, it means you’ve gone beyond vocabulary and stepped one bit closer to the emotional rhythm of Korean speakers.

Today’s quiz

Which word goes in the blank — 어떡해 or 어떻게?

“리모컨이 안 돼. 이거 ______ 켜는 거야?” (“The remote won’t work. How do you turn this on?”)

The answer is 어떻게 (eotteoke). Since the verb “켜다” (“to turn on”) follows, you need the adverb 어떻게. But if the sentence had ended right there — like “리모컨이 고장 났어. ______?” (“The remote’s broken. ______?”) — then the answer would be 어떡해 (eotteokhae)!