Korean particles (조사) are small words attached to nouns that show their role in a sentence. They're one of the first things you need to master, and one of the trickiest parts of Korean for English speakers.
What Are Korean Particles?
In English, word order tells you who does what: "The dog bit the man" vs "The man bit the dog." In Korean, particles do this job, which means word order is flexible.
Essential Particles
은/는 — Topic Marker
Marks what the sentence is about. Think of it as "As for..."
- 한국어는 재미있어요. (As for Korean, it's fun.)
- 날씨는 좋아요. (As for the weather, it's nice.)
Use 은 after consonants, 는 after vowels.
이/가 — Subject Marker
Marks new information or the specific subject.
- 비가 와요. (Rain is coming.) — new info
- 이것이 제 가방이에요. (This is my bag.) — identification
Use 이 after consonants, 가 after vowels.
을/를 — Object Marker
Marks the object of the action.
- 커피를 마셔요. (I drink coffee.)
- 책을 읽어요. (I read a book.)
Use 을 after consonants, 를 after vowels.
에 — Location/Time
Marks where or when.
- 학교에 가요. (I go to school.) — destination
- 3시에 만나요. (Let's meet at 3.) — time
- 서울에 살아요. (I live in Seoul.) — location of existence
에서 — Action Location / From
Marks where an action takes place or origin.
- 도서관에서 공부해요. (I study at the library.) — action
- 미국에서 왔어요. (I came from the US.) — origin
의 — Possession
Like English "'s" or "of."
- 선생님의 책 (Teacher's book)
- 한국의 문화 (Korea's culture)
Often dropped in casual speech: 엄마 핸드폰 instead of 엄마의 핸드폰.
도 — Also/Too
Replaces other particles to mean "also."
- 나도 갈 거야. (I'll go too.)
- 이것도 주세요. (Give me this too.)
와/과, (이)랑, 하고 — And/With
Three ways to say "and" or "with":
- 커피와 케이크 (formal written)
- 커피랑 케이크 (casual spoken)
- 커피하고 케이크 (neutral)
Practice Makes Perfect
The best way to learn particles? Write Korean and get it corrected. Our native editors will catch every particle mistake and explain why.