Section 06 · 조사
Particles
The tiny letters that tell you who is doing what.
Korean marks roles with tiny syllables tacked onto the end of each noun. English uses word order (the dog bit the man); Korean uses particles. Once you can spot them, you can read a whole sentence by asking: which noun is the topic, which is the doer, which is the thing being done to?
The five you'll meet first
Each particle has two forms. Pick one based on whether the noun before it ends in a consonant or a vowel.
| Role | After consonant | After vowel | What it marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic | 은 | 는 | as for X… the thing we're talking about |
| Subject | 이 | 가 | who or what is doing the action |
| Object | 을 | 를 | the noun the verb acts on |
| Location / time | 에 | 에 | where something is or when |
| Action location | 에서 | 에서 | where an action happens |
Topic vs subject
This is the one English speakers burn the most time on, because English doesn't separate the two.
은/는 sets the topic. "As for me, I like coffee." It often carries a quiet contrast with something else. 이/가 picks out who or what performs the action, and tends to carry new information: the answer to a question.
- — As for me, I'm a student. (topic: me)
- — Who came? — (subject: Minji, new info)
Object
을/를 marks the thing the verb is acting on. It's the closest Korean gets to a "direct object" marker.
- — I like coffee. 커피 ends in a vowel, so 를.
- — I read a book. 책 ends in a consonant, so 을.
Location: 에 vs 에서
Both translate to "at" or "in." The difference is about what's happening there.
에 goes with static verbs (to be, to live) and with motion toward a place.
- — I'm at home.
- — I'm going to school.
에서 goes with active verbs. The action happens at that location.
- — I study at the café.
- — I live in Seoul. (살다 is often treated as active in Korean.)
Particles are also where politeness first becomes audible: the same sentence with 저는 sounds more formal than with 나는. That's the next page.