Learn Grammar
Korean particles cheat sheet: 도 (do), 만 (man), 한테 (hante) and more
도, 의, 한테, 부터, 까지, (으)로, 하고 and 만 on one page. What each one means, how its form changes, and the 이에요 vs 예요 rule.
The short answer: A particle is a small word ending that shows the job of a word in the sentence. You may already know 은/는, 이/가 and 을/를. After those, eight more particles do most of the work. The five most useful are 도 (also), 만 (only), 한테 (to a person), (으)로 (by, toward) and 부터/까지 (from/until).
Each particle goes on the end of a word, like a suffix.
Imagine you are at a café. Your friend orders 아이스 아메리카노로 주세요 (aiseu amerikanoro juseyo) — "An iced americano, please." You say 저도요 (jeodoyo) — "Me too." You just used two particles from this page.
Which particles are on the list?
| Particle | Romanization | Basic meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 도 | do | also, too | 저도 가요. ("I'm going too.") |
| 의 | ui | 's, of | 친구의 책 ("a friend's book") |
| 한테 / 에게 / 께 | hante / ege / kke | to (a person) | 엄마한테 전화해요. ("I call Mom.") |
| 부터 | buteo | from (a time) | 9시부터 ("from 9 o'clock") |
| 까지 | kkaji | until, up to | 6시까지 ("until 6") |
| (으)로 | (eu)ro | by, with, toward | 버스로 가요. ("I go by bus.") |
| 와/과, 하고, (이)랑 | wa/gwa, hago, (i)rang | and, with | 빵하고 우유 ("bread and milk") |
| 만 | man | only, just | 물만 마셔요. ("I only drink water.") |
What should you learn first for a trip to Korea?
- Learn first: 도 and 만. With "Me too" and "Just one, please," you can order any meal.
- Learn next: (으)로 and 한테. For ordering, directions and people.
- Learn after that: 부터, 까지 and 하고. For times and shopping lists.
- Mostly for reading: 의 and 와/과. Common in writing, often dropped in speech.
Using them in a sentence
도 (also) replaces 은/는, 이/가 and 을/를. You do not add it after them.
- 저는 학생이에요. → 저도 학생이에요. ("I'm a student too.")
- 커피를 마셔요. → 차도 마셔요. ("I drink tea too.")
Place and time particles are different. 도 comes after them: 학교에도 있어요, 주말에도 일해요 ("I work on weekends too").
만 (only) usually replaces them too: 하나만 주세요 ("Just one, please"), 주말에만 운동해요 ("I only exercise on weekends").
(으)로 (by, toward) changes its form. After a consonant, use 으로. After a vowel, use 로. Words that end in ㄹ also take 로.
| Word | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 버스 | 버스로 | by bus |
| 손 | 손으로 | by hand |
| 지하철 (ends in ㄹ) | 지하철로 | by subway |
| 왼쪽 | 왼쪽으로 | to the left |
(으)로 also shows a choice. That is the 아메리카노로 주세요 from the café. It means "I choose an americano."
부터 and 까지 give a time range: 9시부터 6시까지 일해요 ("I work from 9 to 6"). For a starting place, Korean usually uses 에서: 서울에서 부산까지 ("from Seoul to Busan"). 까지 works for both time and place.
Which "to a person" word should I use?
For places, Korean uses 에. For people, it uses one of these three.
| Form | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 한테 | in speech, casual or polite | 친구한테 줬어요. ("I gave it to a friend.") |
| 에게 | neutral, common in writing | 학생들에게 말했어요. ("I told the students.") |
| 께 | honorific (shows extra respect), for people you respect | 할머니께 드렸어요. ("I gave it to Grandma.") |
For "from a person," add 서: 친구한테서 받았어요 ("I got it from a friend"). In speech, plain 한테 often means "from" too.
Easy mistakes
- 와/과 works the other way. With 은/는, 이/가 and 을/를, the form that starts with a vowel goes after a consonant. With 와/과 it is the opposite. Use 와 after a vowel (친구와) and 과 after a consonant (책과).
- 저도는, 저도가 → 도 replaces the particle. Just say 저도.
- 지하철으로 → words ending in ㄹ take 로: 지하철로.
- 학생이예요, 아니예요 → the correct forms are 학생이에요 and 아니에요. See the last section.
Which "and" should you choose? 하고 (hago) is for everyday speech. (이)랑 ((i)rang) is casual and friendly. 와/과 sounds like writing. For "together with," add 같이: 친구하고 같이 가요 ("I'm going with a friend").
Why do Koreans often drop 의?
의 works like English 's. But in speech, people often leave it out. 엄마 친구 ("Mom's friend") sounds more natural than 엄마의 친구.
With "I" and "you," 의 joins the word: 저의 → 제, 나의 → 내, 너의 → 네. So "my name" is 제 이름 (je ireum).
When you do hear 의, it may not sound like ui. The standard rules allow this 의 to sound like [에]. So 친구의 책 often sounds like [친구에 책].
Extra: 이에요 or 예요?
To say "A is B," Korean uses 이에요 or 예요. The form rule is the same as for 은/는.
- The word ends in a consonant → 이에요: 학생이에요, 물이에요
- The word ends in a vowel → 예요: 의사예요, 커피예요
In casual speech, 예요 often sounds like [에요]. The formal form is 입니다 for both. The negative is 아니에요, with 이/가: 학생이 아니에요 ("I'm not a student").
Quick check
- "Only coffee, please." 커피___ 주세요. → 커피만
- "I go by subway." 지하철___ 가요. → it ends in ㄹ: 지하철로
- "I'm a teacher." 선생님___ → 님 ends in ㅁ: 선생님이에요
Sources
- National Institute of Korean Language, Korean-English Learners' Dictionary: 도 — krdict.korean.go.kr
- National Institute of Korean Language, Korean-English Learners' Dictionary: 한테 — krdict.korean.go.kr
- National Institute of Korean Language, Online Q&A: 이에요 and 예요 — korean.go.kr