Korean Particles || HOW TO Use 은/는, 이/가 and 을/를

Q: What is the Korean topic particle?

The Korean topic particle is 은/는. -은 is used when the word ends with a consonant -는 is used when the word ends with a vowel.

Q: What is the Korean object particle?

The Korean object particle is 을/를. -을 is used when the noun ends with a consonant -를 is used when the noun ends in a vowel

Q: What is the Korean subject particle?

The Korean subject particle is 이/가. -이 is used when the word ends with a consonant -가 is used when the word ends with a vowel

Home A1 Korean particles (은/는, 이/가, 을/를)

BASIC KOREAN PARTICLES

It’s time to delve into the world of Korean particles.

Just like Japanese and few other languages, the Korean language uses particles to link nouns, topics, subjects and more together.

This an important aspect of the language you MUSTN’T miss out on.

TOPIC PARTICLES 은/는

은/는 are used to mark the topic in a sentence, showing what you are going to mainly talk about.

PATTERN

Noun + 은 / 는

-은 is used when the noun ends with a consonant
-는 is used when the noun ends with a vowel

For example:

^{igeoseun manhwachaegieyo.}

이것은 만화책이에요.

_{This is a comic book.}

^{seoureun aju keun dosiyeyo.}

서울은 아주 큰 도시예요.

_{Seoul is a huge city.}

View More Phrases

korean	romanisation	english
그 남자는미국에서 왔어요.	geu namjaneun migugeseo wasseoyo.	The man is from the United States.
김치는건강에 좋아요.	gimchineun geongange johayo.	Kimchi is good for your health.

SUBJECT PARTICLES 이/가

이/가 are used to mark the grammatical subject in a sentence.

PATTERN

Noun + 이 / 가

-이 is used when the noun ends with a consonant
-가 is used when the noun ends with a vowel

For example:

^{noteubugi chaeksang wie isseoyo.}

노트북이 책상 위에 있어요.

_{The laptop is on a table.}

^{eumsigi junbidoeeosseoyo.}

음식이 준비되었어요.

_{The food is ready.}

View More Phrases

korean	romanisation	english
날씨가정말 좋아요.	nalssiga jeongmal johayo.	The weather is very nice.
할아버지가공원에 갔어요.	harabeojiga gongwone gasseoyo.	My grandfather went to the park.

Both 이/가 and 은/는 are attached to subjects in sentences, so it could be quite tricky.

Here are some differences you should know when using 은/는 and 이/가!

FOCUS ON 이/가

EXAMPLE 1

이/가 is used when talking about new information or something for the first time.

동네에 새로운 식당이 생겼어요. 그 식당은 인기가 많아요.

dongnee saeroun sikdangi saenggyeosseoyo. geu sikdangeun ingiga manhayo.

There is a new restaurant in my neighbourhood. The restaurant is very popular.

지수가 남자친구와 파티에 왔어요. 남자친구의 이름은 민호예요.

jisuga namjachinguwa patie wasseoyo. namjachinguui ireumeun minhoyeyo.

Jisu came to the party with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend’s name is Minho.

EXAMPLE 2

이/가 is used when talking about a specific thing.

^{geu namjaga nareul bulleosseoyo.}

그 남자가 나를 불렀어요.

_{That man called me.}

^{gangajiga keuge jijeoyo.}

강아지가 크게 짖어요.

_{The dog is barking loudly.}

FOCUS ON 은/는

EXAMPLE 1

은/는 is used when talking about something you may already know.

동네에 새로운 식당이 생겼어요. 그 식당은 인기가 많아요.

dongnee saeroun sikdangi saenggyeosseoyo. geu sikdangeun ingiga manhayo.

There is a new restaurant in my neighbourhood. The restaurant is very popular.

지수가 남자친구와 파티에 왔어요. 남자친구의 이름은 민호예요.

jisuga namjachinguwa patie wasseoyo. namjachinguui ireumeun minhoyeyo

Jisu came to the party with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend’s name is Minho.

EXAMPLE 2

은/는 is used when talking about general facts.

코끼리는코가 길어요.	kokkirineun koga gireoyo.	An elephant has a long nose.
내 동생은대학생이에요.	naedongsaengeun daehaksaengieyo.	My younger sister is a college student.

EXAMPLE 3

은/는 is used for contrast and comparisons.

수지는키가 크고, 미나는키가 작아요.	sujineun kiga keugo, minaneun kiga jagayo.	Suji is tall but Mina is short.
사과는빨간색이고 바나나는노란색이에요.	sagwaneun ppalgansaegigo banananeun noransaegieyo	Apples are red, and bananas are yellow.

OBJECT PARTICLES 을/를

을/를 are used to indicate the object in a sentence.

PATTERN

Noun + 을 / 를

-을 is used when the noun ends with a consonant
-를 is used when the noun ends in a vowel

^{jeniga keopireul masyeoyo.}

제니가 커피를 마셔요.

_{Jenny is drinking coffee.}

^{jiminiga yeonghwareul bwayo.}

지민이가 영화를 봐요.

_{Jimin is watching a movie.}

Learn Korean with FlexiClasses

Book online classes with the best teachers in the industry.

FAQs

What is the Korean topic particle?

The Korean topic particle is 은/는.

-은 is used when the word ends with a consonant

-는 is used when the word ends with a vowel.

What is the Korean object particle?

The Korean object particle is 을/를.

-을 is used when the noun ends with a consonant

-를 is used when the noun ends in a vowel

What is the Korean subject particle?

The Korean subject particle is 이/가.

-이 is used when the word ends with a consonant

-가 is used when the word ends with a vowel

Are Korean and Japanese similar languages?

Korean and Japanese do not sound the same, and do not have the same writing system either. Korean uses an alphabet, Japanese uses two alphabets and Kanji.

They do however have some similarities in their sentence structure and use of particles to link subjects, topics and objects together.

Is Korean SVO or SOV?

Korean is a SOV language, meaning the basic language structure is:

Subject + Object + Verb

Japanese, Mongolian and Turkish are also SOV languages for example.

English is a SVO language: subject + verb + object

—

Learn more about Korean sentence structure here.

Can I learn Korean with LTL?

We teach Korean online on our Flexi Classes platform.

And even have a 7 Day Free Trial!

We also offer Korean Courses in Seoul, for both group and individual classes.

Korean Grammar Bank

BASIC KOREAN PARTICLES

TOPIC PARTICLES 은/는

PATTERN