If you’ve studied even a little Korean, you’ve seen some small syllables that show up again and again: 은, 는, 이, 가, 을, 를. These are particles. English doesn’t have them, so English speakers often find them hard.
In Korean, a particle is called 조사 (josa). You can think of it as a “helping word.” It helps a word connect to the rest of the sentence, or it adds a little meaning.
By the way, Korean has no prepositions (words like “in,” “at,” and “on”). Particles do that job, and they come after the noun. So it’s hard the other way too: Korean speakers often struggle with English prepositions.
Hailey has taught Korean for a long time, and she’s a really enthusiastic teacher. Here are the main points from her lesson on particles.
1. 은/는 vs 이/가 (topic vs subject)
Both attach to the noun a sentence is about, and at first glance they do the same job. The difference is in what the listener already knows.
은/는 marks the topic: something already known, or what the whole sentence is about.
이/가 marks the subject: often something new, or the specific answer to a “who/what” question.
Compare:
저는 학생이에요 (As for me, I’m a student: how you’d introduce yourself)
친구가 왔어요 (A friend came: the friend is new information here)
Questions give you a hint. If the question uses 이/가, the answer does too: 누가 왔어요? (Who came?) → 친구가 왔어요 (A friend came). If the question uses 은/는, so does the answer: 친구는 뭐 해요? (What is your friend doing?) → 친구는 자요 (My friend is sleeping).
은/는 has one more use: it can show a contrast. “오늘은 바빠요” (today I’m busy) hints that other days might be different, even if you never say so out loud.
Rule of thumb for spelling: 은 and 이 follow a consonant, 는 and 가 follow a vowel.
2. 을/를: what the action lands on
This one’s simpler. 을/를 marks the object, the thing the verb acts on:
밥을 먹어요 (I eat rice)
커피를 마셔요 (I drink coffee)
한국어를 배워요 (I’m learning Korean)
In casual speech, Koreans leave this particle out a lot, and “밥 먹어요” works just fine. Don’t stress about leaving it out when you speak. Just remember it’s there when you read.
Rule of thumb for spelling: 을 follows a consonant, 를 follows a vowel.
3. 에 vs 에서: both can mean “at,” but you can’t swap them
에 is for times, and for places with verbs like 있다 (to be there), 가다 (to go), and 오다 (to come): 세 시에 만나요 (let’s meet at 3), 월요일에 가요 (I’ll go on Monday), 학교에 가요 (I go to school).
에서 is for a place where you do something, like studying or working: 학교에서 공부해요 (I study at school), 도서관에서 책을 읽어요 (I read at the library).
So if you do something at a place, use 에서. For a time, a place you go to, or a place where something is, use 에.
4. 도 and 만 (“also” and “only”)
These two take the place of 은/는, 이/가, and 을/를, so you don’t put them together (say 저도, not 저는도). With other particles, like 에서, they go right after: 학교에서도 (at school too).
도 = also/too: 저도 갈게요 (I’ll go too)
만 = only/just: 물만 주세요 (just water, please)
They’re tiny, but they change the meaning of a sentence, so it’s good to practice them early.
5. 하고 / 이랑 / 와/과 (three ways to say “and” or “with”)
Korean has more than one “and.” The difference is mostly how formal you want to sound:
하고: neutral, works in speech and writing
이랑/랑: casual, mostly spoken
와/과: more formal, mostly written
Careful with the spelling here: 이랑 and 과 go after a consonant, 랑 and 와 go after a vowel.
친구랑 놀아요 (I hang out with a friend) and 부모님과 함께 (together with my parents) both mean “with.” Use 랑 when you text a friend, and 과 in formal writing, like a work email.
It takes time for English speakers to get used to particles. The fastest way I know to get there is hearing them again and again in real speech instead of staring at a grammar chart.
If you want to practice with this lesson, you can add the video to LoudClip. It shows the subtitles in time with the video, so you can shadow it: listen to a line, then say it out loud right after.
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Which particle is still hard for you? I’ll cover the trickier ones (에게/한테/께, 부터/까지, and 의, which works like “’s” in English) in a follow-up.
Watch the full lesson here: If You Know These 20 Korean Particles, You’re Not a Beginner Anymore 🎉