Korean Particles

**What Are Particles?**

In Korean grammar, particles are postpositional markers that are attached to nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs to indicate their grammatical function in a sentence. Unlike English, which primarily relies on word order to convey meaning, Korean uses particles to clarify the relationships between words.

**Common Korean Particles**

1. **은/는 (Topic/Subject Marker):**

   - **은 (eun) or 는 (neun)** is used to mark the topic or subject of a sentence.

   - **Example:** "저는 한국 사람입니다." (I am Korean.)

2. **이/가 (Subject Marker):**

   - **이 (i) or 가 (ga)** is used to mark the subject of a sentence.

   - **Example:** "그 사람이 학생입니다." (That person is a student.)

3. **을/를 (Object Marker):**

   - **을 (eul) or 를 (reul)** is used to mark the object of a verb.

   - **Example:** "책을 읽어요." (I read a book.)

4. **에 (Location Marker):**

   - **에 (e)** is used to indicate a location.

   - **Example:** "학교에 갑니다." (I go to school.)

5. **에서 (Location Marker for Action):**

   - **에서 (eseo)** is used to indicate the location where an action takes place.

   - **Example:** "집에서 공부해요." (I study at home.)

6. **로/으로 (Direction Marker):**

   - **로 (ro) or 으로 (euro)** is used to indicate the direction of movement.

   - **Example:** "학교로 갑니다." (I go to school.)

7. **와/과 (And):**

   - **와 (wa) or 과 (gwa)** is used to connect nouns, indicating "and."

   - **Example:** "사과와 바나나를 먹어요." (I eat apples and bananas.)

8. **이랑/랑 (And, Informal):**

   - **이랑 (irang) or 랑 (rang)** is an informal version of "와/과," used in casual speech.

   - **Example:** "친구랑 영화를 봐요." (I watch a movie with my friend.)