Particles 도, 만, 의, 와/과, 하고, (이)랑

(Part 1 of 1)

What You Will Learn in This Unit

You will learn the particles '도' and '만', which attach to nouns to add meaning or to limit them. You will learn the use and pronunciation of '의', which shows possession. You will also learn to distinguish and use '와/과', '하고', and '(이)랑', which connect nouns, according to whether the preceding noun ends in a final consonant (받침) and according to the level of formality.

도 and 만: Particles That Add Meaning and Limit

'도' means 'also' and shows that the preceding word has the same status as something mentioned before. If '는' in '나는 학생이에요.' is changed to '도', it becomes '나도 학생이에요.', which means 'I am a student too.'

'만' means 'only' and shows that the preceding word alone is limited. '나만 학생이에요.' means that I am the only person who is a student.

도 and 만 are used in the places where 은/는, 이/가, and 을/를 would appear, and they replace those particles. Therefore, do not use two particles together, as in '나는도'. Both particles attach directly after the noun in the same form, whether or not the noun ends in a final consonant.

의: The Particle That Shows Possession

'의' shows that the preceding word is the owner of the following word. When it shows possession, '의' is pronounced [의], and pronunciation as [에] is also allowed. For example, '나의 가방' is read as [나에 가방].

'의' is often used in a shortened form with pronouns. 나의 becomes 내, 저의 becomes 제, and 우리의 becomes 우리, and these are placed before a noun.

나의 and 저의 are used in written language and formal speech, while 내 and 제 are shortened forms used in everyday conversation. In front of a noun, '내 가방' and '나의 가방' have the same meaning.

와/과, 하고, and (이)랑: Particles That Connect Nouns and Show 'Together'

These three particles connect two nouns with the meaning 'and', as in '사과와 빵' (apples and bread). The differences in their forms and levels of formality are shown below.