Korean Particles 에 에서 (으)로 하고 도 만 한테 Explained

Day 10 Recap

What you learned in Day 10:

은/는 and 이/가 both attach at the subject position — that's the common ground
은/는: topic marker — "as for ___", contrast, can attach outside the subject slot
이/가: subject marker — new information, exclusive emphasis, answering who/what
First mention → 이/가 / mentioned again → 은/는

Today, we properly cover the remaining particles that were introduced in Day 9's overview table.

에 vs 에서 — Why English "at" Splits into Two

In English, "at" handles everything:

I'm at school.       (being there)
I study at school.   (doing something there)

Both are "at school." English doesn't distinguish.

Korean does:

학교에 있어요.       (being there)
학교에서 공부해요.   (doing something there)

The difference is what's happening at that location.

에 — Existence, State, Destination

에 marks "I'm there" or "I'm going there."

학교에 있어요.         → I'm at school.        (existence)
서울에 살아요.         → I live in Seoul.       (state)
학교에 가요.           → I go to school.        (destination)
카페에 도착했어요.     → I arrived at the café. (arrival point)

With verbs of existence or state — 있다 (to be), 없다 (not to be), 살다 (to live) — always use 에.

에서 — Where the Action Happens

에서 marks "something is happening here."

학교에서 공부해요.       → I study at school.
카페에서 일해요.         → I work at the café.
공원에서 달려요.         → I run in the park.
도서관에서 책을 읽어요.  → I read at the library.

Side by Side

카페에 있어요.     → I'm at the café.    (existence — 에)
카페에서 일해요.   → I work at the café. (action — 에서)

학교에 가요.       → I go to school.     (destination — 에)
학교에서 배워요.   → I learn at school.  (action — 에서)

One English "at" splits into two Korean particles. The verb tells you which to use — state verb → 에, action verb → 에서.

✏️ Activity 1: 에 or 에서?

Fill in the blank with 에 or 에서 based on the hint.

1. 저는 지금 집___ 있어요.   I'm at home right now.
   Hint: being there — existence

2. 오빠가 도서관___ 공부해요.   Older brother studies at the library.
   Hint: studying — action happening there

3. 우리는 공원___ 가요.   We're going to the park.
   Hint: going there — destination

4. 친구가 카페___ 기다려요.   My friend is waiting at the café.
   Hint: waiting — action happening there

5. 저는 서울___ 살아요.   I live in Seoul.
   Hint: state — 살다 (to live)

6. 학교___ 뭐 해요?   What do you do at school?
   Hint: something happening at school — action

(으)로 — What English Splits Across Multiple Prepositions

English uses different prepositions for direction, means, and material:

toward Seoul     direction
by bus           means
with chopsticks  tool
made of wood     material
in Korean        language

Korean uses (으)로 for all of them.

1. Direction — heading that way

서울로 가요.       → I'm heading to Seoul.
왼쪽으로 가세요.   → Go left.

에 also marks direction, but with a slight difference:

학교에 가요.   → I go to school.          (destination — arriving there)
학교로 가요.   → I'm heading to school.   (direction — moving that way)

In everyday speech, 에 is more common for destinations. (으)로 emphasizes the direction of movement.

2. Means, Tool, Language

버스로 가요.           → I go by bus.
지하철로 출근해요.     → I commute by subway.
젓가락으로 먹어요.     → I eat with chopsticks.
한국어로 말해요.       → I speak in Korean.

3. Material

나무로 만들었어요.     → It's made of wood.
쌀로 만든 음식이에요.  → It's food made from rice.

"By bus," "with chopsticks," "toward Seoul," "made of wood" — four different English prepositions, one Korean particle.

하고 / 와·과 — Why Korean "and" Changes Depending on Context

English "and" is always "and" — in speech, in writing, everywhere.

Korean is different. You can use the word 그리고 ("and" as a connector), but when "and" links nouns directly, it's a particle — and that particle changes depending on whether you're speaking or writing.

Particle	받침	Context
와	no 받침	written, formal
과	with 받침	written, formal
하고	either	spoken, casual

사과와 바나나          → apple and banana   (written — no 받침 → 와)
밥과 국               → rice and soup      (written — 받침 → 과)
사과하고 바나나        → apple and banana   (spoken)

친구와 가요.           → I go with a friend.  (written)
친구하고 가요.         → I go with a friend.  (spoken)

In K-dramas and everyday conversation, 하고 is by far the most common. In news, textbooks, and formal writing, 와/과 is used.

Unlike English, where you always say and write "and," Korean has the spoken/written distinction built into the particle itself.

도 / 만 — Different from English "too" and "only"

In English, "too" and "only" are standalone words that can move around the sentence:

I'm going too.      / Too, I'm going.
Only I know.        / I only know.

In Korean, 도 and 만 are particles that attach directly to nouns.

도 — Inclusion (too / also)

나도 가요.             → I'm going too.
커피도 마셔요.         → I drink coffee too.
민준이도 왔어요.       → Minjun came too.

도 replaces 이/가 and 을/를:

내가 → 나도   (도 takes the 이/가 slot)
커피를 → 커피도  (도 takes the 을/를 slot)

With other particles (에, 에서, 한테, etc.), 도 follows them:

학교에도 가요.         → I go to school too.
친구한테도 줬어요.     → I gave to my friend too.

만 — Limitation (only)

나만 알아요.           → Only I know.
커피만 마셔요.         → I only drink coffee.
오늘만 해요.           → I'm only doing it today.

만 also replaces 이/가 and 을/를, and follows other particles:

학교에만 가요.         → I only go to school.
친구한테만 말했어요.   → I only told my friend.

한테 / 에게 — English "to" (for people)

In English, "to" covers both people and places:

I go to school.          (place)
I give it to my friend.  (person)

Korean distinguishes:

학교에 가요.           → I go to school.           (place → 에)
친구한테 줘요.         → I give it to my friend.   (person → 한테)

Particle	Context
한테	spoken, casual
에게	written, formal

친구한테 줬어요.       → I gave it to a friend.   (spoken)
친구에게 드렸어요.     → I gave it to a friend.   (written/formal)
강아지한테 밥을 줘요.  → I give food to the dog.
선생님에게 물어봐요.   → I ask the teacher.

한테서 / 에게서 — English "from" (from a person)

한테/에게 marks the direction going to someone. 한테서/에게서 marks the direction coming from someone.

친구한테서 받았어요.   → I received it from a friend.   (spoken)
친구에게서 받았어요.   → I received it from a friend.   (written)
선생님한테서 들었어요. → I heard it from the teacher.

한테 vs 한테서:

친구한테 줬어요.       → gave TO a friend       (outgoing direction)
친구한테서 받았어요.   → received FROM a friend  (incoming direction)

English "to" and "from" — Korean 한테 and 한테서.

One important note: for places, use 에서, not 한테서.

서울에서 왔어요.   ✓   I came from Seoul.   (place → 에서)
서울한테서 왔어요. ✗

부터 / 까지 — Start Point and End Point

A quick recap from the Day 9 overview table.

Like English "from" and "until/to" — but in Korean, these are particles that attach directly to nouns.

월요일부터            → from Monday
금요일까지            → until Friday
월요일부터 금요일까지  → from Monday to Friday

Works for places too:

서울부터 부산까지     → from Seoul to Busan
여기부터 저기까지     → from here to there

✏️ Activity 2: Choose the Particle

Choose from the box and fill in the blank. (하고 / 도 / 만 / 한테 / 한테서 / 부터 / 까지)

1. 오빠___ 언니가 왔어요.
   (both older brother and older sister — listing, spoken)

2. 저는 민준이___ 연락을 받았어요.
   (received contact from Minjun — incoming direction)

3. 나___ 몰랐어요.
   (others knew, but not me — limitation)

4. 저는 어제 친구___ 선물을 줬어요.
   (gave a gift to a friend — outgoing direction)

5. 수업은 9시___ 12시___ 해요.
   (class runs from 9 to 12 — start and end point)

6. 저도 가고 싶어요. 동생___ 가고 싶어요.
   (younger sibling wants to go too — inclusion)

✏️ Activity 3: Put It Together

Fill in the blank with 에 / 에서 / (으)로 / 하고 / 한테.

1. 언니가 카페___ 커피를 마셔요.
   (drinking at the café — action)

2. 저는 지하철___ 회사에 가요.
   (subway as the means of transport)

3. 강아지___ 간식을 줬어요.
   (giving a treat to the dog — animal recipient)

4. 비빔밥___ 된장찌개를 주문했어요.
   (bibimbap and doenjang jjigae — listing, spoken)

5. 집___ 있어요. 나가기 싫어요.
   (being at home — existence)

6. 버스가 서울___ 출발해요.
   (departing toward Seoul — direction)

Mini Quiz: Day 11

Q1. Why does English "at" split into two Korean particles?

A) Form changes based on 받침
B) 에 marks existence/state, 에서 marks where an action happens
C) 에서 is spoken, 에 is written
D) No reason — it's a historical convention
Answer: ____

Q2. What's the difference between "친구한테 줬어요" and "친구한테서 받았어요"?

A) 한테 = spoken, 한테서 = written
B) 한테 = to a person (outgoing), 한테서 = from a person (incoming)
C) Form changes based on 받침
Answer: ____

Q3. Which sentence does NOT use (으)로 correctly?

A) 버스로 가요.          (means)
B) 나무로 만들었어요.    (material)
C) 학교에서 공부해요.    (action location)
D) 서울로 출발해요.      (direction)
Answer: ____

Q4. Fill in the blanks.

저는 버스___ 학교___ 가요. 학교___ 한국어를 배워요.
(bus: means / school: destination / school: action location)

(Answers: Q1-B, Q2-B, Q3-C, Q4: 로, 에, 에서)

Answer Key

Activity 1

1. 집에       (existence — 있어요)
2. 도서관에서  (action — 공부해요)
3. 공원에      (destination — 가요)
4. 카페에서    (action — 기다려요)
5. 서울에      (state — 살아요)
6. 학교에서    (action location — asking what happens at school)

Activity 2

1. 오빠하고    (listing — spoken)
2. 민준이한테서  (incoming direction — from Minjun)
3. 나만        (limitation — only me)
4. 친구한테    (outgoing direction — to a friend)
5. 9시부터 12시까지  (start and end point)
6. 동생도      (inclusion — younger sibling too)

Activity 3

1. 카페에서    (action — 마셔요)
2. 지하철로    (means)
3. 강아지한테  (animal recipient)
4. 비빔밥하고  (listing — spoken)
5. 집에        (existence — 있어요)
6. 서울로      (direction)

Day 11 Checklist

"Next up: Day 12 — 내가, 제가, 이게, 그게 — Pronouns and Contractions"

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Place, Direction & Relationships — The Rest of the Particles