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Korean/Particles
Reference material by Wikibooks contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
Grammar
English often uses prepositions to show the relationship of a noun to the rest of the sentence. Examples are "to home", "across the river", "on the street", etc. Like English prepositions, Korean particles are short words that describe spatial relationships between objects and designate things like the subject and direct object. Unlike English prepositions, though, Korean particles come after the words they modify (hence their alternative name: "postpositions").
Consider the following sentence:
Korean: '도서관이 시장 옆에 있어요.'
Literally: 'library market next to is.'
English: 'The library is next to the market.'
In Korean, the phrase 옆에 ('next to') is placed after 시장 ('the market').
Below is a basic list of postpositions and words to describe spatial relationships.
에게 ("to [a person]")
에서 ("from" or "at")
을/를 (direct object)
근처 nearby
멀다 be far from here
가깝다 be near/close
위 above/on
아래 below
앞 in front of
뒤 behind
옆 beside/by/next to
안 inside
Here are some examples of how to use these postpositions.
새가 지붕 위에 있어요.
There's a bird on the roof.
어머니는 주방 안에 있어요.
Mother is in the kitchen.
Postpositions dealing with time
동안 - for
는 동안 - while
Example sentences
30분동안 잤어요.
I slept for 30 minutes.
나는 말하는 동안 영화를 봤어요.
I talked while watching a movie.
Grammar