-은

은 Korean Pronunciation Etymology 1 From ko okm - -은〮/-ᄋᆞᆫ〮 -ún/-ón, from ko oko 隱 *-(u)n. Attested since the very beginning of Korean writing in the first millennium. The post-vocalic form ko -는 is probably formed by pre-Middle Korean reduplication, with the original form ko -ㄴ now relegated to colloquial speech. Alternative forms ko -는 after vowels ko -ㄴ after vowels, colloquial Particle particle The Korean topic marker, with various nuances according to context: Used to mark an already known topic, to which the subsequent statement applies. ko 오늘-은 너무 춥다. Today [TOP] is too cold. y ko 그 일-은 잊어-버리자. Let's forget about that business [TOP]. y ko 서울-에-는 사람-이 너무 많다. In Seoul [TOP], there are too many people. y Used to mark the topic in statements of general fact. ko 한국-은 작은 나라-가 아닙니다. Korea [TOP] is not a small country. y ko 해-는 매일 아침 동쪽-에서 뜬다. The sun [TOP] rises every morning in the east. y what about; Used without a predicate to demand new information about an already known topic. ko 이건 엄마 꺼-야. ― 아빠 꺼-는? This is for Mom. ― And for Dad [TOP]? y ko 우리 형 여기 있어. ― 너희 누나-는? My brother is here. ― And your sister [TOP]? y Used in contrastive constructions, often with an exclusive sense (i.e. this and not anything else). ko 눈-은 예쁘네. Her eyes [TOP] are pretty [implied: but she is otherwise not pretty.] y ko 친구-는 많은데 절친-은 없다. She has lots of friends [TOP] but no best friend [TOP]. y Used with an emphatic sense. ko 너 없이-는 못 산다. I can't live without [TOP] you. y Used to background previously known information, in order to highlight the importance of the statement which follows; the marked topic is omittable. ko 나-는 딱히 하고 싶은 말 없어. na[TOP] ttakhi hago sipeun mal eopsseo. I [TOP] don't have anything in particular I want to say. y Usage notes ko -은 can appear after bare nouns and pronouns, adverbs, certain verbal connective suffixes (e.g. ko -면 if, ko -어서 and then), and most case-marking particles. It is not compatible with nominative case markers ko -가 and ko -이, or with accusative case marker ko -을; if a noun in the nominative or accusative is topic-marked, the case-marking particle cannot appear. The distinction between topic-marking ko -은 and subject-marking ko -가 and ko -이 is often difficult for non-fluent speakers. Essentially, ko -은 is explicitly topicalizing, i.e. marking previously known information as the topic to which the new information in the subsequent statement applies, while ko -가 and ko -이 (by virtue of not being explicitly topicalizing) has a focalizing connotation, i.e. marking the preceding word as new information introduced into the discourse. Compare the context of the following: ko 너 지금 어디야? — 난 벌써 왔는데? neo jigeum eodiya? — na-n beolsseo wanneunde? Where are you? — But I[TOP]'ve already come. The newly introduced focus is the fact of having come. ko 누-가 왔어? — 내-가 왔지. Who came? — I [NON-TOP] did, of course. The newly introduced focus is the person who has come. Accordingly, ko -은 can only be used for a topic that is already shared knowledge to both discourse participants. In the first example below, topic-marked ko 오빠-는 is ungrammatical because the identity of the person is not shared knowledge prior to the conversation. But once the presence of the older brother is shared knowledge, topic-marking can be used: ko 누구야? — 우리 오빠-가 할 말 있대. Who is it? — My older brother says he has something to say. ko 너희 오빠-는 왜 또 한밤중-에 전화하냐? Why is your older brother calling in the middle of the night again? Similarly, the use of ko 은 in statements of general fact can be explained by the fact that the existence of e.g. Korea or the sun is already common knowledge to all discourse participants. When a topic-marked word or phrase is at the beginning of the sentence, it is most commonly intended as either the topic or the background information of the rest of the sentence. When it appears within a sentence, it is almost always contrastive or emphatic. See also ko -이 -가 nominative case markers は wa Japanese equivalent Etymology 2 adnominal From ko okm - -은/-ᄋᆞᆫ -un/on, from ko oko 隱 *-(u)n. In Old Korean, a (perhaps the) primary function of this suffix was to form verbal gerunds that could function as nouns, much as English en -ing-forms serve as both independent nouns and to attribute nouns adjectivally; this nominalizing usage was only vestigial in Middle Korean and is wholly defunct today. Alternative forms ko -ㄴ after vowels or ko ㄹ Suffix suffix that, which; past adnominal suffix for verbal stems, often carries a perfect meaning. ko -었는 nonstandard, slightly different nuance ko -던 imperfective -는 present -을 future ko 네-가 어제 빌린 사전 the dictionary which you borrowed yesterday ko 어제 먹-은 빵 the bread which I ate yesterday ko 퍼런 정장-을 입은 남자 the man wearing (that put on) a deep blue suit Realis adnominal suffix for adjectival stems. ko -었는 nonstandard, slightly different nuance ko -던 imperfective -을 irrealis ko 차가운 손 hands which are cold; cold hands ko 아름다운 여인 beautiful lady; lady who is beautiful Related terms ko -는 -던 -은데 -은지