Case Markers
Korean word order is relatively free while English has a default word order such as subject-verb-object. The subject always comes before a verb and the object comes after a verb. If the subject and the object switch its position in English, it changes the meaning and becomes a different sentence.
Tom studies Korean
Tom Korean studies
Korean Tom studies
However, not only you can move the subject and the object, but also any element in a sentence, except for a verb in Korean.
톰이 한국어를 집에서 공부합니다 (Tom studies Korean at home)
톰이 집에서 한국어를 공부합니다 (Tom studies Korean at home)
한국어를 톰이 집에서 공부합니다 (Tom studies Korean at home)
한국어를 집에서 톰이 공부합니다 (Tom studies Korean at home)
집에서 톰이 한국어를 공부합니다 (Tom studies Korean at home)
집에서 한국어를 톰이 공부합니다 (Tom studies Korean at home)
The sentences above have the same meaning regardless of their positions which are marked in red color. You can see that Korean word order is flexible. It is because of the case markers. even if there is a movement of a particular element in a given sentence, we can identify what function each element has without confusion by looking at the case markers that they carry. A case marker is attached to a noun and plays a significant role in representing its specific function in a sentence.
We are going to study each case marker and what function they carry. Therefore you can distinguish each element used in a sentence so that you will not be confused even if the elements are switched to their positions in a sentence.
1. -이, -가 (Subject Case Marker) & -을, -를 (Object Case Marker)
Subject Case Marker
Form: -이 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant)
Example: 톰이, 물이, 학생이
Form: -가 (attached to a noun that ends with a vowel)
Example : 제리가, 다리가, 사자가
Object Case Marker
Form: -을 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant)
Example: 톰을, 물을, 학생을
Form -를 (attached to a noun that ends with a vowel)
Example : 제리를, 다리를, 사자를
These case markers help you to distinguish the subject and the object in a sentence.
Let's take a look at the examples with the sample sentences.
톰이 제리를 좋아합니다 (Tom likes Jerry)
제리가 톰을 좋아합니다 (Jerry likes Tom)
사자가 학생을 무서워합니다 (A lion is afraid of a student)
학생이 사자를 무서워합니다 (A student is afraid of a lion)
*The honorific subject case marker is “~께서.” You can use it when a subject is a person with whom you need to show respect.
아버지께서 집에 오셨다 (My father came home)
부모님께서 오늘 떠나신다 (My parents are leaving today)
Note:
This rule is applied only to native Korean first names. It does not apply to any foreign first name. If the subject is a person’s first name which ends with a final consonant such as 대영, 규진, the vocative suffix “~이” is attached and then the subject case marker “~가” comes after.
영호가 한국어를 공부합니다 (Young-ho studies Korean)
사랑이가 한국어를 공부합니다 (Sa-rang studies Korean)
사랑가 한국어를 공부합니다 (X)
톰이 한국어를 공부합니다 (Tom studies Korean)
제리가 한국어를 공부합니다 (Jerry studies Korean)
제리이가 한국어를 공부합니다 (X)
This vocative suffix rule is applied whenever a native Korean first name, which ends with a final consonant, is used with case markers or particles.
톰이 사랑이를 좋아합니다 (Tom likes Sa-rang)
제리가 영호를 좋아합니다 (Jerry likes Young-ho)
제리가 대영이에게 말합니다 (Jerry talks to Dae-young)
민경이가 도윤이에게 말합니다 (Min-kyung talks to Do-yun)
2. Possessive Case Marker: -의
Possessive case marker
Form: -의 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel)
Example: 톰의, 물의, 학생의, 제리의, 다리의, 사자의
This case marker indicates that the preceding noun is the possessor, and the following noun is the possessed.
톰의 어머니 (Tom’s mother)
제리의 학교 (Jerry’s school)
제리가 톰의 집에 갑니다 (Jerry is going to Tom’s house)
유리의 책을 빌렸습니다 (I borrowed Yu-ri’s book)
태진이의 방이 큽니다 (Tae-jin’s room is big)
보현이가 민국이의 집에 갑니다 (Bo-hyun is going to Min-guk’s house)
3. Location/Direction Case Marker: -에, -에서
3-1. Direction case marker
Form: -에 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel)
Example: 방에, 학교에, 위에, 아래에
This case marker has two different functions depending on what kind of verb it is used with. If it is used with a place noun and the verbs of existence, it indicates a location case marker that represents “in, at, on” depending on the context.
수지가 방에 있습니다 (Su-ji is in her room)
책이 책상 위에 있습니다 (A book is on the desk)
제리가 학교에 없습니다 (Jerry is not at school)
Verbs of Existence: 있다 (there is) / 없다 (there is no), 존재하다 (to exist), 숨다 (to hide oneself), 두다/넣다,놓다 (to put something in/on a place), etc.
However, when it is used with a place noun and verbs of motion, it indicates a direction case marker that represents “to/toward.”
톰이 병원에 갑니다
(Tom is going to hospital)
제리가 학교에 도착했습니다
(Jerry arrived to school)
존이 방에 돌아갑니다
(John is returning to his house)
자연이가 도서관에 걸어갑니다
(Ja-yeon is walking to the library)
Verbs of Motion: 가다(to go)/오다(to come), 도착하다(to arrive), 걸어가다 (to walk), 돌아오다(to come back)/돌아가다(to return), 들르다(to stop by), etc.
You cannot use any action verbs with “-에” because it is different from the verbs of existence and the verbs of motion. So if “-에” is used with the action verbs, it becomes a grammatically wrong sentence.
톰이 집에 공부합니다 (X)
제리가 학교에 점심을 먹습니다 (X)
Therefore, “-에서” can be used with a place noun and an action verb. It indicates a location case marker that represents “in, at, on.”
3-2. Location case marker
Form: -에서 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant and vowel)
Example: 방에서, 학교에서, 위에서, 아래에서
수지가 방에서 공부합니다 (Su-ji is studying in her room)
인형이 책상 위에서 춤을 춥니다 (A doll is dancing on the desk)
제리가 학교에서 잡니다 (Jerry is sleeping at school)
However, when it is used with a place noun and verbs of motion, it indicates a direction case marker that represents “from.”
제리가 학교에서 돌아옵니다 (Jerry is coming from school)
톰이 부산에서 출발합니다 (Tom is leaving from Busan)
3-3. Special group
Some verbs can be used with “-에” or “-에서.” We can call it the verb of posture.
You can add “-에서” if it is used with the verbs “일어나다(to get up) or 일어서다(to stand up),” it indicates a direction case marker that represents “from.”
톰이 자리에서 일어났습니다 (Tom got up from his seat)
제리가 갑자기 바닥에서 일어섰습니다 (Jerry suddenly stood up from the floor)
Except for the verbs “일어나다(to get up) or 일어서다(to stand up),” all the other verbs of posture can be used with “-에.” It indicates a location case marker that represents “on”
톰이 침대에 누웠습니다 (Tom lied on the bed)
제리가 갑자기 바닥에 앉았습니다 (Jerry suddenly sit on the floor)
Verbs of Posture: 일어나다 (to get up), 일어서다(to stand up), 앉다 (to sit), 서다 (to stand), 눕다 (to lie on your back), 엎드리다(to be on the ground), 구부리다 (to hunker), 웅크리다 (to crouch), 펴다 (to spread), etc.
Note:
1. When it is used with “-에,” it simply indicates a location. But when it is used with “-에서,” it also indicates a location and it is compatible with the adverb that refers to one’s way of living.
지영이가 서울에 삽니다 (Ji-young lives in Seoul)
지영이가 서울에서 삽니다 (Ji-young lives in Seoul)
지영이가 서울에 행복하게 삽니다 (X)
지영이가 서울에서 행복하게 삽니다 (Ji-young lives happily in Seoul)
2. “-에다(가)” is derived from “-에” to emphasize the preceding noun and is often used in daily conversation. This case marker is only used with a transitive verb, so it requires a direct object in a sentence.
치즈를 빵에/빵에다/빵에다가 넣었습니다 (I put the cheese into the bread)
얼굴에/얼굴에다/얼굴에다가 선크림을 발라주세요 (Please put sunblock on your face)
민수가 학교에다/학교에다가 있습니다 (X)
톰이 책상 위에다/위에다가 올라갔습니다(X)
4. Time/Distance Case Marker : ~에, ~까지, ~에서 ~까지, ~부터 ~까지
Time/Distance Case Marker
4-1. Form: -에 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel)
Example: 한 시에, 아침에, 집에
This case marker “-에” can be used to a time expression to indicate a specific location and time. Like the location case marker “-에,” it represents “in” or “at.”
수지가 오늘 한 시에 병원에 갑니다 (Su-ji goes to hospital at one today)
수빈이가 아침에 일찍 일어납니다 (Su-bin gets up early in the morning)
4-2. Form: -까지 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel)
Example: 두 시까지, 점심까지, 집까지
This case marker “-까지” can be used with a time expression to indicate a specific endpoint of time which represents “till/until.” It can also be used with a place noun to indicate a destination.
수지가 오늘 두 시까지 병원에 갑니다 (Su-ji goes to hospital until two today)
수빈이가 점심까지 학교에서 공부합니다 (Su-bin studies at school until lunch)
지호가 집까지 걸어갑니다 (Ji-ho walks to home on foot)
4-3. Form: ~에서~까지/~부터~까지 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel)
Example: 세 시에서 네 시까지, 집에서 학교까지, 아침부터 저녁까지
This case marker “~에서~까지” and “~부터~까지” can be used to indicate the distance between the origin and the destination and to express the interval of time between the starting point and the endpoint such as “from A to B” in English.
수지가 오늘 세 시에서 네 시까지 친구랑 약속이 있습니다 (Su-ji has a schedule with her friends from three to four today)
수빈이가 아침부터 저녁까지 학교에서 공부합니다 (Su-bin studies at school from the morning to the evening)
지호가 학교에서 집까지 걸어갑니다 (Ji-ho walks from school to home on foot)
5. Dative Case Marker : -에게 / -한테, -보고, -더러 / -께
Dative Case Marker
5-1. Form: -에게 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel)
Example: 선생님에게, 부모님에게
This case marker “-에게” can be used to express that an action is directed toward a person. It represents “to” and has a formal way of saying it in both written text and conversation.
학생이 선생님에게 질문합니다 (The student is asking a question to the teacher)
수영이가 원숭이에게 바나나를 줍니다 (Su-young is giving a banana to the monkey)
5-2. Form: -한테, -보고, -더러 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel)
Example: 친구한테, 민수보고, 나더러
This case marker “-한테, -보고, -더러” can be used to express that an action is directed toward a person. It indicates “to” and has an informal way of saying it in casual conversation.
도영이가 친구한테 책을 줍니다 (Do-young is giving a book to his friend)
톰이 강아지한테 밥을 줍니다 (Tom is giving some food to his cat)
“-보고 and -더러” can be used instead of “-한테” to emphasize the expression toward a specific person.
제리가 민수보고 주말에 무엇을 할거냐고 물었다 (Jerry asked to Min-su what he is going to do on the weekend)
나더러/나보고/나한테 그러는거야? (Are you talking to me?)
누구보고/누구한테 그러는거야? (Who are you talking to?)
5-3. Form: -께 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel) Example: 부모님께, 선생님께
This honorific case marker “-께” can be used when you must respect the person.
한솔이가 부모님께 선물을 드립니다 (Han-sol is giving a present to the parents) 톰이 선생님께 갔습니다 (Tom went to the teacher)
6. Source Case Marker : ~에게(서), ~한테(서)
Source Case Marker
6-1. Form: -에게(서) (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel)
Example: 선생님에게(서), 부모님에게(서)
This source case marker “-에게(서)” can be used with a noun which refers to people, animals, and living beings to indicate the source of item or information. It represents “from” and has a formal way of saying it in both written text and conversation.
학생이 선생님에게(서) 시험지를 받았습니다 (The student got a test paper from the teacher)
저는 부모님에게(서) 그것을 들었어요 (I heard it from my parents)
6-2. Form: -한테(서) (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant or a vowel)
Example: 친구한테(서), 동생한테(서)
This case marker “-한테(서)” can be used with a noun that refers to people, animals, and living beings to indicate the source of an item or information. It means “from” and has an informal way of saying it in casual conversation.
제리가 친구한테(서) 책을 빌렸습니다 (Jerry borrowed a book from his friend)
저는 동생한테(서) 선물을 받았습니다 (I received a present from my brother/sister)
7. Direction/Instrumental Case Marker: -으로, -로
7-1. Direction Case Marker
Form: -으로 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant)
Example: 한국으로, 흰색으로
Form: -로 (attached to a noun that ends with a vowel or “ㄹ”)
Example: 서울로, 원화로
This direction case marker “-으로, -로” can be used with a place noun to express that an action is directed towards the preceding noun. It represents “to/toward.”
루이스가 은행으로 갑니다 (Luis is going toward the bank)
제리가 서울로 떠납니다 (Jerry is leaving to Seoul)
Also, they can be used to change one thing into another, it represents “into.”
검은색이 회색으로 변했다 (The black turned into white)
십 달러를 원화로 바꾸었다 (I exchanged ten dollars into the Korean currency)
7-2. Instrumental Case Marker
Form: -으로 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant)
Example: (핸드)폰으로, 트럭으로, 10으로
Form: -로 (attached to a noun that ends with a vowel or “ㄹ”)
Example: 연필로, 버스로, 영어로
This instrumental case marker “-으로, -로” can be used with a noun to express that an action is carried out using the preceding noun as an instrument such as a means of transportation, device, language, or number. It represents “by, with, in”.
유림이가 (핸드)폰으로 쇼핑을 합니다 (Yu-rim is shopping with her cell phone)
톰이 연필로 글을 씁니다 (Tom is writing with a pencil)
트럭으로 서울까지 10시간 걸립니다(It takes 10 hours to Seoul by truck)
제리가 버스로 약속장소에 갔습니다 (Jerry went to the meeting place by bus)
백을 10으로 나누세요 (Divide 100 by 10)
한국어로 이야기하자 (Let’s talk in Korean)
8. Instrumental Case Marker : ~으로(써), ~로(써)
Form: -으로(써) (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant)
Example: 법으로(써), 믿음으로(써)
Form: -로(써) (attached to a noun that ends with a vowel or “ㄹ”)
Example : 쌀로(써), 외모로(써)
This instrumental case marker “-으로(써), -로(써)” can be used to express that the noun is used as a main source to conduct the action. It represents “by”.
나는 이 나라를 법으로(써) 다스리겠다 (I will rule this country by law)
믿음으로(써) 모든 것을 극복했다 (I overcame everything by faith)
쌀로(써) 빚을 갚았다 (I paid back the debt by rice)
사람을 외모로(써) 판단하지 마라 (Don’t judge people by their appearance)
The instrumental case marker can also be used with the nominalization suffixes “-ㅁ/음”. The nominalization is a grammatical phenomenon in which a word or sentence is transformed into a form of the noun by combining “-ㅁ/음”. In this case “-써” is essential. We will discuss this more in detail in another book.
네가 함께 있음으로써 이 상황을 이겨낼 수 있었다 (I was able to overcome this situation by being with you)
우리는 함께 일함으로써 그 위기를 슬기롭게 극복했다 (We have overcome the crisis wisely by having worked together)
시간이 지남으로써 최악의 상황을 피했다 (We could avoid the worst-case situation by passing time)
9. Qualification Case Marker : -으로(서), -로(서)
Form: -으로(서) (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant)
Example: 국민으로(서), 자식으로(서)
Form: -로(서) (attached to a noun that ends with a vowel or “ㄹ”)
Example: 친구로(서), 의사로(서), 사무실로
This qualification case markers “-으로(서), -로(서)” can be used to indicate that a person, or thing has an identity, status, or qualification to carry out a task or to serve for a certain purpose. It represents “as a_” or “for _”.
저는 국민으로서 투표를 할 권리가 있습니다 (I have the authority to vote as a citizen)
자식으로(서) 최선을 다하겠습니다 (I'll do my best as a son)
이건 친구로(서) 할 일이 아니다 (This is not the thing that I can do as a friend)
저는 이 병원에서 의사로(서) 일하고 있습니다 (I am working as a doctor in this hospital)
이곳이 사무실로 괜찮아 보인다 (This place seems like a good place for an office)
10. Vocative Case Marker : -아, -야, -여, -이여
Form: -아, -이여 (attached to a noun that ends with a final consonant)
Example: 사랑아, 슬픔이여
Form: -야, -여 (attached to a noun that ends with a vowel or “ㄹ”)
Example: 진주야, 신이시여
This vocative case marker “-아, -야” can be used to call a friend or someone who is younger than the speaker. It is usually used in speech communication.
사랑아, 이리 좀 와 봐 (Sa-rang, come here)
진주야, 지금 뭐해? (Jin-ju, what are you doing now?)
In order to call a stranger or someone older than the speaker to show respect, the honorific suffix “-님” can be added with a full name. You can hear this way in public places such as hospitals, stores, etc.
김민수님, 이제 시작하겠습니다 (Mr, Kim, it will start now)
황효리님, 들어오세요 (Miss Hwang, please come in)
This vocative case marker “-이여, -여” can be used in written text and appears to invoke a deeper feeling from the readers. It often includes a sense of admiration or appeal.
슬픔이여, 안녕 (Goodbye, sorrow)
신이시여, 도와주소서 (My Lord, please help us)