Korean grammar points
326 grammar points with English meanings and example sentences. Every example carries its romanization and the way it is actually pronounced — which is often not how it is spelled.
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All articles →- (으)려고 meaning — the Korean ending for what you were trying to do (34 real examples)
- 구나 / 군요 meaning — the Korean ending for working something out (45 real examples)
- 나요 meaning — the Korean question ending that takes the edge off (28 real examples)
- 는지 meaning — how Korean puts a question inside a sentence (26 real examples)
- (으)면 meaning — the Korean "if" that does more than one job (28 real examples)
326 grammar points
- (ㄴ)다든가, (이)라든가Theoretical Or
- (ㄴ)다든지, (이)라든지Theoretical whether
- (ㄴ/는)다Plain form
- (ㄴ/는)다거나, (이)라거나Or Something
- (ㄴ/는)다기보다는/(이)라기보다는More appropriate description
- (ㄴ/는)다는, (이)라는Quote
- (ㄴ/는)다니까/(이)라니까Confirming prior information
- (ㄴ/는)다면Hypothetical situation
- (ㄴ/는)단/(이)란 말Asking-for-confirmation
- (ㄴ/는)답시고Attempting but Failing
- (는)구려/(는)구료하오체 New information
- (는/ㄴ)다고Quote declarative sentence
- (스)ㅂ니까Polite question
- (스)ㅂ니다Present tense
- (스)ㅂ니다만Polite Contrast
- (았/었/였)던Past completed
- (았/었/였)었Past tense
- (았/었/했)더니And then
- (았/었/했)을 것Past Assumption
- (으)ㄴ 적이 있다/없다Have done
- (으)ㄴ 지Time passed
- (으)ㄴ 채로In the State of
- (으)ㄴ/는 모양이다Guess a situation after observation
- (으)ㄴ/는 법이다Expressing Inevitability
- (으)ㄴ/는 셈이다Equivalent To
- (으)ㄴ/는 편이다Tendency to do something
- (으)ㄴ/는지Vague reasoning
- (으)ㄴ가(요), 나(요)Soft question
- (으)나 마나No Use
- (으)나마Reluctant acceptance
- (으)니까Reason or cause
- (으)되But, however
- (으)ㄹ 것이다Future plan
- (으)ㄹ 만하다Be worth doing
- (으)ㄹ 바에야Better choice
- (으)ㄹ 뻔하다Something almost happened
- (으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라Not Only ... But Also
- (으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다Ability or possibility
- (으)ㄹ 수도 있다/없다Possibility
- (으)ㄹ 수밖에 없다No Choice But To
- (으)ㄹ 정도로Extent of an action
- (으)ㄹ 정도이다To the Extent That
- (으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다Knows how to do something
- (으)ㄹ 테니(까)Reason for suggestion
- (으)ㄹ 텐데Expected future situation
- (으)ㄹ걸(요)Guessing
- (으)ㄹ게(요)Intention
- (으)ㄹ까Suggestion
- (으)ㄹ까 말까Considering Whether to Do or Not
- (으)ㄹ까 봐Concern about something
- (으)ㄹ까 하다Be thinking of
- (으)ㄹ꼬Asking opinion
- (으)ㄹ라Expresses concern
- (으)ㄹ라치면Whenever
- (으)ㄹ락 말락Close to happening
- (으)ㄹ래(요)Intention
- (으)ㄹ망정 / (으)ㄹ지언정Even Though
- (으)ㄹ밖에No Choice But To
- (으)ㄹ세하게체 Simple statement
- (으)ㄹ수록The More
- (으)ㄹ지(도)Vague doubt
- (으)ㄹ지(도) 모르다Possible outcome
- (으)랴Busy With
- (으)러Movement with intention
- (으)려거든Conditional Intention
- (으)려고Intention
- (으)려고 하다Intending to
- (으)려다가Interrupted intention
- (으)려던Interruption
- (으)려던 참이다Be just about to
- (으)려면Assume intention
- (으)렴 / (으)려무나 / (으)려마Friendly Command
- (으)렷다Educated guess
- (으)로Method or way
- (으)로 인하다Due To
- (으)로서Role or Capacity
- (으)로써Means or Method
- (으)리Prediction
- (으)리라Expressing Will
- (으)리만치So Much So That
- (으)리오Expressing Impossibility
- (으)ㅁConcept Noun
- (으)ㅁ세Future intention
- (으)마Old Fashioned Intention
- (으)며Occurring simultaneously
- (으)면Condition
- (으)면 안 되다Not allowed to do an action
- (으)면서Simultaneous actions
- (으)므로Cause or reason
- (으)ㅂ시다Suggestion
- (으)세하게체 Suggestion
- (으)세요Polite Command
- (으)소서Solemn request
- (으)시Honoring the subject
- (으)십시오Politely asking
- (으)오/(으)옵/사오/사옵/자오/자옵Humility
- (으)오/소하오체 Present Tense
- (으)오이까/사오이까Humble question
- (으)오이다/사오이다Humble statement
- (으)옵시/사옵시/자옵시Humility
- (으)이/의하게체 Description
- (으/느/이)냐고Quoting questions
- (으/ㄹ/을)려나Wondering
- (으/이)니Informal question
- (은/ㄴ)들No Matter
- (은/ㄴ/는)데Background information
- (은/는)커녕Not even
- (이)거니As Well As, Not Only ... But Also
- (이)나Listing choice
- (이)라도Sufficient choice
- (이)라서Reason or cause
- (이)랍시고Pretending to Be
- (이)시여Polite address
- (이)야Copula
- (이)야말로Prime example
- (이)여Polite address
- (이/으)라고Quote declarative sentence
- 간Duration
- 같이Similarity
- 거나Listing choice
- 거나 말거나Whether Or Not
- 거늘Reason or Cause
- 거든(요)Reasoning
- 거들랑/걸랑Informing
- 거라, 너라Old Fashioned Command
- 건Casual Choice
- 건 말건Whether Or Not
- 건대Here's What I Think
- 게Making adverb
- 게 되다Made to become a certain way
- 게 하다To influence someone
- 게끔Expectation Emphasized
- 게나하게체 Command
- 겠Intention
- 겠거니I figured
- 경Around time or period
- 고Listing
- 고 나니(까)Sequence of actions with background information
- 고 나면Sequence of actions with condition
- 고 나서Sequence of actions
- 고 말겠다Strong Determination
- 고 말다Unintentional or Inevitable Result
- 고 보니(까)Realizing Something After Acting
- 고 싶다Desire
- 고 있다Ongoing state
- 고말고Positive response
- 고서Sequence
- 고자Purpose
- 고프다Desire
- 곤 하다Habit
- 군(요)/구나/구먼New information
- 그려Emphasis
- 기Verb to noun
- 기 마련이다Is Natural or Inevitable
- 기 일쑤이다Often Happens in a Negative Way
- 기는(요)Gentle refutation
- 기도 하다Sometimes it happens
- 기로 하다Make a promise with another person or oneself
- 기에Reason or cause (written)
- 길래Reason or cause
- 까지End of range
- 껏To the Fullest
- 께Target
- 께서Subject marker
- 끼리Group Together
- 나니Background information
- 나이까Question
- 나이다Simple statement
- 냐Informal question
- 네Collective
- 네(요)Discovery
- 노라Informal statement
- 노라면/느라면Result of Consistency
- 느니Better choice
- 느라(고)Indicating the cause
- 는 길에While On My Way
- 는 길이다On My Way
- 는 김에While At It
- 는 바람에Unintended Consequence
- 는 반면에Expressing Contrast
- 는/(으)ㄴ/(으)ㄹNoun modifiers
- 는/(으)ㄴ/(으)ㄹ 것Change sentence to a noun
- 는/(으)ㄴ/(으)ㄹ 것 같다It seems like
- 는고/(으)ㄴ고Soft question
- 는지라/(으)ㄴ지라Reason or cause
- 님Honorific
- 다(가) 보니(까)Realization
- 다(가) 보면Result of Consistency
- 다가Change of action
- 다가는Precaution
- 다고/라고 치다Assumption or Hypothesis
- 다니/라니/냐니/자니Reaction
- 다마다Positive response
- 다면서(요)Fact checking
- 다시피Confirmation
- 다시피 하다Almost
- 답다Has all the quality of
- 당For each
- 당하다Experience Consequence
- 대로According to
- 대신(에)Replace an action
- 더Recalling Experience
- 더냐Asking about a personal experience
- 더니Change compared to the past
- 더라고(요)Recollecting a personal experience
- 더라도Strong Inevitable Outcome
- 더라면Hypothetical past situation
- 더러Target person
- 던Past habitual experience
- 던가Asking about the past
- 던데(요)Surprise
- 데(요)Recollecting a personal experience
- 도Addition
- 도다/로다Admiration
- 도록Objective
- 동안For a period of time
- 되다To become
- 드리다To peform respectfully
- 든가Or Suggestion
- 든지Regardless
- 들Plural marker
- 듯이Similarity
- 따라Unusually
- 때When an action occurs
- 때문에Reason or Cause
- ㄹ/을 길이 없다No Way Of
- ㄹ/을 리가 없다Impossible Reasoning
- 랑/이랑Enumeration
- 로군(요)/로구나/로구먼/로고New information, strong reaction
- 마는/만Contrasting
- 마다Repetition
- 마따나According to
- 마저(도)Even this too
- 만Limitation
- 만 해도As recently as
- 만큼As much as
- 밖에Exclusion
- 받다To receive or undergo an action
- 보고Target Person
- 보다Comparison
- 부Noun's starting point
- 부터Action's starting point
- 뿐Nothing more
- 스럽다Has some of the quality of
- 시키다Order
- 씩Equally distributed
- 아/야Informal address
- 아/어 가다Continuely
- 아/어 가지다Time order of two actions
- 아/어 나가다Ongoing or in-progress action
- 아/어 내다Completing a difficult action
- 아/어 놓다Maintain
- 아/어 달다Request
- 아/어 달라고Quoting a command for a favor or request
- 아/어 대다Excessive Action Form
- 아/어 두다Maintain
- 아/어 드리다Doing a favor or make a request
- 아/어 마지않다Sincerely
- 아/어 버리다After completed action or event
- 아/어 보다Trying out
- 아/어 보이다Feelings based on outward appearance
- 아/어 봤자No Use
- 아/어 빠지다Fall Into
- 아/어 오다Up till now
- 아/어 있다Continuing state
- 아/어 주다Doing a favor or make a request
- 아/어 지다Change in state
- 아/어 하다Perceived action
- 아/어/여Present tense
- 아/어/여라Commanding
- 아/어다가Sequential actions
- 아/어도Inevitable Outcome
- 아/어도 되다Permission or approval for a behaviour
- 아/어서Reason or cause
- 아/어서인지Perhaps Because
- 아/어야Condition
- 아/어야 되다/하다Necessity to do something
- 아/어야지Strong Intention
- 안 아요Negative expression
- 았/었/였Past tense
- 았/었으면 좋겠다Person's wish or hope
- 어치Amount that corresponds to that price
- 에Time of an action
- 에 대해(서)About
- 에 따라(서)Depending on
- 에 비해(서)/비하면Compared to
- 에게Target
- 에다가Onto / Into
- 에도 불구하고Despite
- 에서Place of action
- 와/과Enumeration
- 요Politeness ending
- 으나Although But
- 은/는Topic marker
- 을/를Object marker
- 을/를 막론하고Regardless of
- 을/를 바라다Hope
- 을/를 위해(서)Purpose
- 의Relation particle
- 이/가Subject Marker
- 이다Copula
- 이자Indicating Dual Roles
- 자Suggestion
- 자고Quoting a suggestion
- 자꾸나Suggestion
- 자마자Immediately after
- 잖아Reminding
- 전에Before a certain time
- 조차Inclusion of extreme cases
- 중When an action occurs
- 지Confirmation
- 지 그렇다Gentle Suggestion
- 지 말다Prohibition
- 지 못하다Lack of ability
- 지 않다Negative expression
- 지 않아도 되다Behaviour is not necessary
- 지만Contrasting
- 짜리Such a number or amount
- 째The nth
- 쯤Approximation
- 처럼Similarity
- 치고Exception
- 하고Enumeration
- 하다To do
- 한테Target
- 후에/뒤에After a certain period of time
Grammar data from kimchi-grammar by Alaanor, used under CC BY 4.0. We added the romanization and the pronunciation of each example.