Korean word

은

Pronunciation

Romanizationeun

Meaning

  • particlemarks the topic

Example

이 가방은 제 거예요.i ka bang eun che keo ye yo

This bag is mine.

Illustration for 은 (marks the topic)

More examples

가방은 무겁다.ka bang eun mu geop tta

The bag is heavy.

Core concept

Places a noun in the spotlight as the topic and frames the information that follows around it.

Common phrases

  • 가방은ka bang eun

    as for the bag

  • 이것은i geo seun

    as for this

  • 오늘은o neu reun

    as for today

Similar words

는neun: Puts a vowel-ending noun in focus as the topic of the sentence.
이/가ika: Shows which noun performs the action or holds the described state.

Definition in Korean

명사의 끝소리에 따라 형태가 '은' 또는 '는'으로 나뉘며, 주로 문장에서 화제를 설정하거나 뒤에 나올 정보의 배경을 제공하는 조사이다.myeong sa ui kkeut sso ri e tta ra hyeong tae ga eun tto neun neun eu ro na nwi myeo chu ro mun jang e seo hwa je reul seol jeong ha geo na twi e na ol jjeong bo ui pae gyeong eul che gong ha neun cho sa i da

Word origin

Korean uses this topic-particle form after nouns that end in a consonant and a different form after nouns that end in a vowel.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English, Korean can mark the topic directly, so this particle helps show what the sentence is mainly about rather than simply who performs an action.

Opposites

  • 이/가ikasubject markerparticle

Word lists with this word