은/는 and 이/가
By Daniel Buckley · 11 minute read · TOPIK 1
Vocabulary
- 오늘 - today
- 날씨 - weather
- 좋다 - to be good
- 비 - rain
- 오다 - to come
- 바쁘다 - to be busy
- 고양이 - cat
- 동생 - younger sibling
- 귀엽다 - to be cute
- 누구 - who
저는 학생이에요 and 제가 학생이에요 both come out in English as "I'm a student", and you can't swap them. The first is how you introduce yourself. The second answers "which of you is the student?"
은/는 says what the sentence is about. 이/가 points at who or what does the verb. English has nothing that matches either one, so this takes a long time to feel right, years rather than weeks. The rules below will carry you most of the way, and your ear does the rest slowly, so start using them before you feel sure.
※ Some examples use 을/를, the object particle from lesson 4, and 왔어요, the past of 오다. Take them as chunks for now.
Attaching them
Both come in pairs, split by the batchim rule from lesson 2. They attach to the noun with no space. Singular or plural makes no difference to the particle.
Which form
- After a consonant: 은, 이.학생은학생이
- After a vowel: 는, 가.친구는친구가
※ Some common words change shape before 가: 저 becomes 제가, 나 becomes 내가, and 누구 becomes 누가. 저가 and 누구가 are wrong. Before 는 nothing changes: 저는, 나는.
person, last syllable 람 breaks into:
ends in a consonant, so it HAS a batchim
은/는: what the sentence is about
은/는 marks the topic. You name something, and the rest of the sentence comments on it. The closest English is "as for", which is clumsy in English and completely ordinary in Korean.
The topic
- Name the topic with 은/는, then say something about it.저는 학생이에요.제 동생은 의사예요.
저는 학생이에요.
As for me, (I) am student.
제 동생은 의사예요.
As for my younger sibling, (they) are doctor.
오늘은 토요일이에요.
As for today, (it) is Saturday.
고양이는 귀여워요.
As for cats, (they) are cute.
한국어는 재미있어요.
As for Korean, (it) is fun.
Examples 4 and 5 show a common use: statements about something in general, such as cats or Korean. A topic also stays in force once it's set, so after 저는 학생이에요 you can carry on without saying 저는 again.
은/는 isn't "the". "The" marks something as already known, and 은/는 marks what you're talking about. They overlap sometimes, which is why the comparison misleads.
은/는: this one, as opposed to that one
The second job is contrast. Put 은/는 on two things and they're set against each other. Put it on one thing and the other half can be implied: "today, I'm busy" suggests other days might be different.
저는 커피를 마셔요. 동생은 차를 마셔요.
As for me, (I) drink coffee. As for younger sibling, (they) drink tea.
오늘은 바빠요. 내일은 안 바빠요.
As for today, (I) am busy. As for tomorrow, (I) am not busy.
오늘은 바빠요.
Today, at least, (I) am busy.
민수는 왔어요.
Minsu, at least, came. (Others may not have.)
You'll work out which job it's doing from context. Stress helps too: a speaker who leans on the 는 often means contrast.
이/가: who or what does it
이/가 marks the subject. Where 은/는 steps back and comments, 이/가 tells you what's happening or who it was.
Where 이/가 shows up
- News: something new, reported as it is.비가 와요.
- Picking out one: this one, not the others.제가 학생이에요.
- Question words and their answers: who, what, which.누가 왔어요?민수가 왔어요.
비가 와요.
Rain comes. (It's raining.)
친구가 와요.
Friend comes.
날씨가 좋아요.
Weather is good.
제가 학생이에요.
I am the student. (Answering: which of you is the student?)
민수가 의사예요.
Minsu is the doctor. (Him, not the others.)
Look at example 1. Nobody asked about rain: you looked out of the window and you're reporting. 비는 와요 would sound as if you were setting rain against something else.
A question word asks for new information, so it takes 이/가, and the answer usually does too. The second half of this dialogue is a different case. 이름 takes 이 in the question, but in the reply it's already on the table, so it takes 은, and the new information is 민지.
- A
누가 왔어요?
Who came?
- B
민수가 왔어요.
Minsu came.
- A
이름이 뭐예요?
Name is what?
- B
제 이름은 민지예요.
As for my name, (it) is Minji.
Both in one sentence
The two particles don't compete, because they do different jobs. 은/는 sets the frame for the sentence and 이/가 says what happens inside it. English has to reword these, which is partly why the difference is hard to see from English.
저는 머리가 아파요.
As for me, head hurts.
오늘은 날씨가 좋아요.
As for today, weather is good.
동생은 키가 커요.
As for younger sibling, height is big. (My sibling is tall.)
There's also a pattern over time. Something new usually arrives with 이/가, and once it's on the table it becomes a topic with 은/는.
저기 개가 있어요. 그 개는 정말 커요.
Over there dog exists. As for that dog, (it) is really big.
Choosing between them
Here's the rule I'd use while your ear catches up. Use 은/는 to introduce yourself, to say something in general, or to set two things against each other. Use 이/가 for news, for question words and their answers, and for "this one, not the others".
That won't cover everything, and there are sentences where either works with a small change of feel. A wrong choice rarely stops anyone understanding you, so pick one and keep talking. Try these, and read the explanation for the wrong answers too.
비___ 와요.
It's raining. (You've just looked outside.)
___ 커피를 마셔요. 동생은 차를 마셔요.
I drink coffee. My younger sibling drinks tea.
___ 왔어요?
Who came?
민수___ 왔어요.
Minsu came. (Answering: who came?)
고양이___ 귀여워요.
Cats are cute.
오늘___ 바빠요. 내일은 안 바빠요.
Today I'm busy. Tomorrow I'm not.
Listen and type
1 / 3
Play it as often as you like.
Common mistakes
학생는 바빠요.
학생은 바빠요.
학생 ends in a consonant. Say the noun and particle aloud, and the right one is usually the easier one.
누구는 왔어요?
누가 왔어요?
A question word takes 이/가, and 누구 shortens to 누 before 가.
저는 오늘은 친구는 만나요.
저는 오늘 친구를 만나요.
One topic is usually enough. 은/는 on every noun sounds heavy, and each one hints at a contrast.
Check yourself
Quick check
1 / 6
Add the topic particle to 저: "as for me".
No batchim on 저.
Summary
은/는 and 이/가
- 은 after a consonant, 는 after a vowel: the topic, what the sentence is about. Also for contrast.저는 학생이에요.오늘은 바빠요.
- 이 after a consonant, 가 after a vowel: the subject. News, picking one out, question words and their answers.비가 와요.누가 왔어요?
- Together: 은/는 sets the frame, 이/가 says what happens inside it.오늘은 날씨가 좋아요.
- Before 가: 제가, 내가, 누가.
Now you can say
오늘은 날씨가 좋아요.
As for today, weather is good.
비가 와요.
Rain comes.
누가 왔어요?
Who came?
The other particles: 이에요 and 예요, 을/를, and 에 and 에서.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between 은/는 and 이/가?
- 은/는 marks the topic, the thing the sentence is about ("as for X"). 이/가 marks the subject, and often adds a sense of "X, specifically". As a starting rule, use 은/는 to introduce yourself, to say something in general or to set two things against each other, and 이/가 for news and question words. This takes years to feel right, so don't wait until you're certain before you start speaking.
- What is a batchim, and why does it matter for particles?
- A batchim is the consonant at the bottom of a syllable block, like the ㄴ in 한. Most Korean particles come in two forms, and which one you use depends on whether the noun ends in a batchim or a vowel. If you can't yet tell where a syllable ends, start with the Korean alphabet guide.
- How many particles does Korean have?
- Dozens, but a handful will build real sentences. The core set is the topic 은/는, the subject 이/가, the object 을/를 and the place particles 에 and 에서. 이에요 and 예요 attach to nouns in the same way, and those few carry most everyday speech.
- Is 은/는 the same as "the" in English?
- Not quite. English "the" marks something as already known, while 은/는 marks what a sentence is about and can draw a contrast ("as for me, but as for you"). They overlap sometimes, which is why word-for-word translation misleads. It's better to learn 은/는 by what it does than by an English label.
- Do particles change for plural nouns?
- No. Particles attach the same way whether the noun is singular or plural, and Korean often leaves plurality off the noun anyway. Apart from a few words like 제가, the batchim rule is all that changes the form.
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