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은/는 (Topic Marker)/ 이/가 (Subject Marker)

Let’s learn how to create a subject!

As mentioned earlier, ‘particles’ help to form the subject. Let’s start by learning the most basic ones, ‘은/는’. you will also learn about ‘이/가’ later, and we’ll spend time explaining the difference between the two, so don’t worry!

‘은/는’ is also placed after a word to indicate that it is the subject of a sentence.

은/는

1. When the preceding syllable ends with a vowel, you can use 는

Ex)

친구(friend) ends with ㅜ (vowel)! so it should be “[friend]친구 + 는 = 친구는”

Let’s take a look at more examples.

  • 토마토(ㅗ) + 는 = 토마토는 (tomato)
  • 여우(ㅜ) + 는 = 여우는 (fox)
  • 소녀(ㅕ) + 는 = 소녀는 (girl)
  • 버스(ㅡ) + 는 = 버스는 (bus)
  • 기차(ㅏ) + 는 = 기차는 (train)
  • 고양이(ㅣ) + 는 = 고양이는 (cat)
  • 새(ㅐ) + 는 = 새는 (bird)
  • 카메라(ㅏ) + 는 = 카메라는 (camera)
  • 컴퓨터(ㅓ) + 는 = 컴퓨터는 (computer)
  • 피자(ㅏ) + 는 = 피자는 (pizza)
  1. 토마토는 샐러드에 들어가요. (Tomatoes go in the salad.)
  2. 여우는 숲에서 살아요. (The fox lives in the forest.)
  3. 소녀는 학교에 가요. (The girl goes to school.)
  4. 버스는 정류장에서 멈춰요. (The bus stops at the bus stop.)
  5. 기차는 역에서 출발해요. (The train departs from the station.)
  6. 고양이는 집에서 놀아요. (The cat plays at home.)
  7. 새는 하늘에서 날아요. (The bird flies in the sky.)
  8. 카메라는 사진을 찍는데 사용해요. (The camera is used for taking photos.)
  9. 컴퓨터는 일과 공부에 필수적인 도구예요. (The computer is an essential tool for work and study.)
  10. 피자는 많은 사람들이 좋아하는 음식이에요. (Pizza is a food that many people enjoy.)

2. When the preceding syllable ends with a final consonant, you can use 은

Ex)

책(book) ends with ㄱ (consonant)! So it should be “[book]책 + 은 = 책은”

Let’s take a look at more examples.

  • 밥(ㅂ) + 은 = 밥은 (rice/meal)
  • 학생(ㅇ) + 은 = 학생은 (student)
  • 텔레비전(ㄴ) + 은 = 텔레비전은 (television)
  • 휴대폰(ㄴ) + 은 = 휴대폰은 (cellphone)
  • 산(ㄴ) + 은 = 산은 (mountain)
  • 노트북(ㄱ) + 은 = 노트북은 (laptop)
  • 밤(ㅁ) + 은 = 밤은 (night)
  • 마음(ㅁ) + 은 = 마음은 (heart, mind)
  • 연필(ㄹ) + 은 = 연필은 (pencil)
  1. 책은 책상 위에 있어요. (The book is on the desk.)
  2. 밥은 밥솥에 있어요. (The rice is in the rice cooker.)
  3. 학생은 학교에 가요. (The student goes to school.)
  4. 텔레비전은 거실에 있어요. (The television is in the living room.)
  5. 휴대폰은 가방에 있어요. (The cellphone is in the bag.)
  6. 산은 멀리 떨어져 있어요. (The mountain is far away.)
  7. 노트북은 책상 위에 있어요. (The laptop is on the desk.)
  8. 밤은 조용해요. (The night is quiet.)
  9. 마음은 평온해요. (The heart/mind is peaceful.)
  10. 연필은 필통에 있어요. (The pencil is in the pencil case.)

이/가

1. When the preceding syllable ends with a vowel, you can use 가.

Ex)

사과(apple) ends with a ㅏ (vowel)! so it should be “[apple]사과 + 가 = 사과가”

Let’s take a look at more examples.

  • 바나나(ㅏ) + 가 = 바나나가 (banana)
  • 돼지(ㅣ) + 가 = 돼지가 (pig)
  • 바지(ㅣ) + 가 = 바지가 (pants)
  • 과학자(ㅏ) + 가 = 과학자가(scientist)
  • 야채(ㅐ) + 가 = 야채가(vegetables)
  • 물고기(ㅣ) + 가 = 물고기가(fish)
  • 자동차(ㅏ) + 가 = 자동차가(car)
  • 감자(ㅏ) + 가 = 감자가(potato)
  • 개(ㅐ) + 가 = 개가(dog)
  • 나무(ㅜ) + 가 = 나무가(tree)

  1. 바나나가 상자에 있어요. (The banana is in the box.)
  2. 돼지가 농장에서 살아요. (The pig lives on the farm.)
  3. 바지가 너무 길어요. (The pants are too long.)
  4. 과학자가 실험을 하고 있어요. (The scientist is conducting an experiment.)
  5. 야채가 냉장고에 있어요. (The vegetables are in the refrigerator.)
  6. 물고기가 어항에 있어요. (The fish is in the fish tank.)
  7. 자동차가 주차장에 있어요. (The car is in the parking lot.)
  8. 감자가 냄비에 있어요. (The potatoes are in the pot.)
  9. 개가 공원에서 놀고 있어요. (The dog is playing in the park.)
  10. 나무가 정원에 있어요. (The tree is in the garden)

2. When the preceding syllable ends with a final consonant, you can use 이.

Ex)

집(house) ends with ㅂ (consonant)! so it should be “[house]집 + 이 = 집이”

Let’s take a look at more examples.

  • 책(ㄱ) + 이 = 책이 (book)
  • 밥(ㅂ) + 이 = 밥이 (rice/meal)
  • 학생(ㅇ) + 이 = 학생이 (student)
  • 텔레비전(ㄴ) + 이 = 텔레비전이 (television)
  • 휴대폰(ㄴ) + 이 = 휴대폰이 (cellphone)
  • 산(ㄴ) + 이 = 산이 (mountain)
  • 노트북(ㄱ) + 이 = 노트북이 (laptop)
  • 밤(ㅁ) + 이 = 밤이 (night)
  • 마음(ㅁ) + 이 = 마음이 (heart, mind)
  • 연필(ㄹ) + 이 = 연필이 (pencil)
  1. 책이 책상 위에 있어요. (The book is on the desk.)
  2. 밥이 차려져 있어요. (The meal is ready.)
  3. 학생이 도서관에서 공부하고 있어요. (The student is studying in the library.)
  4. 텔레비전이 거실에 있어요. (The television is in the living room.)
  5. 휴대폰이 가방에 있어요. (The cellphone is in the bag.)
  6. 산이 멀리 보여요. (The mountain can be seen in the distance.)
  7. 노트북이 충전 중이에요. (The laptop is charging.)
  8. 밤이 되어서 어두워졌어요. (It became dark as night fell.)
  9. 마음이 무겁습니다. (My heart feels heavy.)
  10. 연필이 책상 위에 놓여져 있어요. (The pencil is placed on the desk.)

The Difference Between 은/는 & 이/가

Let’s explore the difference between 은/는 & 이/가, one of the three major puzzles in the world!

Don’t worry too much if you don’t understand it today. Even Koreans wouldn’t be able to explain this difference if they hadn’t studied it.

I have also studied this separately to teach Korean to foreigners, so there’s no need to feel too distressed if you can’t understand it while reading this. Instead of trying to understand this theory right away, it’s wise to take time and study Korean while frequently reading about it.

1. We use 이/가 when asking questions to obtain new information.

Ex)

  • 이름(성함)이 어떻게 되시죠? (May I have your name?)
  • 오늘 날씨’가’ 어떻게 되죠? (How is the weather today?)
  • 오늘 마지막 기차 시간이 어떻게 되죠? (What time is the last train today?)

However, when answering, we usually use 은/는.

  • 제 이름은 최종환입니다. (My name is Jonghwan Choi.)
  • 오늘 날씨는 흐립니다. (The weather today is cloudy.)
  • 오늘 마지막 기차 시간은 10시 10분입니다. (The last train today is at 10:10.)

2. ‘은/는’ is used for comparisons.

Ex:

저는 해산물을 싫어하지만 오징어는 좋아해요. (I don’t like seafood, but I do like squid.)

We haven’t learned it yet, but in Korean, the particle ‘을/를’ is used to indicate the object. So, generally, we should say 오징어’를’ 좋아해요. However, since we are comparing in this case, we use ‘은/는’. In this case, ‘이/가’ is not used. Ex) 오징어’가’ 좋아해요(x)

Let’s look at more examples.

Ex:

  • 저는 전철을 타는 것을 좋아하지 않지만 기차를 타는 것은 좋아해요. (I don’t like taking the subway, but I do like taking the train.)
  • 저는 한국을 좋아하지만 한국 음식은 싫어해요. (I like Korea, but I don’t like Korean food.)
  • 저는 자전거를 좋아하지만 오토바이는 싫어해요. (I like bicycles, but I don’t like motorcycles.)

3. When the subject needs to be emphasized vs regular declarative sentences

Generally, ‘은/는’ is called a topic marker.

If ‘이/가’ focuses on the subject, you can think that ‘은/는’ focuses more on the topic. Don’t overthink it. It’s not that the description information in ‘이/가’ is not important at all, but you can think that the focus is more on the description in ‘은/는’ than in ‘이/가’.

Ex:

  • 저의 친구는 공무원입니다. (My friend is a public official.) = Focuses on the information that they are a public official.
  • 이것은 기차입니다 (This is a train.) = Focuses on the information that it is a train.
  • 저는 바나나를 좋아합니다 (I like bananas.) = The focus is on ‘liking bananas’.

Usually, ‘이/가’ is used when emphasizing the subject. This will be easier than ‘은/는’. In other words, the emphasis is on the subject, not the verb. This is why it is called a subject marker. Now, let’s think about it this way. Suppose you put your favorite ice cream in the fridge and someone ate your ice cream. And you exclaim:

“누가 내 아이스크림 먹었어?” (Who ate my ice cream?)

And someone replies:

“Bam이 먹었어.” (Bam ate it.)

Here, ‘이/가’ is used instead of ‘은/는’. What’s important here is the ‘subject’. In other words, it is important to find out who the culprit is who ate the ice cream.

Let’s look at more examples.

  • Q: 그 대회에서 우승을 누가 했어? (Who won the championship in that competition?)
  • A: 지민이가 했어. (Jimin won.)

  • Q: 새로 들어온 요리사가 누구죠? (Who is the new chef that just joined?)
  • A: 제가 새로 들어온 요리사입니다. (I am the new chef.)

  • Q: 어제 저에게 돈을 입금한 사람이 누구죠? (Who deposited money to me yesterday?)
  • A: 아마 희주가 입금했을 거예요. (Heeju probably deposited it.)