-(으)로 - By means of

-(으)로 is a particle indicating means, method, direction, or the tool/material used for an action. It means "by," "with," "as," or "by means of."

Structure

Noun + -(으)로

Breakdown:

• -으로: After consonant-ending nouns (except ㄹ)
• -로: After vowel-ending nouns or ㄹ

Multiple meanings: Means, direction, method, material, role

Basic Usage Rules

After Consonants: -으로

Last character ends with consonant (except ㄹ):

• 버스로 (by bus)
• 연필로 (with a pencil)
• 한국어로 (in Korean)
• 친구로 (as a friend)
• 칼로 (with a knife)

After Vowels or ㄹ: -로

Last character ends with vowel:

• 지하철로 (by subway)
• 카메라로 (with a camera)
• 영어로 (in English)

Last character ends with ㄹ:

• 나이프로 (with a knife - 나이프)
• 파일로 (with a file - 파일)

Core Meanings

1. Means of Transportation

How you travel:

• 버스로 가요 (go by bus)
• 지하철로 와요 (come by subway)
• 비행기로 여행해요 (travel by airplane)
• 택시로 갈게요 (I'll go by taxi)
• 자전거로 다녀요 (commute by bicycle)
• 걸어서 vs 차로 (on foot vs by car)

2. Tools and Instruments

What you use:

• 연필로 써요 (write with a pencil)
• 젓가락으로 먹어요 (eat with chopsticks)
• 칼로 자르다 (cut with a knife)
• 카메라로 찍다 (take photos with a camera)
• 컴퓨터로 일하다 (work with a computer)
• 손으로 만들다 (make by hand)

3. Language and Communication

Which language:

• 한국어로 말하다 (speak in Korean)
• 영어로 쓰다 (write in English)
• 중국어로 번역하다 (translate into Chinese)
• 일본어로 대화하다 (converse in Japanese)

4. Materials

What it's made of/with:

• 나무로 만들다 (make with wood)
• 종이로 만들다 (make with paper)
• 금으로 만들다 (make with gold)
• 플라스틱으로 만들다 (make with plastic)

5. Direction

Which way:

• 오른쪽으로 가세요 (go to the right)
• 왼쪽으로 도세요 (turn to the left)
• 앞으로 나가다 (go forward)
• 위로 올라가다 (go up)
• 아래로 내려가다 (go down)

6. Role or Capacity

In what role:

• 친구로 (as a friend)
• 선생님으로 일하다 (work as a teacher)
• 리더로 뽑히다 (be chosen as a leader)
• 대표로 참석하다 (attend as a representative)

Common Usage Patterns

Transportation Questions

How did you come/go?:

• 뭐로 왔어요? (How did you come? / What did you come by?)
• 버스로 왔어요 (I came by bus)
• 지하철로 갈 거예요 (I'll go by subway)

Method Questions

How do you do it?:

• 뭐로 써요? (What do you write with?)
• 연필로 써요 (I write with a pencil)
• 어떻게 만들어요? (How do you make it?)
• 손으로 만들어요 (I make it by hand)

Language Choice

Which language?:

• 한국어로 할까요? (Shall we do it in Korean?)
• 영어로 말해 주세요 (Please speak in English)
• 무슨 언어로 쓰여 있어요? (What language is it written in?)

Direction Usage

Spatial Directions

Movement and orientation:

• 이쪽으로 오세요 (Come this way)
• 저쪽으로 가세요 (Go that way)
• 오른쪽으로 도세요 (Turn right)
• 왼쪽으로 가다 (Go left)
• 직진으로 가다 (Go straight)

Positional Directions

Up, down, in, out:

• 위로 올라가다 (Go up)
• 아래로 내려가다 (Go down)
• 안으로 들어가다 (Go inside)
• 밖으로 나가다 (Go outside)

Material and Composition

Made of/from

Construction material:

• 나무로 만든 집 (house made of wood)
• 돌로 만든 탑 (tower made of stone)
• 금으로 만든 반지 (ring made of gold)
• 종이로 만든 비행기 (paper airplane)

Using materials

What you use:

• 밀가루로 빵을 만들다 (make bread with flour)
• 과일로 주스를 만들다 (make juice with fruit)

Role and Status

In the capacity of

Your role:

• 학생으로 (as a student)
• 선생님으로 (as a teacher)
• 친구로 (as a friend)
• 부모로 (as a parent)
• 대표로 (as a representative)

Examples:

• 친구로 말하는데... (Speaking as a friend...)
• 선생님으로 일해요 (I work as a teacher)
• 팀장으로 뽑혔어요 (I was chosen as team leader)

Politeness Levels

Works in All Contexts

Formal:

• 버스로 오셨습니까? (Did you come by bus?)

Polite:

• 버스로 왔어요? (Did you come by bus?)

Casual:

• 버스로 왔어? (Did you come by bus?)

Common Expressions

Transportation

• 무엇으로 갈 거예요? (What will you go by?)
• 걸어서 갈래요, 차로 갈래요? (Will you walk or go by car?)
• 버스로 가는 게 빨라요 (Going by bus is faster)

Tools and Methods

• 뭐로 먹어요? (What do you eat with?)
• 젓가락으로 먹어요 (I eat with chopsticks)
• 손으로 만졌어요 (I touched it with my hands)

Language

• 한국어로 하세요 (Please do it in Korean)
• 영어로 번역해 주세요 (Please translate to English)
• 무슨 언어로 말해요? (What language do you speak?)

Direction

• 어디로 가요? (Where are you going? / Which way?)
• 이쪽으로 오세요 (Come this way)
• 저쪽으로 가세요 (Go that way)

Special Patterns

-로 인해(서) (Due to/Because of)

Cause and reason:

• 비로 인해 연기됐어요 (It was postponed due to rain)
• 사고로 인해 늦었어요 (I was late due to an accident)

-로써 (By means of/As)

More formal, literary:

• 노력으로써 성공했어요 (Succeeded by means of effort)
• 친구로써 (as a friend - formal)

Note: Different from -로서 (in the capacity of)

-(으)로 하다 (Decide on/Choose)

Making a choice:

• 이걸로 할게요 (I'll take this one)
• 뭘로 할래요? (What will you have?)
• 커피로 할게요 (I'll have coffee)

Negative Context

Not by/with

Using different means:

• 버스로 안 가요 (I don't go by bus)
• 연필로 안 써요 (I don't write with pencil)

Question Forms

Asking About Method

How/With what?:

• 뭐로 해요? (What do you do it with? / How?)
• 어떻게 갈 거예요? 뭐로 갈 거예요? (How will you go? What will you go by?)
• 무엇으로 만들었어요? (What did you make it with?)

Asking About Direction

Which way?:

• 어디로 가요? (Where/Which way are you going?)
• 어느 쪽으로 갈까요? (Which direction shall we go?)

Multiple Uses in One Sentence

Combining different meanings

Can appear multiple times:

• 버스로 학교로 가요 (I go to school by bus)
  • 버스로 = by bus (means)
  • 학교로 = to school (direction)

-(으)로 vs Similar Particles

-(으)로 vs -(이)랑/하고 (With - companion)

-(이)랑/하고: With someone (companion)

• 친구랑 가요 (I go with a friend)

-(으)로: By means of (tool/method)

• 버스로 가요 (I go by bus)

-(으)로 vs -에 (To/At)

-에: Static location or destination

• 학교에 가요 (I go to school - destination)

-(으)로: Direction (dynamic movement)

• 학교로 가요 (I go toward school - direction)

Often interchangeable for destination, slight nuance difference

Perspective and Usage

When to Use -(으)로

Use when:

• Indicating transportation method
• Specifying tools or instruments
• Stating language or communication method
• Describing materials
• Showing direction of movement
• Indicating role or capacity

Key meanings to remember:

• Means: "by," "with"
• Direction: "to," "toward"
• Material: "made of," "with"
• Role: "as"

Summary Table

Usage	Example	Meaning
Transportation	버스로	by bus
Tool	연필로	with a pencil
Language	한국어로	in Korean
Material	나무로	with wood
Direction	오른쪽으로	to the right
Role	친구로	as a friend

Key Takeaways

• ✅ Multiple meanings: Means, direction, material, role
• ✅ Consonant rule: -으로 after consonants (except ㄹ), -로 after vowels/ㄹ
• ✅ Very common: Essential particle for methods
• ✅ Transportation: Primary way to express "by (transport)"
• ✅ Tools: How you express "with (tool)"
• ✅ Versatile: Works in all contexts and tenses

-(으)로 is one of the most versatile and essential particles in Korean, crucial for expressing how things are done, what tools are used, and which direction things move.