Sentence Ending Particles

Sentence-ending particles (종결어미) are suffixes attached to sentence endings that add nuance, emotion, formality, or specific meaning. They're essential for natural Korean speech.

Basic Politeness Particle

-요 (Polite marker)

Makes statements polite:

• 가요 (I go - polite)
• 먹어요 (I eat - polite)
• 좋아요 (It's good - polite)
• 예쁘요 (It's pretty - polite)

Usage:

• Add to any casual form to make it polite
• Most common politeness marker
• Safe for most situations

Examples:

• 학생이에요 (I'm a student)
• 집에 가요 (I'm going home)

Realization/Observation Particles

-네(요) (Realization)

Discovering or noticing something:

• 예쁘네요 (It's pretty! - discovering)
• 맛있네요 (It's delicious! - realizing)
• 크네요 (It's big! - noticing)
• 좋네요 (It's good! - observing)

Nuance:

• Shows you're discovering something
• Often translated with "!" in English
• Can be -네 (casual) or -네요 (polite)

Examples:

• 날씨 좋네요! (The weather's nice!)
• 진짜 멋있네! (It's really cool!)

-구나/구먼 (Realization - literary)

Older/literary realization:

• 그렇구나 (I see / Oh, I understand)
• 예쁘구나 (Oh, it's pretty)

Usage:

• More literary than -네
• Common in books, narration
• Less used in modern speech

Agreement/Confirmation Particles

-죠/-지요 (Isn't it? / Right?)

Seeking agreement or confirming:

• 맞죠? (Right?)
• 좋죠? (It's good, right?)
• 알죠? (You know, right?)
• 그렇죠 (That's right)

Nuance:

• Softer than direct statements
• Seeks confirmation
• Can be statement or question

Examples:

• 이거 맛있죠? (This is delicious, right?)
• 내일 만나죠 (We're meeting tomorrow, right?)

-지 (Tag question)

Casual confirmation:

• 맞지? (Right?)
• 좋지? (It's good, right?)
• 알지? (You know, right?)

Usage:

• Casual form of -죠
• Among friends
• Less formal settings

Gentle Statement Particles

-(으)ㄴ/는데(요) (But/However - soft)

Softening statements or setting up contrast:

• 좋은데요 (It's good, but...)
• 가는데요 (I'm going, but...)
• 예쁜데 (It's pretty, but...)

Functions:

• Sets up for more information
• Soften statements
• Show contrast gently

Examples:

• 좋긴 한데 비싸요 (It's good but expensive)
• 가고 싶은데 바빠요 (I want to go but I'm busy)

-거든(요) (Because/You know)

Giving reasons or background:

• 바쁘거든요 (Because I'm busy)
• 좋아하거든 (Because I like it)
• 모르거든요 (Because I don't know)

Nuance:

• Provides explanation
• "You know, because..."
• Defensive or explanatory tone

Examples:

• 못 가. 일 있거든 (Can't go. I have work, you know)

Emphasis Particles

-는걸(요) (I'm telling you)

Emphasizing what you're saying:

• 맛있는걸요 (It IS delicious - emphasizing)
• 좋은걸 (It IS good)
• 예쁜걸요 (It IS pretty)

Nuance:

• Stronger assertion
• "I'm telling you it's..."
• Slight defensiveness

-잖아(요) (You know/As you know)

Reminding of known information:

• 알잖아요 (You know)
• 그렇잖아 (It's like that, you know)
• 있잖아요 (You know there is)

Usage:

• Reminds listener of facts
• "Don't you remember?"
• Slightly frustrated tone possible

Examples:

• 내일 시험이잖아! (You know there's an exam tomorrow!)
• 말했잖아요 (I told you, you know)

Suggestion Particles

-(으)ㄹ까요? (Shall we?)

Making suggestions:

• 갈까요? (Shall we go?)
• 먹을까요? (Shall we eat?)
• 할까요? (Shall we do?)

Nuance:

• Polite suggestion
• Seeking opinion
• Offering to do something

-(으)ㄹ래요? (Want to?)

Asking intention:

• 갈래요? (Want to go?)
• 먹을래요? (Want to eat?)
• 할래요? (Want to do?)

Usage:

• More casual than -(으)ㄹ까요
• Asking preference
• Between peers

Hearsay Particle

-대(요)/-래(요) (I heard that/They say)

Reporting what you heard:

• 간대요 (I heard they're going)
• 좋대요 (I heard it's good)
• 맛있대 (They say it's delicious)

Variations:

• -대요 (general hearsay)
• -래요 (when quoting someone specific)
• -냬요 (from -ㄴ대요)

Examples:

• 내일 비 온대요 (I heard it'll rain tomorrow)
• 재미있대 (They say it's fun)

Question Particles

-나요? (Wonder if)

Gentle wondering question:

• 오나요? (I wonder if they're coming?)
• 있나요? (I wonder if there is?)
• 괜찮나요? (I wonder if it's okay?)

Nuance:

• Softer than direct question
• Self-questioning tone
• Polite uncertainty

-ㄴ가요?/-은가요? (Wonder - polite)

Polite wondering:

• 좋은가요? (I wonder if it's good?)
• 맞나요? (I wonder if it's correct?)

Usage:

• Formal wondering
• More literary
• Professional contexts

Exclamation Particles

-다니! (Can't believe!)

Expressing surprise about fact:

• 벌써 끝났다니! (Can't believe it's already finished!)
• 그렇게 비싸다니! (Can't believe it's so expensive!)

Nuance:

• Surprise or disbelief
• "To think that...!"
• Emotional reaction

-다니까(요) (I'm telling you!)

Insisting on something:

• 진짜라니까요! (I'm telling you it's real!)
• 몰라다니까! (I'm telling you I don't know!)

Usage:

• Frustrated insistence
• Repeating yourself
• "I already told you!"

Casual Ending Particles

-ㄴ데/-은데 (Casual but)

Informal contrast:

• 좋은데 (It's good but)
• 가는데 (Going but)
• 예쁜데 (Pretty but)

Usage:

• Among friends
• Sets up more info
• Softer than direct statement

-거든 (Casual because)

Informal reasoning:

• 바쁘거든 (Because I'm busy)
• 좋아하거든 (Because I like it)

Probability Particles

-(으)ㄴ가 봐(요) (Seems like)

Supposing or guessing:

• 좋은가 봐요 (Seems like it's good)
• 간 것 같아요 (Seems like they went)
• 바쁜가 봐 (Seems like they're busy)

Nuance:

• Uncertainty
• Based on observation
• Hedging statement

Literary/Formal Particles

-도다 (Truly/Indeed - archaic)

Emphatic literary ending:

• 아름답도다 (How beautiful indeed!)

Usage:

• Very old-fashioned
• Poetry, literature
• Not used in speech

-ㄴ다/-는다 (Plain form)

Neutral declarative:

• 간다 (goes)
• 먹는다 (eats)
• 좋다 (is good)

Usage:

• Writing, narration
• News articles
• Diaries

Combining Particles

Multiple Particles Together

Stacking for nuance:

• -는데요 (polite soft statement)
• -잖아요 (polite reminder)
• -는걸요 (polite emphasis)
• -ㄴ가 봐요 (polite supposition)

Examples:

• 맛있는데요! (It's delicious though!)
• 알잖아요! (You know!)
• 좋은걸요 (It IS good!)

Regional Variations

Seoul/Standard

Standard particles:

• -요 (polite)
• -네요 (realization)
• -죠 (right?)

Dialect Variations

Regional differences:

• -슈 (Jeolla - question)
• -당께 (Gyeongsang - emphasis)
• -거덩 (dialect version of -거든)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 좋아네요 (wrong vowel)

Incorrect conjugation

✅ Correct: 좋네요

Proper form

---

❌ Incorrect: Overusing -네요 for everything

Sounds unnatural

✅ Correct: Use varied particles

Natural variation

---

❌ Incorrect: -요 with casual speech among close friends

Too formal

✅ Correct: Drop -요 with close friends

Match formality

Summary Table

Particle	Meaning	Nuance	Example
-요	Polite marker	Politeness	좋아요 (It's good)
-네(요)	Realization	Discovery	예쁘네요! (It's pretty!)
-죠	Right?	Confirmation	맞죠? (Right?)
-는데(요)	But/However	Soft contrast	좋은데요 (It's good but)
-거든(요)	Because	Reason	바쁘거든요 (Because I'm busy)
-잖아(요)	You know	Reminder	알잖아요 (You know)
-는걸(요)	I tell you	Emphasis	맛있는걸요 (It IS delicious)
-대(요)	I heard	Hearsay	간대요 (I heard they're going)
-(으)ㄹ까요	Shall we?	Suggestion	갈까요? (Shall we go?)
-나요	Wonder if	Gentle question	오나요? (Wonder if coming?)