은
eun[ɯn]
The Korean particle 은 (eun) is a topic marker used to indicate the subject or topic of a sentence.
This particle is used to mark the topic of a sentence or to provide contrast with another noun.
Which one should you use?
The choice between topic markers depends on the sound ending the preceding noun. Use 은 (eun) when the preceding noun ends in a consonant. If the preceding noun ends in a vowel, you should use 는 (neun) instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle 은 (eun) is used specifically when the noun it follows ends in a consonant.
How do you pronounce it?
eun
Did you know?
- Because 은 sounds like the word for 'silver', it is frequently used in Korean puns and wordplay where a grammatical function is swapped for a precious metal.
- The word 은 can be a homonym for 'grace' or 'favor' in Korean, depending on the Hanja character used in writing.
- The word 은 can represent many different Chinese characters depending on the Hanja used, meaning the same sound could represent dozens of unrelated concepts in written form.
Examples in context
- 시은 씨는 한국 음식을 좋아해요.Eun likes Korean food.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 은, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 은, CC BY-SA 4.0.
