…으로
The English phrase 'to' can be expressed in Korean using …으로 or …에게 depending on the destination.
Meaning: in the direction of, and arriving at (prep)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| …으로 | |
| …에게 | …ege |
The particle …으로 is used to indicate movement toward a direction or an inanimate object. This particle can also be used to indicate a method or a change in state, meaning 'as' or 'by means of'. …에게 is used specifically when the destination or recipient is a person or a living being.
Which one should you use?
…으로 is used for directions or inanimate objects, whereas …에게 is used specifically when the destination is a person or a living being.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
When speaking to or about someone of much higher social status, you should use …께 instead of the standard …에게.
How does it change in a sentence?
While …에게 means 'to' a person, adding the particle '서' to create …에게서 changes the meaning to 'from' a person.
Did you know?
- In casual spoken Korean, …에게 is frequently replaced by …한테, which is almost never used in formal writing.
- Using …에게 for an object like a table suggests the object is alive, which can make a sentence sound poetic or humorous.
- The spelling of the direction particle changes from …으로 to …로 depending on whether the noun ends in a vowel or the consonant 'ㄹ'.
Examples in context
- 학교에 가다Go to school.
- 회의에 참석하다Attend a meeting.
- 학교 가자Let's go to school.
- 영화 보러 가자Let's go watch a movie.
- 친구 집에 가면 전화해When you get to your friend's house, call me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “to” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
