…으로
In Korean, 'to' can be expressed in several ways depending on whether you are indicating a direction or a recipient. The default form is …으로. Wiktionary also lists …에게 (…ege).
Meaning: in the direction of, and arriving at (prep)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| …으로 | |
| …에게 | …ege |
You use …으로 to indicate a direction or a destination, such as 'to the park'. When you are referring to a recipient of an action, such as 'to a friend', you use …에게 or its colloquial alternatives.
Which one should you use?
…으로 is used for movement toward a destination or direction. In contrast, …에게 is used when 'to' refers to a person or a living entity that is receiving an action.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Seoul, South Korea, the suffix -한테 is used for 'to'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form …으로 indicates direction or destination. This form shortens to …로 when the preceding noun ends in a vowel or the consonant ㄹ. When referring to a recipient of an action, use …에게. For a more informal, spoken version of 'to a person', you can use …한테. Note that when using the verb 'to go' (가다), the particle -에 is used.
Did you know?
- When using …으로 to indicate direction, it can often be used to express a choice or a decision, such as saying 'I'll go with this one' when picking an item.
- Using the colloquial …한테 to address a teacher or a grandparent is considered rude. In these cases, you must switch to the highly respectful version …께 to avoid a social faux pas.
- Using …에게 or …한테 for an inanimate object, like a toaster, would sound like you are attributing human consciousness or a soul to the object.
Examples in context
- 선생님께 (seonsaengnimkke), 감사 표현을 하려면 선생님께 제대로 고마움을 전해야 합니다.To show your gratitude, you must express it properly to your teacher.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “to” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
