Learn Korean Through a Structured Step-by-Step System

Today’s Korean Grammar Lesson: 은/는 vs. 을/를 vs. 이/가 (scroll down for lesson)

Learning Korean is much easier when you know what to study, when to study it, and how each lesson connects to the next.

The Focus Korean System, developed by Korean language instructor Suebeet Kim, is a structured Korean curriculum refined through 20+ years of teaching experience.

Since 2005, students around the world have developed Korean communication skills through a clear progression from Beginner to Intermediate and Advanced levels.

Whether you’re learning Korean for personal enrichment, family connections, travel, work, heritage language development, or professional goals, the Focus Korean System gives you a clear roadmap for building your Korean skills step by step.

What the Focus Korean System Combines

✔ Grammar and sentence structure
✔ Vocabulary development
✔ Reading and writing
✔ Speaking practice
✔ Practical Korean communication
✔ Korean culture and real-world usage
✔ Clear progression from one level to the next

The goal is not simply to memorize Korean words and grammar rules.

The goal is to understand how Korean works and gradually build the ability to communicate with confidence and naturalness.

---

Choose the Korean Learning Format That Fits You

You can follow the Focus Korean curriculum through different learning formats. Choose the option that best matches your goals, schedule, and learning style.

📘 Self-Study Korean Program

Learn independently through structured video lessons and matching digital textbooks.

✔ Learn at your own pace
✔ Video lessons
✔ Matching digital textbooks
✔ Lifetime access
✔ Beginner through Advanced progression

Starting at $49 per level

👉 Explore the Focus Korean Self-Study Program

👉 Explore the Focus Korean Intermediate Self-Study Program

---

👥 Live Online Korean Group Classes

Learn Korean through structured weekly classes led by a native Korean instructor.

✔ Weekly live instruction
✔ Speaking practice
✔ Small-group learning environment
✔ Adult and children’s classes
✔ Structured Focus Korean curriculum

$229 per term

👉 View Adult Korean Classes

👉 View Children’s Korean Classes

---

🎯 Private 1:1 Korean Lessons

Get personalized Korean instruction based on your goals, level, and schedule.

✔ Customized lessons
✔ Flexible scheduling
✔ Direct instructor feedback
✔ TOPIK preparation
✔ Business Korean
✔ Beginner through Advanced instruction

👉 Learn More About Private Korean Lessons

---

🛍️ Korean Learning Materials

Prefer to choose individual resources?

The Korean Learning Store offers textbooks, video lessons, and learning materials for different ages and levels.

✔ Korean video lessons
✔ PDF textbooks
✔ Video + textbook bundles
✔ Beginner through Intermediate resources
✔ Resources for adults and children
✔ Individual products

Starting at $19

👉 Visit the Korean Learning Store

---

Why Follow a Structured Korean Curriculum?

Have you ever started learning Korean and then wondered:

“What should I study next?”

It’s easy to find thousands of Korean learning resources online.

You can watch a YouTube video about grammar, learn vocabulary from an app, download a worksheet, and then discover another textbook—but these resources may not follow the same progression.

Without a clear roadmap, learners can end up:

❌ Jumping between unrelated lessons
❌ Studying grammar without enough practice
❌ Memorizing vocabulary without using it in sentences
❌ Relearning the same concepts
❌ Wondering which grammar point to study next

A structured curriculum gives you a different experience.

With the Focus Korean System, each level is designed to build on the skills and grammar introduced previously.

You can see where you are, understand what you’re learning now, and know what comes next.

---

Your Focus Korean Learning Roadmap

The Focus Korean curriculum provides a progression from Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced.

🟢 Beginner Korean

Level 1 → Level 2 → Level 3 → Level 4 → Level 5 → Level 6

Build your foundation in Hangeul, vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, reading, writing, and everyday Korean communication.

🔵 Intermediate Korean

Level 1 → Level 2

Expand your grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and ability to express more detailed ideas.

🟣 Advanced Korean

Level 1 → Level 2

Continue developing more sophisticated grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, and communication skills.

👉 View the Full Focus Korean Curriculum

---

Now, Let’s Learn Korean Grammar! 🇰🇷

Understanding Korean particles is an important step in building strong Korean sentences.

Today we’re focusing on three particles that you will see constantly when reading and listening to Korean:

은/는 · 을/를 · 이/가

At first, these tiny particles can feel confusing.

Why do we say:

저는 한국어를 공부해요.

but:

저는 한국어가 어려워요.

Why is it 한국어를 in one sentence but 한국어가 in another?

The answer becomes much easier once you understand the role each particle plays.

Let’s take them one at a time.

---

1. 은/는 — The Topic Particle

은/는 marks the topic of a sentence.

A useful way to understand it is:

“As for…”
“Speaking of…”

It tells your listener what you’re talking about.

은 or 는?

Use 은 after a noun ending in a consonant:

학생 + 은 → 학생은
한국 + 은 → 한국은
오늘 + 은 → 오늘은

Use 는 after a noun ending in a vowel:

저 + 는 → 저는
학교 + 는 → 학교는
친구 + 는 → 친구는

Examples

저는 학생이에요.
I am a student.

Think:

“As for me, I am a student.”

---

한국은 아름다워요.
Korea is beautiful.

---

오늘은 바빠요.
I’m busy today.

---

민수는 한국어를 공부해요.
Minsu studies Korean.

Here, 민수는 establishes Minsu as the topic.

---

은/는 Can Also Show Contrast

Another important use of 은/는 is contrast.

For example:

한국어는 어려워요.
Korean is difficult.

Depending on the context, 는 can suggest:

“Korean is difficult, but something else may be different.”

For example:

한국어는 어려워요. 영어는 쉬워요.
Korean is difficult. English is easy.

The two topics are being compared.

So remember:

은/는 = topic + sometimes contrast

---

2. 을/를 — The Object Particle

을/를 marks the object of an action.

A simple question can help:

What is someone doing?

For example:

What do you eat?

→ 밥

What do you study?

→ 한국어

What do you watch?

→ 영화

What do you read?

→ 책

These nouns can be marked with 을/를.

을 or 를?

Use 을 after a noun ending in a consonant:

밥 + 을 → 밥을
책 + 을 → 책을
한국 + 을 → 한국을

Use 를 after a noun ending in a vowel:

커피 + 를 → 커피를
영화 + 를 → 영화를
한국어 + 를 → 한국어를

Examples

밥을 먹어요.
I eat a meal.

한국어를 공부해요.
I study Korean.

영화를 봐요.
I watch a movie.

책을 읽어요.
I read a book.

Easy Trick

When you’re unsure whether you need 을/를, look at the verb and ask:

“What?”

먹어요 → What do you eat?

마셔요 → What do you drink?

읽어요 → What do you read?

봐요 → What do you watch?

공부해요 → What do you study?

The answer is often the noun marked with 을/를.

---

3. 이/가 — The Subject Particle

이/가 marks the subject of a sentence.

It can identify who or what performs an action or who/what has a particular quality or state.

이 or 가?

Use 이 after a noun ending in a consonant:

학생 + 이 → 학생이
책 + 이 → 책이
한국어 + 이 → 한국어가

Use 가 after a noun ending in a vowel:

친구 + 가 → 친구가
민수 + 가 → 민수가
학교 + 가 → 학교가

Examples

민수가 공부해요.
Minsu studies.

Who studies?

→ 민수

---

학생이 와요.
A student comes.

Who comes?

→ 학생

---

비가 와요.
It’s raining.

What comes?

→ 비

---

4. 은/는 vs. 이/가 — What’s the Difference?

This is the part that confuses many Korean learners.

You may see both:

민수는 학생이에요.

and:

민수가 학생이에요.

Both can be grammatically correct, but the focus can be different.

---

민수는 학생이에요.

민수는 학생이에요.
Minsu is a student.

Here, 민수는 makes Minsu the topic.

Think:

“As for Minsu…”

This is especially natural when you’re already talking about Minsu.

For example:

민수 씨는 뭐 해요?
What does Minsu do?

민수 씨는 학생이에요.
Minsu is a student.

Minsu is already the topic.

---

민수가 학생이에요.

민수가 학생이에요.
Minsu is the student.

Here, 민수가 puts more focus on identifying Minsu.

Imagine several people are in a room.

Someone asks:

누가 학생이에요?
Who is a student?

You can answer:

민수가 학생이에요.
Minsu is the student.

The question asks:

누가? — Who?

So 이/가 naturally identifies the subject.

---

5. The Question-and-Answer Trick

This is one of the most useful ways to understand 이/가 and 을/를.

누가? → 이/가

누가 한국어를 공부해요?
Who studies Korean?

수진이가 한국어를 공부해요.
Sujin studies Korean.

누가? asks who?

Answer:

수진이 + 가

→ 수진이가

---

무엇을? → 을/를

수진이가 무엇을 공부해요?
What does Sujin study?

수진이가 한국어를 공부해요.
Sujin studies Korean.

무엇을? asks what?

Answer:

한국어 + 를

→ 한국어를

---

Topic → 은/는

수진이는 무엇을 공부해요?
What does Sujin study?

수진이는 한국어를 공부해요.
Sujin studies Korean.

Here, the conversation is about Sujin.

So:

수진이는 → topic

한국어를 → object

---

6. 은/는 and 이/가 Can Appear Together

You don’t always have to choose one or the other.

They can have different jobs in the same sentence.

For example:

저는 한국어가 어려워요.
Korean is difficult for me.

Break it down:

저는 → topic

한국어가 → subject

어려워요 → is difficult

The sentence can be understood as:

“As for me, Korean is difficult.”

This pattern appears very frequently in Korean.

More Examples

저는 한국 음식이 좋아요.
I like Korean food.

---

저는 매운 음식이 싫어요.
I don’t like spicy food.

---

저는 시간이 필요해요.
I need time.

---

저는 친구가 있어요.
I have a friend.

---

7. Why Do We Say 친구가 있어요?

English speakers often find this structure interesting.

친구가 있어요.
I have a friend.

Korean uses 있다 to express existence or possession.

You can think of it roughly as:

“A friend exists.”

When you add a topic:

저는 친구가 있어요.

the idea becomes:

“As for me, a friend exists.”

Natural English:

I have a friend.

The same pattern occurs with 없다:

시간이 없어요.
I don’t have time.

친구가 없어요.
I don’t have a friend.

---

8. Don’t Translate Every Particle Word-for-Word

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is trying to find one exact English word for every Korean particle.

For example:

저는 학생이에요.

You don’t need to think:

“I-neun student-ieyo.”

Instead, understand the function:

저 = I

는 = topic marker

학생 = student

이에요 = am/is

Natural English:

I am a student.

Korean particles often communicate information through sentence structure and context, rather than through one direct English translation.

---

9. Common Korean Particle Mistakes

❌ 한국어가 공부해요.

If you mean:

I study Korean.

Use:

✅ 한국어를 공부해요.

한국어 is the object of 공부하다.

---

❌ 저는 친구를 있어요.

If you mean:

I have a friend.

Use:

✅ 저는 친구가 있어요.

친구가 is used with 있다 in this structure.

---

❌ 저는 한국어를 어려워요.

If you mean:

Korean is difficult for me.

Use:

✅ 저는 한국어가 어려워요.

Here:

저는 → topic

한국어가 → subject

어려워요 → difficult

---

10. Quick Practice

Choose the correct particle.

① 저는 한국어___ 공부해요.

A. 은
B. 를
C. 가

Answer: B. 를

저는 한국어를 공부해요.

---

② 민수___ 학생이에요.

A. 는
B. 를
C. 가

Answer: A. 는

민수는 학생이에요.

---

③ 누___ 와요?

A. 를
B. 가
C. 는

Answer: B. 가

누가 와요?

---

④ 밥___ 먹어요.

A. 을
B. 이
C. 는

Answer: A. 을

밥을 먹어요.

---

⑤ 저는 시간이___ 없어요.

A. 를
B. 가
C. 는

Answer: B. 가

저는 시간이 없어요.

---

11. Quick Reference

Particle	Main Function	Example
은/는	Topic	저는 학생이에요.
이/가	Subject	민수가 와요.
을/를	Object	책을 읽어요.

Remember:

은/는 → TOPIC

“What are we talking about?”

이/가 → SUBJECT

“Who or what?”

을/를 → OBJECT

“What is receiving the action?”

---

⭐ One Last Example

Let’s put everything together:

저는 친구가 한국어를 가르쳐 줘요.
My friend teaches me Korean.

Look carefully:

저는 → topic

친구가 → subject

한국어를 → object

You don’t need to translate each particle separately.

Instead, recognize the role each noun plays in the sentence.

That’s the key to understanding Korean particles.

---

Frequently Asked Questions About Korean Particles

What is the difference between 은/는 and 이/가?

은/는 marks the topic, while 이/가 marks the subject and can place emphasis on identifying who or what the subject is.

For example:

민수는 학생이에요.
Minsu is a student.

민수가 학생이에요.
Minsu is the student.

The exact nuance depends on the context.

---

When do I use 을/를?

Use 을/를 to mark the object of an action.

한국어를 공부해요.
I study Korean.

책을 읽어요.
I read a book.

---

Can 은/는 and 이/가 be used together?

Yes!

For example:

저는 한국어가 어려워요.

저는 = topic

한국어가 = subject

This is a very common Korean sentence structure.

---

How can I get better at Korean particles?

Don’t study particles only as isolated grammar rules.

Pay attention to how native Korean speakers use them in complete sentences. Reading, listening, speaking, and practicing sentence patterns together will help you develop a stronger sense of how particles work.

---

🇰🇷 Keep Building Your Korean

Understanding 은/는, 을/를, and 이/가 is just one step in building a strong Korean foundation.

As you continue studying, you’ll encounter more grammar patterns, vocabulary, sentence structures, and expressions that build on what you’ve already learned.

That’s why having a structured learning path can make such a difference.

Whether you prefer independent study, live classes, or personalized instruction, the Focus Korean System gives you a clear progression to follow.

Start Your Korean Learning Journey

📘 Self-Study Korean Program
Learn through structured video lessons and matching digital textbooks.
👉 Explore Self-Study

👥 Live Korean Classes
Join structured online classes for adults or children.
👉 Adult Korean Classes
👉 Children’s Korean Classes

🎯 Private Korean Lessons
Get personalized instruction based on your goals and level.
👉 Private Lessons

🛍️ Korean Learning Materials
Explore Focus Korean textbooks, videos, and learning resources.
👉 Korean Learning Store

---

Join Our Korean Learning Community

Want to continue learning Korean with us?

Sign up to receive:

✔ Free Hangeul Guide
✔ Korean Learning Tips
✔ Korean Culture Insights
✔ Class Announcements
✔ New Course Openings

---

Keep Learning. Keep Practicing. Keep Building Your Korean.

한국어를 조금씩, 꾸준히 공부해 보세요!

Hangugeo-reul jogeumssik, kkujuni gongbuhae boseyo!

Keep studying Korean little by little and consistently!

Your Korean journey doesn’t have to be rushed. It just needs a clear path.

The Focus Korean System is here to help you take that next step.