Josa

Josa (조사) are postpositions in Korean grammar attached to nouns to indicate their grammatical role in a sentence. They label the relationships among elements, such as subject, object, topic, possessive, location, time, means, direction, and association. The most common josa are subject markers -이/가, topic markers -은/는, and object markers -을/를. Other frequent particles include possessive -의, locative -에, -에서, directional -으로/로, comitative -과/와, and dative forms -에게/한테/께.

The form of josa depends on the final sound of the noun they attach to. If the noun ends with a consonant (has a 받침), you typically add -이, -은, -을, -과, -으로. If it ends with a vowel, you use -가, -는, -를, -와, -로. The pair -으로/로 alternates based on phonological context: -으로 after a consonant-ending noun, -로 after a vowel-ending noun. Locative particles -에 and -에서 mark location or the site of an action. Indirect objects are expressed with -에게/한테 (formal/informal) or -께 (honorific). The particle -과/와 links nouns in a conjunction meaning "and/with." Possessive -의 marks ownership.

Usage notes: In standard Korean, josa are essential for clarity, though spoken Korean often omits or contracts particles. Correct use depends on the noun’s ending, the level of politeness, and discourse context. Learners practice with sentences such as 철수가 책을 읽는다, 학교는 멋져 보인다, 나와 친구들이 함께 간다, 집에서 공부한다, and 선생님이 학생에게 문제를 물었다.