문법Korean Grammar — 336 Points from TOPIK 1 to 6

Every particle, ending and expression the 국립국어원 dictionary grades, with the environment it attaches to, its senses, and real example sentences for each. Ordered the way you meet them.

문법Grammar points: 336
조사Particles: 60
어미Endings: 140
예문Examples: 1,591

종류별By kind

조사 Particles The bound markers that say what a noun is doing in its sentence — subject, topic, object, place, direction. Korean has no word order to lean on, so these carry the load English does with position. 60 points 종결 어미 Sentence Endings What a Korean sentence ends in, and therefore what it is: a statement, a question, an order, a suggestion — and at which speech level you are saying it. 62 points 연결 어미 Connectives The endings that join two clauses — and, but, so, if, while. Korean puts the join on the first verb rather than between the clauses. 67 points 전성 어미 Modifier Endings The endings that turn a whole clause into something that modifies a noun. Korean's answer to the relative clause, and it goes in front of the noun, not after it. 7 points 선어말 어미 Pre-final Endings The slot between the stem and the ending, where tense and honorifics live: -으시-, -었-, -겠-. 4 points 표현 Expressions Multi-part patterns that behave as one piece of grammar — -을 수 있다, -어야 하다, -은 적이 있다. Most of what a learner calls "grammar" past 2급 is here. 136 points

급수별By TOPIK level

1급 TOPIK 1 Grammar Your first Korean: Hangul, greetings, numbers, and the sentence endings that make a phrase polite. 45 points 2급 TOPIK 2 Grammar Everyday Korean: past and future, 해요체 in full, and the connectives that join two clauses. 45 points 3급 TOPIK 3 Grammar The independent-user threshold: honorifics used properly, indirect speech, and 합니다체 for formal settings. 67 points 4급 TOPIK 4 Grammar News, workplace Korean and the 한자어 layer — the level where a big vocabulary starts to compound. 67 points 5급 TOPIK 5 Grammar Politics, economics, culture and research Korean, plus the idioms native speakers use without explaining. 56 points 6급 TOPIK 6 Grammar Near-native command: nuance, register, proverbs, and unfamiliar specialist material read at speed. 56 points

헷갈리는 문법The pairs everyone confuses

Two points that translate into the same English word and are not interchangeable. These are the ones worth reading side by side.

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은/는 vs 이/가 은/는 vs 이/가 Both come out as nothing in English, and they are not interchangeable. 1급 · TOPIK 1 은/는 vs 을/를 은/는 vs 을/를 Why 김치를 좋아해요 and 김치는 좋아해요 are both correct and mean different things. 1급 · TOPIK 1 에 vs 에서 에 vs 에서 One marks where something is, the other where something happens. 1급 · TOPIK 1 으로 vs 에 (으)로 vs 에 에 is where you are going. (으)로 is which way you are heading — and what you are getting there with. 1급 · TOPIK 1 도 vs 만 도 vs 만 One adds to the list, one cuts everything else off it. Both push out 이/가 and 을/를. 1급 · TOPIK 1 부터 vs 까지 부터 vs 까지 (and 에서) 부터 and 까지 are a pair, not rivals — the real question is when 'from' is 부터 and when it is 에서. 1급 · TOPIK 1

1급 문법Where to start

The points at 1급, in dictionary order. Nothing on this list is optional.

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-겠- -get- 선어말 어미 An ending of a word referring to a future event or assumption. -고 -go 연결 어미 A connective ending used when listing more than two equal facts. -고 -go -고요 종결 어미 (informal addressee-lowering) A sentence-final ending usually used when answering, omitting the question that should follow and finishing the… -고 싶다 -go sipda 표현 An expression used to state that the speaker wants to do the act mentioned in the preceding statement. -고 있다 -go itda 표현 An expression used to state that the act mentioned in the preceding statement is continued. -기 전에 -gi jeone -기 전 표현 An expression used to state that a certain act occurs earlier than the act in the preceding statement. -습니까 -seupnikka -ㅂ니까 종결 어미 (formal, highly addressee-raising) A sentence-final ending used when the speaker asks the listener politely. -습니다 -seupnida -ㅂ니다 종결 어미 (formal, highly addressee-raising) A sentence-final ending used to explain the present action, state, or fact politely. -어 -eo -아 · -여 · -야 종결 어미 (informal addressee-lowering) A sentence-final ending used to describe a certain fact, ask a question, give an order, or advise. -어서 -eoseo -아서 · -여서 · -어 연결 어미 A connective ending used to indicate that the preceding event and the following one happened sequentially. -어야 되다 -eoya doeda -아야 되다 · -여야 되다 표현 An expression used to indicate that one needs or is obligated to do a certain thing. -었- -eot- -았- · -였- 선어말 어미 An ending of a word used to indicate that an event happened in the past.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How many grammar points do I need for TOPIK?

This site carries 336, which is the 국립국어원 dictionary's own graded list: 90 across TOPIK I and 246 across TOPIK II. The count matters less than the order — the first two levels are almost entirely particles and sentence endings, and those two classes are what every later point is built on top of.

What is the difference between a particle and an ending?

A particle (조사) attaches to a noun and says what that noun is doing in the sentence — subject, topic, object, place. An ending (어미) attaches to a verb or adjective stem and carries tense, politeness, and how the clause joins to the next one. Korean marks with morphology what English marks with word order and prepositions, which is why both classes are so large.

Do I need to learn 받침 rules for grammar?

Yes, and they are the first thing on every page here. Most Korean grammar points have two shapes — 은/는, 이/가, -으면/-면 — and which one you use depends on whether the syllable in front of it ends in a consonant. Each point's usage note states the rule in English and in the dictionary's own Korean.

Are the example sentences real?

Every example and dialogue comes from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전 rather than being written for this site, and each carries an English translation. That means the register is authentic — these are sentences Korean speakers actually produce, not textbook constructions.

Grammar definitions, usage notes, examples and dialogues from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.