도 vs 만Also and only — which one, and when

One adds to the list, one cuts everything else off it. Both push out 이/가 and 을/를.

도 Also, too, even

Adds this to what was already true of something else.

만 Only, just

Excludes everything else. This one and nothing besides.

핵심The rule

The meanings are opposites and neither is hard. What trips learners is that they behave identically as particles, and that behaviour is the part worth learning.

Both replace 이/가 and 을/를 rather than stacking on them — 저도 갈게요, never 제가도 — and both stack on every other particle: 학교에도, 친구하고만, 집에서도. Exactly the rule 은/는 follows, which is no accident: all three are 보조사, particles that add a shade of meaning rather than mark a grammatical role.

도 has a second life inside negatives, where it means not even: 하나도 없어요 — not a single one. 한 명도 안 왔어요 — not one person came. This construction is far commoner than the plain "also" sense in everyday speech, and it always pairs with a negative verb.

만 attaches to verbs too, through -기만 하다 and -을 뿐이다: 웃기만 했어요 — he just laughed, and did nothing else.

어느 쪽?Which one, when

Meaning	Particle	Example
Also, too	도	저도 학생이에요.
Only, just	만	저만 갔어요.
Not even one	도 + negative	하나도 없어요.
Even (surprising inclusion)	도	아이도 알아요.
Only doing that and nothing else	-기만 하다	웃기만 했어요.
Stacked on another particle	either	학교에도 · 친구한테만

비교Same sentence, different particle

Both sentences below are correct. That is the point — these are not right-and-wrong pairs, they are two different things to say.

저도 갈게요.

I'll go too.

Somebody else is already going; I am joining the list.

저만 갈게요.

Only I will go.

Everyone else stays. Same slot, opposite effect.

물도 안 마셨어요.

I didn't even drink water.

도 with a negative verb: not even the minimum.

물만 마셨어요.

I only drank water.

만 with a positive verb: water and nothing else.

자주 하는 실수Common mistakes

✗제가도 갈게요.

✓저도 갈게요.

도 replaces 이/가; and 제 is the contracted form that only exists in front of 가, so it goes back to 저 when the marker leaves.

✗하나도 있어요.

✓하나도 없어요.

The 하나도 construction only works with a negative. With a positive verb it has no meaning at all.

사전 예문In the dictionary's own examples

Straight from the 국립국어원 entries, so you can check the rule above against real usage.

도full entry ›

냉장고에 사과 말고 딸기도 있다.

In the fridge, there are strawberries as well as apples.

그거랑 같이 여기 있는 이것도 먹어 봐.

Try eating this one here along with that one.

나는 이 책뿐만 아니라 저 책도 좋아한다.

I like not only this book but also that one.

만full entry ›

지수는 과일 중에 딸기만 좋아한다.

Among fruits, Jisu only likes strawberries.

그는 중요한 서류에 사인을 할 때는 이 만년필만 쓴다.

He only uses this fountain pen when signing important documents.

나는 요즘 상영하는 영화 중에 이 영화만 보고 싶어.

Of the movies showing these days, I only want to see this one.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

Does 도 replace 이/가 and 을/를?

Yes — 저도, never 제가도, and 김치도, never 김치를도. Like 은/는 and 만, 도 is a 보조사: it takes the case marker's slot rather than sitting on top of it. On every other particle it stacks freely: 학교에도, 집에서도.

What does 하나도 mean?

"Not even one", and it requires a negative verb: 하나도 없어요, 하나도 몰라요. This negative-polarity use of 도 is far commoner in speech than the textbook "also" sense, and 전혀 and 아무것도 work the same way.

How do you say 'only' with a verb?

-기만 하다: 웃기만 했어요, "he just laughed". 만 attaches to nouns directly, so to apply it to an action you first turn the verb into a noun with -기.

Example sentences from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.