What are Topic Particles 은/는 in Korean and How to Use Them?

은/는 (topic particle) designates the topic, or the target of exposition, of a particular sentence or group of sentences. Thus, it takes the meaning of ‘as for’, or ‘regarding’ sometimes. 는 is attached to words ending in a vowel, while 은 is attached to words ending in a consonant.

When compared with 이/가, 은/는 is mainly used for the following three functions:

First, it introduces something as a topic:

Example:

저는 한국사람입니다 I am Korean.

Second, 은/는 is used when referring to something mentioned earlier in a conversation or when talking about something already known by both sides in the conversation. In other words, 은/는 is used when expressing ‘old’ information. While 이/가 is used to introduce new information.

Example:

옛날에 한 남자가 살았어요. 그 남자는 아이들이 두 명 있었어요.

Once upon a time, there lived a man. He had two sons.

Third, 은/는 is used to compare or contrast two things. In such cases, it can be attached not only to subjects but also the objects or other parts of the sentence.

Example:

에릭은 미국사람이에요. 그렇지만 준호는 한국사람이에요.

Eric is American. Junho, however, is Korean. (은/는 is used to show comparison in subject part.)

저는 축구는 좋아해요. 그렇지만 야구는 좋아하지 않아요.

I like soccer. However, I don’t like baseball. (은/는 is used to show contrast in object part.)

서울에는 눈이 왔어요. 그렇지만 부산에는 눈이 오지 않았어요.

Snow fell in Seoul. In Pusan, however, snow did not fall. (은/는 is used to show contrast in locations.)