Korean Particle 한테/에게: To a Person (Indirect Object)

Marks the recipient (to whom). 한테 is casual, 에게 is formal. For animals too.

The Rule

Marks the recipient (to whom). 한테 is casual, 에게 is formal. For animals too. Particles are the backbone of Korean grammar. Unlike English, which relies on word order to show who does what, Korean uses small markers attached directly to nouns. 한테/에게 is one of the most fundamental particles you'll encounter, and understanding it correctly will dramatically improve your Korean comprehension.

Why English Speakers Get It Wrong

English doesn't have particles like 한테/에게. In English, word order and prepositions do the job — "I gave the book to him" uses position and "to" to clarify meaning. Korean particles attach directly to nouns and change the grammatical role, which feels alien at first. The biggest confusion comes from trying to translate particles one-to-one with English prepositions. 한테/에게 doesn't map neatly to any single English word. Instead, think of it as a grammatical tag that tells you the noun's role in the sentence.

How It Works

Marks the recipient (to whom). 한테 is casual, 에게 is formal. For animals too. 한테/에게 attaches directly after a noun with no space. If the noun ends in a consonant (받침), the form may change — this is called "받침 sensitivity" and it's a pattern you'll see across Korean grammar. Pay attention to how native speakers use 한테/에게 in real conversations. You'll start noticing patterns quickly.

Real Examples

• 친구한테 선물을 줬어요. (chinguhante seonmureur jwoteoyo.) — "I gave a gift to my friend." [Casual: 한테] • 선생님에게 질문했어요. (seonsaengnimege jirmunhaeteoyo.) — "I asked the teacher a question." [Formal: 에게] • 고양이한테 밥을 줬어요. (goyangihante bapeur jwoteoyo.) — "I gave food to the cat." [Animals use 한테 too]

Common Mistakes

❌ 친구에 선물을 줬어요. (chingue seonmureur jwoteoyo.) ✅ 친구한테 선물을 줬어요. (chinguhante seonmureur jwoteoyo.) → For giving TO a person, use 한테/에게, not 에 (which is for places).

Quick Tip

Practice by labeling objects around you with 한테/에게. Say the noun + particle out loud until it feels natural. When reading Korean, circle every 한테/에게 you see and ask yourself WHY it was used there — this active reading habit builds intuition faster than memorizing rules.

Remember: Marks the recipient (to whom). 한테 is casual, 에게 is formal. For animals too.

Examples

친구한테 선물을 줬어요. — chinguhante seonmureur jwoteoyo. — I gave a gift to my friend.

선생님에게 질문했어요. — seonsaengnimege jirmunhaeteoyo. — I asked the teacher a question.

고양이한테 밥을 줬어요. — goyangihante bapeur jwoteoyo. — I gave food to the cat.