Object Particle 을/를

Overview

The object particle 을/를 marks the direct object of a sentence -- the thing that receives the action of the verb. If someone eats something, drinks something, reads something, or watches something, that "something" gets marked with 을/를.

This is one of the most straightforward particles in Korean, and mastering it early will help you build correct sentences from the start.

Form: 을 vs 를

Like most Korean particles, the form depends on whether the preceding noun ends in a consonant (받침) or a vowel.

Condition	Object Particle	Example
After a consonant (받침)	을	밥을 (rice), 책을 (book)
After a vowel (no 받침)	를	커피를 (coffee), 영화를 (movie)

Quick reference table:

Noun	Meaning	Ends in	+ Object Particle
밥	rice/meal	consonant (ㅂ)	밥을
물	water	consonant (ㄹ)	물을
책	book	consonant (ㄱ)	책을
음악	music	consonant (ㄱ)	음악을
신문	newspaper	consonant (ㄴ)	신문을
커피	coffee	vowel	커피를
영화	movie	vowel	영화를
한국어	Korean language	vowel	한국어를
친구	friend	vowel	친구를
노래	song	vowel	노래를

Basic Usage: Marking the Direct Object

The direct object is "what" receives the action. In the sentence "I eat rice," rice is the direct object.

Common verbs with 을/를:

Korean	Romanization	English	Example Sentence
먹다	meokda	to eat	밥을 먹어요. (I eat rice.)
마시다	masida	to drink	물을 마셔요. (I drink water.)
보다	boda	to see/watch	영화를 봐요. (I watch a movie.)
읽다	ikda	to read	책을 읽어요. (I read a book.)
듣다	deutda	to listen	음악을 들어요. (I listen to music.)
공부하다	gongbuhada	to study	한국어를 공부해요. (I study Korean.)
사다	sada	to buy	옷을 사요. (I buy clothes.)
만들다	mandeulda	to make	김치를 만들어요. (I make kimchi.)
만나다	mannada	to meet	친구를 만나요. (I meet a friend.)
좋아하다	joahada	to like	커피를 좋아해요. (I like coffee.)

Sentence Structure: S + O + V

Korean follows Subject + Object + Verb word order (SOV), unlike English (SVO).

English (SVO)	Korean (SOV)
I eat rice.	저는 밥을 먹어요.
She reads a book.	그녀는 책을 읽어요.
We watch a movie.	우리는 영화를 봐요.

The verb always comes at the end in Korean. The object particle 을/를 helps identify which noun is the object, regardless of word order variations.

을/를 with Specific Verb Types

Action verbs (동사)

Most action verbs take a direct object with 을/를:

편지를 써요. (I write a letter.) 사진을 찍어요. (I take a photo.) 전화를 해요. (I make a phone call.)

하다 verbs

Many Korean verbs are formed with a noun + 하다. The object particle goes before the noun:

운동을 해요. (I exercise.) 요리를 해요. (I cook.) 청소를 해요. (I clean.)

Note: These can also be written as single words (운동해요, 요리해요), but when emphasizing or modifying the noun, the particle is used.

Verbs of emotion (좋아하다, 싫어하다)

Korean "like" and "dislike" take 을/를 (not 이/가 like in some other languages):

한국 음식을 좋아해요. (I like Korean food.) 시험을 싫어해요. (I dislike exams.)

Careful: 좋다 (to be good) uses 이/가: 커피가 좋아요. But 좋아하다 (to like) uses 을/를: 커피를 좋아해요. They translate similarly but work differently.

Omission in Spoken Korean

In casual spoken Korean, 을/를 is frequently dropped, especially when the meaning is clear from context:

Full form	Spoken form	Meaning
밥을 먹었어요.	밥 먹었어요.	I ate.
영화를 봤어요.	영화 봤어요.	I watched a movie.
뭐를 해요?	뭐 해요?	What are you doing?

This is perfectly natural in everyday conversation. However, when writing formally, in exams, or when you need to be precise, always include the particle.

을/를 vs Other Particles

Sometimes learners confuse when to use 을/를 versus other particles:

Particle	Function	Example
을/를	Object (what is acted upon)	책을 읽어요. (I read a book.)
이/가	Subject (who acts / what is described)	책이 재미있어요. (The book is fun.)
은/는	Topic (what we're talking about)	책은 여기 있어요. (The book is here.)

The same noun can take different particles depending on its role:

저는 커피를 좋아해요. (I like coffee.) - 저 = topic (은/는), 커피 = object (을/를)

커피가 맛있어요. (The coffee is delicious.) - 커피 = subject (이/가)

Special Uses of 을/를

Marking a path or route (movement verbs):

공원을 걸어요. (I walk through the park.) 길을 건너요. (I cross the street.) 산을 올라요. (I climb the mountain.)

With 타다 (to ride):

버스를 타요. (I ride the bus.) 비행기를 타요. (I take a plane.) 자전거를 타요. (I ride a bicycle.)

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Correction	Why
커피을 마셔요.	커피를 마셔요.	커피 ends in a vowel, use 를
밥를 먹어요.	밥을 먹어요.	밥 ends in a consonant, use 을
한국어가 공부해요.	한국어를 공부해요.	공부하다 takes an object (을/를)
음악를 들어요.	음악을 들어요.	음악 ends in ㄱ (consonant), use 을

Summary

을 attaches to nouns ending in a consonant (받침).
를 attaches to nouns ending in a vowel.
을/를 marks the direct object -- the thing that receives the action.
Korean word order is Subject + Object + Verb.
In casual speech, 을/를 can be dropped when meaning is clear.
Watch out for 좋아하다 (을/를) vs 좋다 (이/가) -- they seem similar but use different particles.