에게
ege
to; for (a person)
Marks a person or animal as the recipient or target of an action, or as the possessor/source of something. It is used with animate nouns; 에게서 and 한테 are related forms, and 께 is the honorific.
Form
- Attaches to
- Noun
- Other shapes
- 에게로 · 에게서
Meanings
- 1
A postpositional particle that indicates whom a certain object belongs to.
어떤 물건의 소속이나 위치를 나타내는 조사.
- 2
A postpositional particle referring to the subject that is influenced by a certain action.
어떤 행동이 미치는 대상임을 나타내는 조사.
- 3
A postpositional particle indicating the agent of a certain action or one from which an action comes from.
어떤 행동의 주체이거나 비롯되는 대상임을 나타내는 조사.
Examples
비만인 사람에게 성인병이 더 잘 생긴다.
Obese people are more prone to adult-onset diseases.
나에게 공부할 시간만 더 있었다면 시험을 더 잘 봤을 텐데.
If only I had had more time to study, I would have done better on the exam.
자신이 가진 것보다 자신에게 없는 것이 더 크게 느껴지는 경우가 많다.
What one lacks often feels bigger than what one has.
승규는 버스에서 임산부에게 자리를 양보했다.
Seunggyu gave up his seat to a pregnant woman on the bus.
나는 오랜만에 만난 친구에게 반갑게 인사를 했다.
I greeted my friend warmly, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
민준이는 후배에게 많은 조언을 해 주는 좋은 선배였다.
Minjun was a good senior who gave a lot of advice to his juniors.
Examples: 한국어기초사전, CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.
Don’t confuse with
Forms with a close meaning — a favourite source of wrong answers on TOPIK.
Quick check
1. What does ‘에게’ mean?
2. Which form means “to; for (a person)”?