Korean particles (조사) are essential grammatical elements that indicate the relationship between words in a sentence. Unlike English prepositions that come before nouns, Korean particles come after - hence they’re called “postpositions.”

Overview of Location Particles

Particle Basic Meaning Used With
에 at, to Places
에게 to People/Animals
에서 from, at Places (with action)
에게서 from People/Animals

에: At, To (for Places)

The particle 에 marks location or destination for places.

Meaning 1: Location (at, in)

선생님은 학교에 있다. (The teacher is at school.)

  • 학교 = school
  • Pattern: Place + 에 + 있다
  • Most commonly used with 있다 (exist/be)

Meaning 2: Direction (to)

나는 학교에 갔다. (I went to school.)

  • With directional verbs (가다, 오다, etc.), 에 means “to”

에게: To (for People/Animals)

When the destination is a person or animal, use 에게 instead of 에.

나는 나의 친구에게 갔다. (I went to my friend.)

  • Used with people, animals, or personified objects

에서: From, At (for Places with Action)

에서 is more complex - it can mean “from” or “at” depending on context.

Meaning 1: Source/Origin (from)

나는 집에서 학교에 갔다. (I went to school from home.)

  • 집에서 = from home
  • 학교에 = to school

Meaning 2: Location of Action (at)

나는 친구를 집에서 만났어요. (I met my friend at home.)

  • 에서 marks the location where an action takes place

에 vs 에서: The Key Difference

This distinction often confuses learners. Here’s the difference:

Particle Meaning Usage
에 Fixed point Static location, existence
에서 Base of activity Where action happens

Examples:

Korean English Explanation
집에 있다 be at home Static existence - you’re just there
집에서 살다 live at home Activity - living involves moving, doing things
학교에 있다 be at school Simply existing at the location
학교에서 공부하다 study at school Action happening at the location

Think of it this way:

  • 에 = you’re a fixed point (like a pin on a map)
  • 에서 = you’re the center of a circle where activity happens (you can move around)

Even though 에서 can mean “at,” it still carries the underlying meaning of “from” - it’s the base/origin point of your activity.

에게서: From (for People/Animals)

When receiving something from a person or animal, use 에게서.

나는 나의 친구에게서 선물을 받았다. (I received a gift from my friend.)

  • 받다 = receive
  • Pattern: Person + 에게서 + Object + 를/을 + 받다

Quick Comparison

Meaning For Places For People
To/At (static) 에 에게
From/At (active) 에서 에게서

Common Patterns

에 Patterns

  • ~에 가다 (go to ~)
  • ~에 오다 (come to ~)
  • ~에 있다 (be at ~)
  • ~에 도착하다 (arrive at ~)

에서 Patterns

  • ~에서 ~에 가다 (go from ~ to ~)
  • ~에서 일하다 (work at ~)
  • ~에서 공부하다 (study at ~)
  • ~에서 살다 (live at ~)

에게/에게서 Patterns

  • ~에게 주다 (give to ~)
  • ~에게 말하다 (speak to ~)
  • ~에게서 받다 (receive from ~)
  • ~에게서 듣다 (hear from ~)

Practice Examples

Korean English Particle Used
나는 서울에 산다. I live in Seoul. 에 (with 살다, can use 에)
그는 회사에서 일해요. He works at a company. 에서 (action location)
친구에게 편지를 썼어요. I wrote a letter to a friend. 에게 (to person)
선생님에게서 배웠어요. I learned from the teacher. 에게서 (from person)
공항에서 왔어요. I came from the airport. 에서 (from place)

Summary

Remember these key points:

  1. 에 = static location or destination (place)
  2. 에게 = destination when it’s a person
  3. 에서 = origin or location of activity (place)
  4. 에게서 = origin when it’s a person

The 에 vs 에서 distinction comes down to whether you’re describing static existence (에) or active presence (에서).