Usage
i) Neutral 가
비가 온다.
It’s raining.
ii) Exhaustive 가
철수가 학생이다.
(It is) 철수 (who) is a student.
iii) ‘Subject complements’
철수는 변호사가 됐다.
철수 has become an attorney.
iv) ‘Objects’ of transitive adjectives
나는 철수가 부럽다.
I’m jealous of 철수.
v) Embedded subjects
철수는 키가 크다.
철수 is tall.
vi) Emphatic 가
나비는 예쁘지가 않다.
Butterflies are not beautiful.
vii) Unique specification
철수는 거기서가 아니라 여기서 잤다.
철수 didn’t sleep there, he slept here.
Marking
| Noun | Marking | |
|---|---|---|
| Vowel | 남자 | 남자가 |
| Consonant | 사람 | 사람이 |
Contents
Introduction
i) Neutral 가
ii) Exhaustive 가
iii) ‘Subject complements’
iv) ‘Objects’ of transitive adjectives
v) Embedded subjects
vi) Emphatic 가
vii) Unique specification
Additional details
Associated grammar
See also
Bibliography
User examples
Introduction
Particle 이/가 is used in many different ways from ‘subject marking’ to ‘complement marking’ to use for emphatic effect.
While it’s commonly known as the ‘subject particle’. This term is a simplification and not intended to be taken literally for 이/가 has uses beyond ‘subject marking’ (explained throughout).
i) Neutral 가
The most basic usage of particle 이/가 is as a neutral ‘subject marker’. Here 이/가 marks subjects with plain descriptions.
비가 온다.
It’s raining.
In this example, 가 marks the subject of the sentence (rain). No other effect is intended.
ii) Exhaustive 가
Exhaustive 이/가 selects an item as the only one possible option from a set of alternatives.
A: Who is a student?
B: 철수가 학생이다.
B: 철수 is a student.
Here 이/가 is arguably not being used for ‘subject marking’ because there is no subject ambiguity. This use of 이/가 helps make 철수 the focus of the sentence by signalling him as the key piece of information to take in. This use of 이/가 is spoken with an emphatic tone.
누렁소가 일을 더 잘 합니다.
It’s the yellow ox that works harder.
iii) ‘Subject complements’
Subject complements help complete a description of the subject.
철수는 변호사가 됐다.
철수 has become an attorney.
Here the noun ‘attorney’ is a subject complement which links back and describes the subject (철수). These nouns are normally marked with 가 unless contrastive (or omitted).
Subject complements are easy to identify in Korean because they precede the copula 이다/아니다 and 되다.
With the positive copula (이다), particle 이/가 is always omitted in modern Korean. This occurs through contraction because the 이 sound exists in 이다.
Consider:
철수는 학생이 이다.
철수는 학생∅+이다.
철수는 학생이다.
iv) ‘Objects’ of transitive adjectives
Transitive adjectives or psych verbs are a complicated topic which won’t be discussed in depth here. These verbs basically denote emotive or cognitive states. Examples include:
좋다
무섭다
부럽다
Note that their action verb counterparts take 하다:
좋아하다
무서워하다
부러워하다
The psych verb expresses an immediate, inner feeling and takes a noun as the source of the emotive state.
(나는) 철수가 부럽다.
I’m jealous of 철수.
Here 철수 is the source of the speaker’s jealousy. In English, this noun is an object. However in Korean, there is a debate among linguists as to whether it is a subject, object or complement. The details of the debate are not important — however, this illustrates that the terms ‘subject’ and ‘object’ have grey areas. Moreover, it demonstrates how the term ‘subject particle’ is overly simplistic.
Note that ‘objects’ of psych verbs are normally marked 이/가 while objects of action verbs are marked with 을/를.
Compare:
이 노래가 좋다.
I like this song.
이 노래를 좋아한다.
I like this song.
v) Embedded subjects
Complex sentences and embedded clauses are big topics which cannot be explained here in brevity. Basically, a clause is embedded into a larger sentence and functions as a noun, adjective, adverbial, predicate or quotation. Subjects of embedded clauses are normally marked with 이/가.
철수는 키가 크다.
철수 is tall.
키 here is a called an ’embedded subject’ because it exists inside a predicate clause. That is, the clause acts as a predicate to the main subject (철수). The grammar behind this concept is tricky to explain because it involves many layers. An overview is provided in UKB-001 (Chapter 6).
vi) Emphatic 가
Particle 이/가 can be used for emphatic reasons, rather than noun (role) marking purposes. Here 이/가 simply gives emphasis to what it attaches to. Example:
나비는 예쁘지가 않다.
Butterflies are not beautiful.
While the least common variant of the particle, this usage is important to consider because it is evidence for a basic function which is not ‘subject marking’.
믿을 수가 없어.
I can’t believe it.
vii) Unique specification
There are instances where speakers use particle 이/가 as a unique specifier.
철수는 거기서가 아니라 여기서 잤다.
철수 didn’t sleep there, he slept here.
Here the speaker uses 가 to point at and uniquely specify something in the world. Notice that this is similar to “pointing a finger” at the sleeping location.
Some linguists have suggested this could be the fundamental function of particle 이/가 as it can explain the aforementioned usages. Interestingly, a word which Korean grammarians often use to describe particle 이/가 is 지정 meaning ‘specify/designate’.
Additional details
General
• 것이 is frequently abbreviated to 게.
• This particle was originally ‘이’ for both consonant and vowel endings. ‘가’ became commonly spoken in the 18th and 19th centuries but was not used in writing until the late 19th century.
Associated grammar
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See also
Bibliography
Affiliate links help support uK.
— Choo, M., & Kwak, H. (2008). Using Korean: A Guide to Contemporary Usage. New York: Cambridge University Press.
— Kim, I. On the Meaning of Korean -i/ka*. (2014). Language and Linguistics, 63, 1-26.
— Kim, I. How can Korean – i/ka express exhaustivity?. (2015). Language and Information, 19(2), 37–53.
— Lee, K., & Ramsey, S.R. (2011). A History of the Korean Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
— Sohn, H. (1999). The Korean Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
User examples
i) Neutral 가
Context: A car window sticker.
아이가 타고 있어요.
Baby on board.
[Submitted by 주호]
iv) ‘Objects’ of transitive adjectives
Context: Opening song for children’s program.
뿡뿡이가 좋아요.
I like 뿡뿡이.
[Submitted by 주호]
Context: A schoolgirl is given a ‘birthday cake’.
초가 없는 게 좀 아쉽긴 한데.
Such a pity there aren’t any candles.
[Submitted by 주호]