Korean Dependent Nouns 것 수 때 줄 적: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Recognise a dependent noun and name the modifier it needs.
• Read eleven common dependent nouns and the patterns they build.
• Space the patterns correctly, and tell dependent nouns from endings and particles.
• Avoid errors such as 갈수 있다 and 먹을 적이 있어요.

Prerequisites: the noun modifiers -는, -(으)ㄴ and -(으)ㄹ (-는 noun modifier and -(으)ㄹ future modifier). Time: about 15 minutes.

Listen to the two model sentences for this lesson.

The next section defines dependent nouns and shows them in two sentences.

What Are Korean Dependent Nouns 것, 수, 때, 줄 and 적?

A dependent noun (의존 명사 in Korean grammar) is a noun that has a meaning but needs a modifier in front of it. An ordinary noun such as 책 ("book") can stand alone. A dependent noun cannot: 수 alone does not mean anything in a sentence, but 먹을 수 means "a way to eat", and 갈 때 means "the time of going". The modifier supplies the content, and the dependent noun supplies the frame.

A modifier is a word or ending that describes a noun. In Korean the modifier endings are -는, -(으)ㄴ and -(으)ㄹ. The Standard Korean Dictionary (표준국어대사전) marks these words as 의존 명사.

A First Example

In the first sentence the modifier and 수 together mean "a way of eating", and 있어요 says that such a way exists: "there is a way to eat", which is "I can eat". The next section lists the dependent nouns that learners meet most.

Which Dependent Nouns Do Learners Meet Most Often?

Learners meet eleven dependent nouns most often. Each one builds one or more patterns, and each pattern needs a particular modifier.

Most of these patterns have their own lessons: -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 (can / cannot) and -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 experience are two examples. The noun 것 is also the base of the nominalizer -는 것 nominalizer, and its spoken shortenings are in 거 게 건 걸 contractions in korean.

The next section explains how the modifier changes the meaning.

Which Modifier Does Each Dependent Noun Need?

Each dependent noun takes the modifier that matches its meaning, and the modifier decides the time. Some nouns take only one modifier, and 것 takes all three. The table shows the standard choices.

The noun 것 shows the effect of the modifier most clearly.

• 먹는 것 means "eating" or "what one eats".
• 먹은 것 means "what one ate".
• 먹을 것 means "something to eat".

Putting the wrong modifier before 수 or 적 gives a different or an impossible phrase. 먹은 수 is not a pattern at all, and 먹을 적이 있어요 sounds like a mistake, because an experience cannot be in the future.

The sound changes. After the future modifier -(으)ㄹ, the first sound of 수, 줄, 것 and 데 becomes tense (Standard Pronunciation Rules, Article 27). So 먹을 수 is said as [머글쑤], 갈 줄 as [갈쭐], 먹을 것 as [머글껃] and 갈 데 as [갈떼]. The spelling stays plain, and Revised Romanization (RR, the official Latin spelling) does not show the tensing. After -(으)ㄴ and -는 the sound stays plain, as in 먹은 적 [머근 적] and 먹는 것 [멍는 걷]. The rule has its own page at Korean ㄹ ending tensification.

The next section builds a pattern step by step.

Worked Example: Building 먹을 수 있어요

To say "I can eat", build the pattern in five steps.

1. Choose the dependent noun. The idea is "possibility", so the noun is 수.
2. Choose the modifier. 수 needs -(으)ㄹ, because a possibility has not happened yet.
3. Build the modifier. 먹다 has the stem 먹-, which ends in a consonant, so the modifier is 먹을.
4. Add the noun after a space. 먹을 수 means "a way of eating".
5. Add the predicate. 있어요 says that the way exists: 먹을 수 있어요.

You'll know it worked when three separate words stand in a row: the modifier, 수, and the predicate. The negative uses 없어요: 먹을 수 없어요 means "I cannot eat". A stem that ends in a vowel takes only ㄹ, so 가다 gives 갈 수 있어요, spoken as [갈쑤 이써요].

The next section covers the most important spelling rule for these words.

How Do You Space Dependent Nouns?

Dependent nouns are written as separate words, with a space after the modifier. The Hangul Spelling Rules (한글 맞춤법) say that dependent nouns are spaced (Article 42) and that particles are attached to the word before them (Article 41). The same sounds can be a dependent noun, a particle or an ending, so the choice depends on what stands in front.

The word 만큼 is a dependent noun after 노력한, because 노력한 is a modifier. It is a particle after 너, because 너 is a noun. The same logic separates 갈 수 ("a way to go") from the attached ending in 갈수록 ("the more one goes"). Endings such as -(으)ㄹ수록, -(으)ㄹ게 and -(으)ㄹ까 are attached to the verb stem. A fuller guide is at Korean dependent nouns spacing.

What this lesson does not cover. It does not cover every dependent noun in the dictionary, such as 양, 듯 or 번, or the full list of patterns of each noun.

An honest limit. Which words count as dependent nouns is partly a matter of dictionary choice. The dictionary lists 때 as an ordinary noun, but it is always used after a modifier in these patterns and is spaced in the same way. Learners can treat 때 like the others for spacing.

The next section compares dependent nouns with ordinary nouns.

How Is a Dependent Noun Different from an Ordinary Noun?

A dependent noun needs a modifier in front, while an ordinary noun can stand alone or take any modifier. A quick test is to try the word alone. If it still makes sense, it is an ordinary noun.

Another difference is the meaning of the modifier. With an ordinary noun the modifier only describes: 재미있는 책 ("an interesting book"). With a dependent noun the modifier fills in the content: 읽을 수 ("a way to read"). A pattern like 읽을 수 있어요 is therefore a grammar pattern, not a description. For a longer clause that describes a noun, see relative clauses in korean.

The next section collects the errors that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Dependent Nouns?

Learners make six predictable mistakes. Each one has a reason and a fix.

Learners often join the modifier and the noun. Actually the dependent noun is a separate word. Wrong: 갈수 있다. Right: 갈 수 있다. Fix: put a space after the modifier.

Learners often choose the wrong modifier. Actually 수 needs -(으)ㄹ. Wrong: 먹는 수 있어요. Right: 먹을 수 있어요. Fix: learn each noun with its modifier.

Learners often use -(으)ㄹ with 적. Actually an experience is finished, so 적 needs -(으)ㄴ. Wrong: 먹을 적이 있어요. Right: 먹은 적이 있어요. Fix: ask whether the event already happened.

Learners often mix 수 and 줄. Actually 수 means ability or possibility, while 줄 means learned skill. Wrong: 운전할 수 알아요. Right: 운전할 줄 알아요 for "I know how to drive", and 운전할 수 있어요 for "I am able to drive". Fix: 알다 pairs with 줄 and 있다 pairs with 수.

Learners often space an attached ending. Actually -(으)ㄹ수록 is one ending. Wrong: 읽을 수록 for "the more I read". Right: 읽을수록. Fix: treat it as part of the verb.

Learners often attach 만큼 to a modifier. Actually after a modifier it is a separate word. Wrong: 노력한만큼. Right: 노력한 만큼. Fix: attach 만큼 only to a noun, as in 너만큼.

A detail about 줄 helps with comprehension. With 알았어요 or 몰랐어요, the pattern can describe a belief and not a skill: 비가 올 줄 몰랐어요 means "I did not know that it would rain".

Practice turns these rules into habits, as the next section shows.

Practice and Answers

Complete the four tasks, then compare your answers with the key.

Task 1: choose the noun. Fill each gap with 수, 줄, 적 or 때.

1. 한국어를 읽을 ___ 있어요.
2. 한국에 간 ___ 있어요.
3. 운전할 ___ 알아요.
4. 집에 갈 ___ 전화할게요.

Task 2: fix the error. Each phrase has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 갈수 있어요
2. 먹을 적이 있어요
3. 노력한만큼

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "I can eat." and "Call me when you go."

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence about an experience, using -(으)ㄴ 적이 있어요, for example 한국 음식을 먹은 적이 있어요.

Answer key

1. (1) 수 (2) 적 (3) 줄 (4) 때.
2. (1) 갈 수 있어요 (2) 먹은 적이 있어요 (3) 노력한 만큼.
3. 먹을 수 있어요. 갈 때 전화하세요.
4. Sample answers: 한국 음식을 먹은 적이 있어요. 제주도에 간 적이 있어요. Any finished-action modifier plus 적이 있어요 is correct.

If task 1 was correct, you know the main patterns. If task 2 was hard, return to the section on spacing. The next section points you to the lessons that follow.

Next Lessons after Korean Dependent Nouns

After Korean dependent nouns, learn the full pattern lessons: -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 (can / cannot) and -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 experience. The nominalizer built on 것 is taught in -는 것 nominalizer.

The wider set is listed on the parent page, Korean nominalization. For the activity noun, see -기 nominalizer.

This lesson covers the idea, eleven common nouns and the spacing rule. It does not cover every pattern of each noun. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean text and spoken forms on this page were generated with AI assistance. Romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Korean dependent nouns? Korean dependent nouns (의존 명사) are nouns that cannot stand alone and always follow a modifier. The most common are 것 (thing), 수 (way, possibility), 줄 (know-how) and 적 (experience). 때 (time) is an ordinary noun in the dictionary, but it works the same way after a modifier. 먹을 수 means "a way to eat", and the pattern 먹을 수 있어요 means "I can eat".

How do I form patterns with dependent nouns? Put a modifier ending on the verb stem, add a space, and then add the dependent noun and a predicate. 먹다 plus -(으)ㄹ gives 먹을, then 수 and 있어요 give 먹을 수 있어요. Each noun takes its own modifier: 수 and 줄 take -(으)ㄹ, and 적 takes -(으)ㄴ.

What is the most common mistake with dependent nouns? The most common mistake is spacing. Learners write 갈수 있다, but the correct form is 갈 수 있다, because a dependent noun is a separate word. The second mistake is choosing the wrong modifier, as in 먹을 적이 있어요. An experience is finished, so the correct form is 먹은 적이 있어요.

How are dependent nouns different from particles and endings? A dependent noun follows a modifier and is spaced, as in 노력한 만큼. A particle follows a noun and is attached, as in 너만큼. An ending follows a verb stem and is attached, as in 읽을수록. The sounds can be identical, so check what stands in front of the word.

Do I use dependent nouns in speech, writing or both? Both. Dependent nouns are core to everyday speech and to writing at every level. 갈 수 있어요 and 한국에 간 적이 있어요 sound natural in conversation, in messages and in books. Only the sentence ending changes with politeness. The modifier plus noun pattern stays the same in casual, polite and formal speech.

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