Also Particle 도: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Attach 도 to a noun so that the sentence means "also" or "too."
• Decide when 도 replaces 은/는, 이/가 or 을/를 and when it sits after 에, 에서, 에게 or (으)로.
• Tell 도 apart from 만 ("only") and from 은/는 (topic or contrast).
• Read 도 correctly in the meanings "even" and "not either."
• Fix the most common mistake: stacking 도 on top of 이/가 or 을/를.

Before you start: you should know that Korean sentences end with the verb and that particles are small markers placed after nouns. If not, read the Korean SOV sentence pattern first. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does the Also Particle 도 Mean?

The also particle 도 means "also" or "too," and it marks one more item added to what was already said. An auxiliary particle (보조사, bojosa) is a small word that adds a meaning such as "also," "only" or "even" to a noun. English puts "also" or "too" near the verb. Korean puts 도 directly behind the noun that is being added.

Read the logic with a short conversation. Person A says 저는 학생이에요 ("I am a student"). Person B is a student as well and replies 저도 학생이에요. The word 저 ("I," humble form) now carries 도 instead of 는, because B wants to say "I too," not "as for me."

A First Example

Two sentences show the pattern on different nouns. Each line gives Korean, Revised Romanization (RR, the official Latin spelling, used here only as a learning aid) and the meaning.

• 저도 학생이에요. (jeodo haksaengieyo.) [저도 학쌩이에요] = "I am a student too." The noun 저 plus 도 is the part that is added.
• 커피도 마셔요. (keopido masyeoyo.) = "I drink coffee too." The noun 커피 plus 도 shows that coffee joins other drinks already mentioned.

In both sentences 도 stands right after the noun and nothing else changes. The verb keeps its ending. The next section explains which particles 도 takes the place of, and which ones it leaves alone.

How Does the Also Particle 도 Work?

The also particle 도 works by sitting directly after a noun. It replaces the subject, topic or object particle, but it joins a place or direction particle without replacing it. This is the whole rule, and it has two halves.

Half one: 도 replaces 은/는, 이/가 and 을/를. These particles mark the topic (은/는), the subject (이/가) and the object (을/를). When a noun carries one of them and you want to say "also," you remove it and write 도. For example, 저는 학생이에요 (as for me, I am a student) becomes 저도 학생이에요. 커피를 마셔요 (I drink coffee) becomes 커피도 마셔요. 비가 와요 (it rains) becomes 눈도 와요 (it snows too), with 눈 as the new added item.

Half two: 도 follows 에, 에서, 에게 and (으)로. These particles say where, from where, to whom or by what means. They carry meaning that 도 cannot replace, so both stay: 학교에서도 공부해요 (I study at school too), 친구에게도 말했어요 (I told my friend too), 버스로도 갈 수 있어요 (you can go by bus too).

The highlighter marks 도 as the particle that took the slot of 는. Because 도 is always 도, with no change after vowels or consonants, it is simpler than the particles it replaces.

Which Forms Does the Pattern Table Show?

The table lists each starting case and what 도 does to it. Use it as a lookup when you are unsure whether to replace or to add.

The table also works for sentences. 친구에게도 말했어요. (chinguegedo malhaesseoyo.) [친구에게도 말해써요] = "I told my friend too."

The table has two columns that matter: replacing and adding. If the old particle is 은/는, 이/가 or 을/를, replace it. In every other case, keep it and add 도. Now the rule can be used to build a sentence from scratch.

How Do You Build 저도 학생이에요 Step by Step?

You build a sentence with 도 in four steps: write the base sentence, choose the noun to add, swap or add the particle, and read the result. The example below builds "Min-su is a student too" after someone has said "I am a student."

1. Write the base sentence. 민수는 학생이에요. (minsuneun haksaengieyo.) = "As for Min-su, he is a student." The noun 민수 carries the topic particle 는.
2. Choose the noun to add. The new person is 민수, because the earlier speaker already said that they are a student. So 도 will go behind 민수.
3. Swap or add the particle. 는 is a topic particle, so 도 replaces it. Remove 는 and write 도: 민수도.
4. Read the result. 민수도 학생이에요. (minsudo haksaengieyo.) [민수도 학쌩이에요] = "Min-su is a student too."

You will know it worked when exactly one particle follows the noun and the sentence has no leftover 는. The usual slip at this point is writing 민수는도 or 민수도는. Korean allows only one of these particles in the slot.

Here is the same method on a place noun. Start with 학교에서 공부해요 ("I study at school"). The particle 에서 means "at" and cannot be replaced, so 도 is added: 학교에서도 공부해요 (hakgyoeseodo gongbuhaeyo.) = "I study at school too" [학꾜에서도 공부해요]. The skill is identical. Only the starting particle decides whether you replace or add. A different kind of question comes next: what does 도 do that "also" does not cover, and how does it differ from words that look close?

How Is 도 Different from Similar Forms?

The also particle 도 adds an item, the only particle 만 limits to one item, and the topic particle 은/는 sets a topic or a contrast. All three sit in the same slot after a noun, so they replace each other. The table compares them on the same sentence.

The three examples in the table differ by one syllable and by the whole picture they paint. 저도 알아요 assumes somebody else knows. 저만 알아요 says nobody else does. 저는 알아요 stays neutral about others and often suggests a contrast. Learners who know the table can switch between the three without changing anything else in the sentence.

For the full lessons, see only particle 만 and topic particle 은/는. The subject marker is explained in subject particle 이/가. With the comparison clear, the remaining question is where 도 stretches beyond "also."

When Do You Use It, and When Not?

Use 도 whenever a noun joins something already mentioned, and watch for three extra meanings: "even," "not either" and "both." Context, not grammar, tells you which meaning is in play.

• "Even," for a surprising noun. 아이도 알아요. (aido arayo.) [아이도 아라요] = "Even a child knows." 주말에도 일해요. (jumaredo ilhaeyo.) [주마레도 일해요] = "I work even on weekends." The noun is an unexpected extreme, so 도 adds the feeling of "even." If the noun is an ordinary one, the same particle just means "too."
• "Not either," with a negative verb. 저도 안 가요. (jeodo an gayo.) = "I am not going either." The verb is negative, so the added item shares the negative state. In English the word changes from "too" to "either." In Korean the particle stays 도.
• "Both ... and," when 도 appears twice. 커피도 차도 좋아해요. (keopido chado joahaeyo.) = "I like both coffee and tea." Each noun carries its own 도.
• Short replies. 저도요. (jeodoyo.) = "Me too." The final 요 is the polite particle (see 요 polite particle), so the reply is polite. Between close friends, use 나도.

There are also cases where 도 should not be used. First, when you mean "as for X" or you are contrasting, use 은/는: 저는 커피를 마시고 친구는 차를 마셔요 ("I drink coffee, and my friend drinks tea"). Second, 도 needs a noun or a noun-like phrase in front of it. The verb ending -아도/-어도 ("even if," as in 비싸도 사요, "I buy it even though it is expensive") looks the same on the page, but it is a separate verb pattern and is not the particle covered here.

An honest limit: this lesson covers 도 after nouns. It does not cover 도 on adverbs (빨리도 왔네요, "you sure came quickly," often ironic) or its use in fixed expressions such as 아무것도 ("nothing at all"). Those uses build on the same idea and appear later in the grammar course. Before moving on, check the mistakes that cost learners the most points.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Learners most often stack 도 on top of another particle. Five mistakes appear again and again, and each has a quick repair.

1. Stacking 도 with 이/가. Learners often assume 도 is added to the subject particle, as English adds "also" to a sentence. Actually, 도 takes that particle's place. Write 저도 (not 제가도 or 저도가) and 눈도 와요 (not 눈이도 와요).
2. Stacking 도 with 을/를. Write 커피도 마셔요, not 커피를도 마셔요. The object particle is dropped.
3. Stacking 도 with 은/는. Write 저도 (not 저는도 or 저도는). One noun, one particle from this group. When you need both ideas, use two sentences: 저도 학생이고 친구도 학생이에요.
4. Dropping the place particle. Write 학교에서도 (not 학교도) when the meaning is "at school too." Without 에서, the sentence means "school too," as if school itself were an added item. Compare 학교도 좋아요 ("the school is good too") with 학교에서도 좋아요 ("it is good at school too").
5. Using "too" in the wrong place. In English "I drink coffee too" has two meanings: "I also drink coffee" and "coffee is another thing I drink." Korean separates them. 저도 커피를 마셔요 means that I, in addition to others, drink coffee. 커피도 마셔요 means that coffee is one more thing I drink.

A quick self-check: after the noun, is there only one particle from the group 은/는, 이/가, 을/를, 도? If so, the pattern is right. Practice makes this check automatic.

Practice and Answers

Try the four items before you read the answer key. Cover the answers with your hand.

1. Choose the form. 저는 학생이에요. 친구___ 학생이에요. (도 / 를)
2. Fix the error. 저도가 커피를 마셔요. Rewrite it so that it means "I drink coffee too."
3. Translate. "My friend is also at school." Use 도, and choose the place particle that fits the verb 있어요.
4. Write your own. Write one sentence with 도 replacing a subject or topic particle and one sentence with 도 added after 에서. Say the English meaning of each.

Answer key

1. 도. The meaning is "My friend is a student too," so the sentence is 친구도 학생이에요. 를 is an object particle and does not fit with 이에요.
2. 저도 커피를 마셔요. The 가 is removed, because 도 takes the place of the subject or topic particle. The meaning "I drink coffee too" stays.
3. 친구도 학교에 있어요. (chingudo hakgyoe isseoyo.) The noun 친구 carries 도, because the friend is the added person. The place particle is 에, because 있어요 ("to be at a place") pairs with 에, not 에서.
4. Answers vary. Check that the first sentence has exactly one particle after its noun, such as 동생도 학교에 가요 (my younger sibling goes to school too). Check that the second keeps 에서, such as 도서관에서도 공부해요 (I study at the library too).

One more rule of thumb: if the English sentence has "too," "also" or "either," try 도 first, and then check which particle it replaces.

Next Lessons after the Also Particle 도

After the also particle 도, study the particles that sit in the same slot, then the combined forms. This lesson teaches one meaning of 도 and one pattern. It does not teach the full set of auxiliary particles, which is on the hub page.

1. Start with only particle 만, the particle that limits instead of adding.
2. Continue with combining particles 에는 에서도 에게만, which shows how place particles and auxiliary particles stack in the right order.
3. Learn how choice works with (이)나 or particle.
4. Return to Korean auxiliary particles to see every lesson in the set.

With these steps, the also particle 도 becomes automatic: find the added noun, remove or keep the old particle, and write 도.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 도 change when the noun ends in a consonant?

No. 도 has one form only. It stays 도 after both vowels and consonants: 저도, 책도, 커피도, 밥도. This makes it easier than 이/가 or 은/는, which change shape. After a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound it is pronounced tense, as in 책도 [책또] and 밥도 [밥또], but the spelling never changes.

Can I use 도 and 은/는 together?

Not on the same noun. Both fill the same slot, so 저는도 and 저도는 are wrong. Choose 도 when you mean "also" and 은/는 for the topic or contrast. After a place particle you can combine them, as in 학교에서는 (at school, as for) and 학교에서도 (at school too).

How do I say "me too" in Korean?

Say 저도요, with 요 added for politeness. With friends of the same age, use the casual 나도. Both put 도 directly after the pronoun. If you want to say "I am also a student", say 저도 학생이에요, with 도 right after 저.

Does 도 only mean "also"?

No. 도 also adds the sense of "even" when the noun is surprising: 아이도 알아요 means "Even a child knows." With a negative verb it means "not either": 저도 안 가요 is "I am not going either." The context and the noun decide which meaning you hear.

Is 도 used in speech, writing or both?

Both. 도 is common in everyday speech, messages, essays and news, and it has the same form in all of them. The only change is the verb ending, which becomes more formal in writing. Because 도 is short and regular, it is one of the first particles worth using.