에게 vs 에: Differences, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Pick 에게 or 에 for any receiver by testing whether it is alive.
• Use the same verb, such as 주다 or 보내다, with both particles.
• Place organizations, plants and animals on the right side of the test.
• Fix the two mirror-image errors, 회사에게 and 강아지에.

Quick verdict: living receiver, 에게 (spoken 한테, honorific 께). Thing, place or organization, 에.

Before you start: you should know the 에게 한테 께 indirect object particles and the location particle 에. Time: about 25 minutes.

What Is the Difference in 에게 vs 에?

The difference in 에게 vs 에 is the type of receiver. Grammar books call nouns for living beings animate nouns (유정 명사) and nouns for non-living things inanimate nouns (무정 명사). Animate receivers take 에게. Inanimate receivers take 에. English uses "to" for both, so the split is new for most learners.

Two Sentences, One Verb

Listen to the pair at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 고양이에게 밥을 줘요. (goyangiege babeul jwoyo) "I feed the cat." Literally, "I give rice to the cat."

Pronunciation: [고양이에게 바블 줘요]. The final ㅂ of 밥 links to the next syllable, so 밥을 sounds like 바블.

2. 꽃에 물을 줘요. (kkoche mureul jwoyo) "I water the flowers." Literally, "I give water to the flowers."

Pronunciation: [꼬체 무를 줘요]. The final ㅊ of 꽃 is pronounced as ㅊ before the vowel in 에, so 꽃에 sounds like 꼬체. The ㄹ of 물 links to the next syllable.

Both sentences use the verb 주다 ("to give") and have the same shape: receiver, particle, thing given, verb. A cat is alive, so it takes 에게. A flower is a plant, so it takes 에. In this test, plants count as inanimate. The next section turns the observation into a method.

How Do You Choose between 에게 and 에?

To choose between 에게 and 에, ask whether the receiver is a person or an animal. If it is, use 에게, and adjust to 한테 or 께 for the setting. If it is anything else, use 에.

1. Name the receiver. Find the noun that answers "to whom or to what?"
2. Test for life. Can this receiver be a person or an animal? Friends, teachers, babies, dogs and birds are alive.
3. Choose the family. Alive: 에게, 한테 or 께. Not alive: 에.
4. Choose the register (living receivers only). Writing and neutral speech: 에게. Casual speech: 한테. A respected person: 께.
5. Attach the particle. The spelling never changes: 친구에게, 꽃에.

You'll know it worked when every living receiver has 에게, 한테 or 께, and every other receiver has 에. Common mistake at this step: deciding by how the English word sounds. The English sentence "I called the company" feels like calling people, but Korean treats 회사 as an organization.

Now compare the two particles on the criteria that matter in sentences.

Which Receivers Take 에게 and Which Take 에?

The type of receiver is the strongest criterion. The lists below sort the receivers that learners meet most often. After the lists, a note covers the borderline cases.

Receivers that take 에게 (or 한테 / 께):

• Family members: 엄마, 아빠, 동생, 할머니 (께)
• Friends, colleagues and acquaintances: 친구, 동료
• Teachers and customers: 선생님 (께), 손님
• Children and babies: 아기, 아이
• Pets and animals: 강아지, 고양이, 새

Receivers that take 에:

• Plants: 꽃, 나무, 화분
• Objects and surfaces: 벽, 문, 책상, 가방
• Places: 집, 학교, 병원
• Organizations: 회사, 은행, 시청, 학교, 정부

Which Borderline Cases Cause Doubt?

Organizations. A company, a bank and a school are made of people, yet Korean treats the organization as one inanimate unit. Standard usage therefore writes 회사에 전화했어요, 은행에 문의했어요, 학교에 지원했어요. To address the people in the organization, name them: 회사 직원에게 전화했어요 ("I called a company employee").

Plants. Flowers and trees are alive in biology, but the grammatical test treats them as inanimate: 나무에 물을 줘요. A poem or a children's story may personify a flower with 꽃에게, but ordinary speech uses 에.

Animals. Animals are on the animate side: 새에게 먹이를 줘요 ("I feed the bird"). Insects and fish follow the same rule.

Robots and software. Everyday usage treats machines as things, so a phone or a computer takes 에: 컴퓨터에 저장해요. A voice assistant is a gray area, and 에 is the safe choice.

With the sorting rule in place, look at how the same verbs behave with each particle.

How Do Common Verbs Work with 에게 and 에?

Many verbs of giving and communicating accept both particles, and the receiver decides. The table lists the verbs that learners need first.

Three verbs normally take a living receiver: 가르치다 (teach), 말하다 (tell) and 묻다 (ask). You tell a person, not a wall, so 친구에게 말했어요 is the everyday pattern. The verb 던지다 (throw) shows both sides: 공을 친구에게 던져요 ("I throw the ball to my friend") and 공을 벽에 던져요 ("I throw the ball at the wall").

Questions follow the same split. To ask "to whom?", use 누구에게 or 누구한테: 누구한테 줬어요? ("Who did you give it to?"). To ask "to where?" or "to which organization?", use 어디에: 어디에 보냈어요? ("Where did you send it?") In the next section, a master table puts the choice into one view.

에게 vs 에 at a Glance

The table compares the two particles on seven criteria, and each cell contains a specific value.

Winner by criterion: for living receivers, 에게. For organizations, plants and objects, 에. For existence and destination, 에, because 에게 never marks where something is. For register control, 에게, since it has the 한테 and 께 family. The lesson on 에 vs 에서 covers the other main use of 에, and the lesson on 에게서 한테서 from a person shows what happens when the person is the source.

How Do Question Words and Honorific Forms Fit In?

The same split appears in questions, and the honorific form adds one more option. A question word that stands for a living receiver takes 에게 or 한테, and a question word that stands for a place takes 에.

The honorific particle 께 belongs to the 에게 family. It never combines with things, so there is no honorific form of 에. When a company must be addressed with respect, Korean does not change the particle. It changes the verb or the wording, as in 회사에 문의드립니다 ("I am sending an inquiry to the company"). Respect shows up in 문의드립니다, not in 에.

The same logic separates a workplace from a person who works there: 학교에 연락했어요 means you contacted the school as an office, and 선생님께 연락했어요 means you contacted the teacher in person. Pick the receiver you really mean, and the particle follows.

Which Should You Choose in Your Own Sentences?

Three kinds of learners meet this choice often. Each has a firm recommendation.

A learner writing to a company or office. Use 에 for the organization: 회사에 이메일을 보냈어요. If you write to a named person at the company, use 에게 or 께 for that person: 김 선생님께 이메일을 보냈어요.

A learner chatting with friends. Use 한테 for people and keep 에 for things: 친구한테 문자 보냈어요, 집에 도착했어요. Use 에게 when the text is more formal, such as an essay.

A learner who cares for pets and plants. Use 에게 or 한테 for the pet and 에 for the plant. The same verb 주다 serves both: 강아지한테 밥을 줘요, 화분에 물을 줘요.

The next sections cover the errors that arise when these habits slip.

Common Mistakes with 에게 vs 에

Five mistakes cover most errors. Each follows the pattern "learners often assume X, but actually Y, because Z."

1. Using 에게 with an organization. Learners often write 회사에게 전화했어요. Actually a company is an organization, so use 에: 회사에 전화했어요.
2. Using 에 with a person. Learners often write 친구에 선물을 줬어요. Actually a friend is alive, so use 에게 or 한테: 친구에게 선물을 줬어요.
3. Using 에 with an animal. Learners often write 강아지에 밥을 줬어요. Actually an animal is on the living side, so use 에게 or 한테: 강아지에게 밥을 줬어요.
4. Using 에게 with a plant. Learners often write 꽃에게 물을 줬어요 because plants are alive. Actually the grammatical test treats plants as inanimate: 꽃에 물을 줬어요.
5. Using 에게 for a destination. Learners often write 학교에게 갔어요 for "I went to school". Actually a destination takes 에: 학교에 갔어요. The particle 에게 never marks where you go.

If you want to check the roles in your own sentences, run them through the particle highlighter in the practice set.

Honest limit of this lesson: it follows standard usage. Some writers use 에게 with an organization in literary or personifying style, and learners will see variation in song lyrics and advertising. Treat the rules here as the safe choice for exams and everyday writing.

Practice and Answers

Do all four items before you check the answers. Each answer has audio, normal and slow.

1. Choose the form. 동생(에게/에) 용돈을 줬어요. ("I gave my younger sibling pocket money.")
2. Fix the error. 꽃에게 물을 줬어요. (The speaker wants to say "I watered the flowers".)
3. Translate. "I sent an email to the company." Use the verb 보내다.
4. Write your own. Write one sentence about calling a friend, using 에게.

Answer Key

1. 동생에게 용돈을 줬어요. (dongsaengege yongdoneul jwosseoyo) A younger sibling is alive, so use 에게. Pronounced [동생에게 용또늘 줘써요].

2. 꽃에 물을 줬어요. (kkoche mureul jwosseoyo) A flower is a plant and takes 에. Pronounced [꼬체 무를 줘써요].

3. 회사에 이메일을 보냈어요. (hoesae imeireul bonaesseoyo) A company is an organization, so it takes 에. Pronounced [회사에 이메이를 보내써요].

4. Sample answer: 친구에게 전화했어요. (chinguege jeonhwahaesseoyo) "I called my friend." Pronounced [친구에게 전화해써요]. 한테 would also be correct in conversation.

If a sentence went wrong, ask "is the receiver alive?" before you choose again. Then continue with the next lessons.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After the 에게 vs 에 choice, the best next step is the particle for the opposite direction. Read 에게서 한테서 from a person next, because it marks the person something comes from. If the three receiver forms still feel shaky, return to the 에게 한테 께 indirect object particles lesson. For a wider view of confusable pairs, see the list of Korean grammar differences.

To practise, take the grammar quizzes. This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. In short, the 에게 vs 에 choice follows one test: if the receiver is a living being, use 에게 (or 한테 or 께), and if it is a thing, a place or an organization, use 에.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does 에게 vs 에 Mean?

The pair 에게 vs 에 names two particles that both mean "to". 에게 marks a living receiver, such as a person or an animal. 에 marks a receiver that is a thing, a place or an organization. Korean makes this split where English uses one word, "to".

How Do I Form 에게 vs 에?

Neither particle changes shape. Write the noun and add 에게 or 에 straight after it: 친구에게, 꽃에. Decide by asking whether the receiver is alive. In speech, 에게 can become 한테, and for respected people it becomes 께. The particle 에 has no spoken or honorific variants.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with 에게 vs 에?

Learners write 회사에게 전화했어요 for "I called the company". A company is an organization, and organizations take 에: 회사에 전화했어요. The mirror error is 강아지에 밥을 줬어요, because an animal is alive and needs 에게 or 한테.

How Is 에게 vs 에 Different from 에 vs 에서?

The 에게 vs 에 choice depends on whether the receiver is alive. The 에 vs 에서 choice depends on the verb: existence and arrival take 에, and actions take 에서. Only 에 appears in both pairs, which is why learners mix them. The lesson on 에 vs 에서 covers the second choice.

Do I Use 에게 vs 에 in Speech, Writing or Both?

Both. 에게 appears in writing and neutral speech, 한테 replaces it in casual talk, and 에 is used everywhere for things and places. The rule is the same across registers. The only change is the form of the living-receiver particle, which moves between 에게, 한테 and 께.