(으)로 Particle: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Choose 으로 or 로 from the last sound of the noun, including the ㄹ exception.
• Use (으)로 for direction, means, material, change and role.
• Tell (으)로 apart from 에 and 에서.
• Fix the most common (으)로 errors, such as 지하철으로.

Before you start: you should know the location particle 에 and the location particle 에서. You should also be able to tell a final consonant (받침) from a vowel ending. Time: about 25 minutes.

What Does the (으)로 Particle Mean?

The (으)로 particle answers questions such as "which way?", "by what?", "made of what?", "into what?" and "as what?" English needs a different word for each one: "toward", "by", "with", "of", "into", "as". Korean uses one particle, so the verb and the noun give the meaning.

In grammar books, (으)로 is called an instrumental particle (도구격 조사) or a direction particle. A particle (조사) is a short word that attaches to a noun and shows its job in the sentence. The five uses above cover almost every sentence you meet at the A1 level.

A First Example

Listen to the two sentences at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 버스로 가요. (beoseuro gayo) "I go by bus."

Pronunciation: [버스로 가요]. The noun 버스 ends in a vowel, so the particle is 로.

2. 오른쪽으로 가세요. (oreunjjogeuro gaseyo) "Please go to the right."

Pronunciation: [오른쪼그로 가세요]. The noun 오른쪽 ends in the consonant ㄱ, so the particle is 으로. The ㄱ links to the vowel of 으, so 쪽으로 sounds like 쪼그로.

Both sentences use the verb 가다 ("to go"), but the particle changes the question that the sentence answers. In sentence 1, it answers "by what?". In sentence 2, it answers "which way?". The next section shows how to choose between 으로 and 로.

How Do You Form the (으)로 Particle?

To form the (으)로 particle, look at the last sound of the noun. A noun that ends in a vowel or in ㄹ takes 로. A noun that ends in any other consonant takes 으로. The 으 in the second form is a bridging vowel that makes the sound easier to say after a consonant.

The ㄹ exception is the point where most errors happen. The letter ㄹ is a consonant, but the particle skips the bridging 으 after it: 지하철로, not 지하철으로. Think of ㄹ as behaving like a vowel for this one particle. Verb endings with a 으-form, such as -(으)면, treat ㄹ the same way (살면, not 살으면), so learning it once helps in later lessons.

How Do You Say "I Go by Bus"?

To say "I go by bus", name the transport, attach the particle, and add the verb. Follow the five steps.

1. Name the means. The transport is the bus, 버스.
2. Look at the last sound. 버스 ends in the vowel ㅡ, so the particle is 로.
3. Attach the particle. 버스 + 로 = 버스로.
4. Choose the verb. 가다 (go) in the polite form is 가요.
5. Put the parts together. 버스로 가요. Add 저는 at the front if you need it: 저는 버스로 가요.

You'll know it worked when the sentence answers "how do you go?" and the noun before 로 is a vehicle, a tool or a route. Common mistake at this step: using 에 because English says "on the bus". 버스에 타요 means "I get on the bus", with 타다, but "by bus" is 버스로.

What Are the Five Uses of (으)로?

Each use of (으)로 has a typical set of nouns and verbs. The sections below give one pattern for each.

Direction: Which Way?

Use (으)로 with a direction word or a place when you move toward it: 오른쪽으로, 앞으로, 이쪽으로, 위로, 아래로. The verbs are 가다, 오다, 걷다, 돌다 and 향하다. 이쪽으로 오세요 means "Please come this way".

Means or Tool: by What?

Use (으)로 for a vehicle, a tool or a method: 지하철로 가요 ("I go by subway"), 연필로 써요 ("I write with a pencil"), 카드로 계산해요 ("I pay by card"), 손으로 먹어요 ("I eat with my hands"). A language counts as a tool for speaking: 한국어로 말해요 ("I speak in Korean").

Material: Made of What?

Use (으)로 with 만들다 (make) to name what the thing is made of: 나무로 만들었어요 ("It was made of wood"). English "made of" and "made from" both fit.

Change: into What?

Use (으)로 with verbs of change: 바꾸다 (change), 변하다 (turn into), 되다 (become, though 되다 takes 이/가 for the result). 달러를 원으로 바꿨어요 means "I changed dollars into won".

Role: as What?

Use (으)로 to say in what capacity someone acts: 선생님으로 일해요 ("I work as a teacher"), 학생으로 왔어요 ("I came as a student").

Now compare (으)로 with the two other location particles.

How Is (으)로 Different from 에 and 에서?

(으)로 is about a direction, a route or a tool. 에 is about a fixed place, and 에서 is about where an action happens. The table puts the three side by side.

Two rules follow from the table. First, only 에 works with 있다 and 살다, so 서울로 살아요 and 서울로 있어요 are not correct. Second, 서울로 가요 and 서울에 가요 can both follow 가다. The first stresses the direction, as if you were heading that way, and the second names the arrival point. The lesson on (으)로 vs 에 covers the difference in detail.

Compare also the particle meaning "with a person". It is not (으)로 but 하고: 친구하고 가요 ("I go with a friend"). The lesson on 하고 and with particle covers it. The next section covers the situations where the rule bends.

When Do You Use (으)로, and When Not?

Use (으)로 when the noun answers "which way, by what, made of what, into what or as what". Skip it in the following cases.

• Existence and living. For 있다, 없다 and 살다, use 에: 집에 있어요. 서울에 살아요.
• Action place. For where an action happens, use 에서: 도서관에서 공부해요.
• Companions. For "with a person", use 하고, 와/과 or 랑: 친구하고 가요.
• Source person. For "from a person", use 에게서 or 한테서. The lesson on 에게서 한테서 from a person covers it. The formal 로부터 reuses this particle.
• Possession. For "of", use 의: 한국의 음식 ("Korean food, food of Korea"). Compare 한국으로 ("toward Korea"). See the possessive particle 의 for details.

Dropped in speech. After direction words, the particle is sometimes dropped in fast speech: 이쪽 오세요. Keep it when you name a tool or a role, because the particle carries the meaning there.

Honest limit of this lesson: it covers the five core A1 uses. Other uses, such as cause (감기로 학교에 못 갔어요, "I could not go to school because of a cold"), a time limit (오늘로 끝나요) and the longer forms (으)로서 ("in the capacity of") and (으)로써 ("by means of"), appear in later lessons.

With the boundaries clear, the next section lists the errors that learners make most often.

Common Mistakes with the (으)로 Particle

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

1. Adding 으로 after ㄹ. Learners often write 지하철으로 or 연필으로. Actually a noun that ends in ㄹ takes 로: 지하철로, 연필로.
2. Using 로 after a consonant. Learners often write 손로 or 집로. Actually a consonant needs the bridging vowel, so use 으로: 손으로, 집으로.
3. Using 에 for means. Learners often write 버스에 가요 for "I go by bus". Actually 에 marks a place, so use 버스로 가요.
4. Using (으)로 with 있다 or 살다. Learners often write 서울로 살아요. Actually these verbs state a place, so use 에: 서울에 살아요.
5. Mixing the tool with a companion. Learners often write 친구로 가요 for "I go with a friend". Actually 친구로 means "as a friend" or "using a friend", so use 하고: 친구하고 가요.

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

Practice and Answers

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

1. Choose the form. 연필(으로/로) 써요. ("I write with a pencil.")
2. Fix the error. 지하철으로 가요. (The speaker wants to say "I go by subway".)
3. Translate. "I eat with chopsticks." Use 젓가락 (chopsticks) and the verb 먹다.
4. Write your own. Write one sentence about a language you use, with (으)로 and the verb 말하다.

Answer Key

1. 연필로 써요. (yeonpillo sseoyo) 연필 ends in ㄹ, so the particle is 로. Pronounced [연필로 써요].

2. 지하철로 가요. (jihacheollo gayo) 지하철 ends in ㄹ, so the particle is 로. Pronounced [지하철로 가요].

3. 젓가락으로 먹어요. (jeotgarageuro meogeoyo) 젓가락 ends in the consonant ㄱ, so the particle is 으로. Pronounced [젇까라그로 머거요].

4. Sample answer: 한국어로 말해요. (hangugeoro malhaeyo) "I speak in Korean." Pronounced [한구거로 말해요]; in fast speech the ㅎ weakens and it often sounds like [마래요]. 한국어 ends in a vowel, so the particle is 로. Any language with the correct form is right.

If a sentence went wrong, check the last sound of the noun first, then check whether the sentence needs a direction, a tool or a role. Then continue with the next lessons.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After the (으)로 particle, the best next step is the direct comparison with 에. Read (으)로 vs 에 next, because the two particles overlap with 가다 and 오다. If the other location particles still feel shaky, return to the location particle 에 lesson or to the location particle 에서 lesson. For the full group, see the Korean location particles hub.

To practise, take the grammar quizzes. This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. In short, the (으)로 particle follows two tests: use 로 after a vowel or ㄹ and 으로 after any other consonant, and use it when the noun answers "which way, by what, made of what, into what or as what".

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does the (으)로 Particle Mean?

The (으)로 particle has five core meanings: direction ("toward"), means or tool ("by, with"), material ("made of"), change ("into") and role ("as"). One particle covers 버스로 가요 ("I go by bus"), 오른쪽으로 가요 ("I go to the right") and 학생으로 왔어요 ("I came as a student").

How Do I Form (으)로?

Look at the last sound of the noun. After a vowel or after ㄹ, add 로: 버스로, 지하철로, 서울로. After any other consonant, add 으로: 손으로, 집으로, 젓가락으로. The ㄹ case surprises many learners, because ㄹ is a consonant but takes 로.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with (으)로?

Learners add 으로 after ㄹ and write 지하철으로. Nouns that end in ㄹ take 로, so the correct form is 지하철로. The second most common mistake is using 에 for means, as in 버스에 가요, when 버스로 가요 is the pattern for "I go by bus".

How Is (으)로 Different from Similar Forms?

(으)로 shows direction, a route, a tool or a role. 에 shows a fixed destination or a place of existence. 에서 shows where an action happens. So 서울로 가요 means "I head toward Seoul", 서울에 가요 means "I go to Seoul", and 서울에서 일해요 means "I work in Seoul".

Do I Use (으)로 in Speech, Writing or Both?

Both. The particle is neutral and appears in all registers, from casual talk to formal writing. In casual speech it can be dropped after place words of direction, as in 이쪽 와요 for 이쪽으로 와요, but keep it when you give a tool or a role, since dropping it can change the meaning.