하고 and with Particle: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Attach 하고 to a noun to say "A and B" or "with A".
• Pronounce 하고 correctly after nouns that end in ㄱ, ㅂ, ㅈ or ㅊ.
• Choose between 하고, 와/과 and (이)랑 for the situation.
• Tell the particle 하고 from the verb 하다 plus the ending -고.

Before you start: you should know what a noun and a particle are (see Korean sentence structure). Time: about 20 minutes.

What Does the 하고 and with Particle Mean?

The 하고 and with particle means "and" when it sits between two nouns and "with" when the noun is a companion in an action. A particle (조사, josa) is a short word that attaches to the end of a noun and shows the noun's job in the sentence. English uses separate words such as "and" and "with"; Korean attaches 하고 to the first noun instead.

The same particle covers two English meanings because the idea is the same: two things are put together. In 사과하고 배 ("apples and pears") the two fruits are listed together. In 친구하고 가요 ("I go with a friend") the friend goes along with you.

Korean has three common particles for this job: 하고, 와/과 and (이)랑. 하고 is the neutral spoken one, and it is the easiest to learn because it never changes shape. The sections below compare it with the other two.

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 엄마하고 시장에 가요. (eommahago sijange gayo) "I go to the market with Mom."

Pronunciation: [엄마하고 시장에 가요]. The spelling and the sound match. The sentence has four parts: 엄마 (mom) + 하고 (with), 시장 (market) + 에 (to, the destination particle), and 가요 (go, polite style).

2. 사과하고 배를 좋아해요. (sagwahago baereul joahaeyo) "I like apples and pears."

Pronunciation: [사과하고 배를 조아해요]. The ㅎ in 좋아해요 falls silent between vowels, so 좋아 sounds like [조아]. Here 하고 means "and": it joins 사과 and 배, and the object particle 를 goes only on the last noun.

Both sentences attach 하고 directly to the first noun. The next section lays out the exact rule and the sound changes.

How Does the 하고 and with Particle Work?

The 하고 and with particle works by attachment: write the noun, then 하고, with no space and no change in spelling. The same form is used after a vowel and after a consonant, which makes 하고 simpler than 와/과 or (이)랑, both of which have two forms.

The only thing that changes is the pronunciation. 하고 starts with ㅎ, and ㅎ interacts with a final consonant that comes before it. The Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법, Article 12) say that a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ followed by ㅎ merges with it into the matching aspirated sound (ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ). A final ㅅ, ㅈ or ㅊ is first pronounced as ㄷ, so it gives ㅌ. Aspirated means pronounced with a strong puff of air.

Pattern Table

Three details make the table easy to apply.

1. No space. Particles attach to the noun. Write 친구하고, never 친구 하고. A space turns 하고 into a separate verb form.
2. No change in spelling. Do not add 이 or switch to another form, as you would with (이)랑. Write 선생님하고, not 선생님이하고.
3. Other particles go on the last noun. In "A and B" the subject, topic or object particle sits after B only: 엄마하고 아빠가 와요 ("Mom and Dad are coming"), not 엄마가하고 아빠가.

After the form, the next section builds a full sentence one piece at a time.

Worked Example: Saying "I Go to the Market with Mom"

To say "I go to the market with Mom", write 엄마하고 시장에 가요. Put the companion first with 하고 attached, then the place with 에, then the verb 가요. Use these steps to build any "with someone" sentence.

1. Choose the meaning. The meaning is "with", because Mom is a companion in the action of going.
2. Write the companion noun. The noun is 엄마 (mom).
3. Attach 하고. 엄마 ends in a vowel, but the form is the same after any noun: 엄마하고.
4. Add the place and its particle. The market is 시장, and the destination particle 에 gives 시장에.
5. Finish with the verb. The polite form of 가다 ("to go") is 가요.

You'll know it worked when 하고 touches the companion noun with no space, and the verb comes last. Common mistake at this step: attaching 를 to the companion, as in 엄마를하고. The companion takes only 하고.

For the "and" meaning, the same steps apply with a second noun: 엄마하고 아빠가 시장에 가요 means "Mom and Dad go to the market". The subject particle 가 attaches to 아빠, the last noun of the pair.

How Is 하고 Different from 와/과 and (이)랑?

하고, 와/과 and (이)랑 all mean "and" or "with", and they differ in register and shape. Register is the level of formality of a word or style. 하고 is neutral and mostly spoken, 와/과 is formal and mostly written, and (이)랑 is casual and used between friends and family.

The three particles carry the same meaning, so choosing is about the situation. The lessons on 와/과 and (이)랑 explain the other two forms in full, and the comparison 와/과 vs 하고 vs (이)랑 gives a decision rule.

An expert rule of thumb: when you are unsure, use 하고 in speech and 와/과 in writing. Using 하고 never sounds rude in polite conversation, and it never requires you to check the last sound of the noun. That covers the choice between the three; next come the cases where 하고 is the natural fit and where it is not.

When Do You Use 하고, and When Not?

Use 하고 for everyday "and" and "with" between nouns, and avoid it for joining verbs, clauses or formal prose. Four uses cover most of what you will meet.

1. Listing items. In speech, 하고 often follows every noun: 사과하고 배하고 귤을 샀어요 ("I bought apples, pears and mandarins"). The object particle 을 attaches only to the last noun.
2. Doing something together. 친구하고 영화를 봐요 means "I watch a movie with a friend".
3. Verbs that need a partner. Some verbs naturally take "with someone": 만나다 (to meet), 싸우다 (to fight), 결혼하다 (to marry), 이야기하다 (to talk). Examples: 친구하고 싸웠어요 ([친구하고 싸워써요], "I had a fight with my friend") and 선생님하고 이야기해요 ("I talk with the teacher").
4. Comparing. With 같다 ("to be the same") and 다르다 ("to be different"), 하고 marks the thing compared: 저하고 같아요 ([저하고 가타요], "It is the same as me").

Particles can also stack after 하고. Adding the auxiliary particle 도 gives 친구하고도 ("with the friend too"), and adding 는 gives 엄마하고는 ("with Mom, at least"). The lesson on the also particle 도 shows how stacking works, and the lesson on the only particle 만 covers the "only with" pattern.

Honest limits of 하고.

• Written lists. Formal writing rarely repeats 하고 or 와/과 after every noun. News and academic prose use commas and one 와/과 before the last item: 사과, 배와 귤.
• Verbs and clauses. 하고 joins nouns only. To join verbs, Korean uses the ending -고, covered in the mistakes section below.
• Register. Essays, official letters and news reports normally use 와/과. 하고 is acceptable in an informal blog or an e-mail to a colleague, but a formal report reads better with 와/과.

The limits above point to the errors that appear most often, which come next.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with 하고?

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

1. Confusing the particle 하고 with the verb 하다 plus -고. Learners often read 공부하고 가요 as "I go with studying". Actually 공부하고 is the verb 공부하다 ("to study") with the ending -고 ("and then"), so the sentence means "I study and then go". The test: if the word before 하고 is a partner or an item joined to another noun, 하고 is the particle; if the word plus 하다 forms an action verb that the sentence needs (공부하다), 하고 is the ending.
2. Writing a space. Learners often write 친구 하고 because English "with" is a separate word. Actually the particle is part of the noun's word group, so write 친구하고.
3. Putting the object particle on both nouns. Learners often say 사과를하고 배를. Actually 하고 already links the nouns, so only the final noun takes 를: 사과하고 배를.
4. Joining verbs with 하고. Learners often write 먹하고 마셔요 for "eat and drink". Actually 하고 attaches to nouns, so verbs use -고 on the stem: 먹고 마셔요.
5. Using 하고 in formal writing. Learners often use 하고 in an essay because it works in speech. Actually formal prose expects 와/과, so write 사과와 배를 좋아한다 in an essay.

A reliable self-check for all five: find 하고 in the sentence, look at the word before it, and ask whether that word is a noun naming a person or thing. If yes, you have the particle.

Practice and Answers

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

1. Choose the form. Which sentence means "I eat rice and kimchi"? (a) 밥하고 김치를 먹어요. (b) 밥을하고 김치 먹어요.
2. Fix the error. 친구 하고 학교에 가요. ("I go to school with a friend.")
3. Translate. "I like coffee and tea." Use 하고.
4. Write your own. Write one sentence saying you do something with a family member, using 하고.

Answer Key

1. (a) 밥하고 김치를 먹어요. (bapago gimchireul meogeoyo) Sounds like [바파고 김치를 머거요]. The pair is joined by 하고, and only the final noun takes 를.

2. 친구하고 학교에 가요. (chinguhago hakgyoe gayo) Remove the space: the particle belongs to the noun. Sounds like [친구하고 학꾜에 가요], with tense [꾜] after the ㄱ of 학.

3. 커피하고 차를 좋아해요. (keopihago chareul joahaeyo) Sounds like [커피하고 차를 조아해요]. 커피 (coffee) and 차 (tea) are joined by 하고, with 를 on the last noun.

4. Sample answer: 동생하고 영화를 봐요. (dongsaenghago yeonghwareul bwayo) "I watch a movie with my younger sibling." Sounds like [동생하고 영화를 봐요]. Any sentence with a family member plus 하고 and no space is correct.

If an item went wrong, return to the pattern table and say each pair aloud. Then continue with the next lessons.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After the 하고 and with particle, the natural next lesson is (이)랑 and with particle, the casual form that changes shape with the last sound of the noun. For the formal form used in writing, read 와/과 and with particle. When you want all three side by side, use 와/과 vs 하고 vs (이)랑. All three belong to the possessive and linking particles set.

For practice, use the grammar quizzes. This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. The whole lesson fits in one sentence: the 하고 and with particle attaches to a noun with no space and no change, and it means "and" between nouns and "with" before a partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does 하고 Mean?

하고 is a particle that attaches to a noun and means "and" when another noun follows, or "with" when a verb follows. 엄마하고 시장에 가요 means "I go to the market with Mom", and 사과하고 배 means "apples and pears". It is neutral in tone and common in everyday speech.

How Do I Form 하고?

Write the noun, then 하고, with no space and no sound change in the spelling: 친구하고, 선생님하고, 책하고. The same form is used after vowels and consonants. After a final ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ or ㅊ the pronunciation changes, so 책하고 sounds like [채카고], but the written form stays the same.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with 하고?

The most common mistake is confusing the particle 하고 with the verb 하다 plus the ending -고. In 공부하고 가요, 공부하고 means "study and then", so the sentence says "I study, then go", not "I go with study". A second mistake is writing a space, as in 친구 하고.

How Is 하고 Different from 와/과 and (이)랑?

All three mean "and" or "with" and join nouns. 하고 is neutral and spoken, 와/과 is formal and used in writing, and (이)랑 is casual and used with friends and family. 하고 never changes shape, while 와/과 and (이)랑 change with the last sound of the noun.

Do I Use 하고 in Speech, Writing or Both?

Both, but speech is where 하고 is most at home. Messages, diaries and blog posts use it freely. Essays, news reports and formal documents usually prefer 와/과. If you are unsure which register to use, 하고 is the safe choice in polite conversation.