와/과, 하고, (이)랑: And / With in Korean

Level: TOPIK 1. Korean has three everyday ways to say “and” between nouns and to say “with”: 와/과 (wa/gwa), 하고 (hago) and 이랑/랑 (irang/rang). They mean the same thing — the difference is register (how formal it sounds) and one small spelling rule.

The rule

A particle attaches to the end of a noun to show its role. These three “and / with” particles connect one noun to another — 커피와 차 (keopi-wa cha), “coffee and tea” — or mark the person you do something with — 친구하고 (chingu-hago), “with a friend”.

They differ in two ways:

• Register. 와/과 (wa/gwa) is formal and common in writing. 하고 (hago) is neutral and the safe choice in everyday speech. 이랑/랑 (irang/rang) is casual, used with friends.
• Spelling after the noun. 와/과 (wa/gwa) and 이랑/랑 (irang/rang) change shape depending on the last sound of the noun; 하고 (hago) never changes.

The vowel/consonant rule: use 와 (wa) and 랑 (rang) after a noun ending in a vowel; use 과 (gwa) and 이랑 (irang) after a noun ending in a consonant (a final consonant is called a batchim).

The three particles by register

All three work for both meanings: “A and B” — 커피와 차 (keopi-wa cha), “coffee and tea” — and “with” — 친구하고 (chingu-hago), “with a friend”.

Example sentences

Each sentence was written for this lesson, with romanisation.

Common mistakes

• ❌ 책와 공책 (chaek-wa gongchaek) → ✅ 책과 공책 (chaek-gwa gongchaek). 책 (chaek) ends in a consonant, so use 과 (gwa).
• ❌ 친구과 (chingu-gwa) → ✅ 친구와 (chingu-wa). 친구 (chingu) ends in a vowel, so use 와 (wa).
• ❌ 친구이랑 (chingu-irang) → ✅ 친구랑 (chingu-rang). After the vowel-final 친구 (chingu), use 랑 (rang), not 이랑 (irang).
• ❌ 선생님랑 (seonsaengnim-rang) → ✅ 선생님이랑 (seonsaengnim-irang). After the consonant-final 선생님 (seonsaengnim), use 이랑 (irang).
• ❌ 커피고 차 (keopi-go cha) for “coffee and tea” → ✅ 커피와 차 (keopi-wa cha). The connective 고 (go) links verbs and clauses, never two nouns.

A short conversation

— 주말에 누구하고 갔어요? (Jumare nuguhago gasseoyo?) — “Who did you go with on the weekend?” — 친구랑 갔어요. (Chingu-rang gasseoyo.) — “I went with a friend.” — 뭐 먹었어요? (Mwo meogeosseoyo?) — “What did you eat?” — 김치와 밥을 먹었어요. (Kimchi-wa bap-eul meogeosseoyo.) — “I ate kimchi and rice.”

Usage notes

• Speech leans on 하고 (hago) and 이랑/랑 (irang/rang). 와/과 (wa/gwa) is correct anywhere but sounds formal or written when spoken; 하고 (hago) is the everyday neutral choice, and 이랑/랑 (irang/rang) is friendly and casual.
• “With whom” is 누구하고 (nuguhago) or 누구랑 (nugurang). The question word 누구 (nugu), “who”, takes the same particles.
• Each pair in a list is usually marked. For three items, Korean often repeats the particle: 책과 공책과 펜 (chaek-gwa gongchaek-gwa pen), “a book, a notebook and a pen”.
• Keep one register per sentence. Mixing 와/과 (wa/gwa) with 이랑/랑 (irang/rang) in the same breath sounds odd; match the formality of the rest of your sentence.

Compared with…

• The connective 고 (go) also translates as “and”, but it joins verbs and clauses, not nouns: 밥을 먹고 자요 (bap-eul meokgo jayo), “I eat and (then) sleep”. If you are connecting two things (nouns), use 와/과 (wa/gwa), 하고 (hago) or 이랑/랑 (irang/rang); if you are connecting two actions, use 고 (go). Browse the full Korean grammar section for the clause connectors, and make sure you have the location particle 에 (e) first.

Practice

Quick recap before the quiz.

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

Next

• Make sure you have the location particle 에 (e) first
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