에 (e): Location & Time Particle

Level: TOPIK 1. A particle is a short ending added to a noun to show its job. 에 (e) is one of the first particles you meet: it attaches to a place or a time and tells you where something is, where you are heading, or when something happens.

The rule

에 (e) attaches to a noun to mark one of three things. The verb at the end of the sentence tells you which.

• A static location. With 있다 (itda, to be/exist) and 없다 (eopda, to not be), 에 (e) marks where something simply is: 집에 있어요 (Jibe isseoyo) = “I am at home.”
• A destination. With 가다 (gada, to go), 오다 (oda, to come) and 다니다 (danida, to attend), 에 (e) marks the place you move to: 학교에 가요 (Hakgyoe gayo) = “I go to school.”
• A point in time. With a clock time, a day or a part of the day, 에 (e) means “at / on / in”: 세 시에 만나요 (Se sie mannayo) = “Let’s meet at three.”

When to use 에 (e)

Example sentences

Each sentence was written for this lesson, with readings.

Common mistakes

• ❌ 집에 공부해요 (jibe gongbuhaeyo) → ✅ 집에서 공부해요 (Jibeseo gongbuhaeyo). Studying is an action, so the place takes 에서 (eseo); 에 (e) is only for being somewhere.
• ❌ 오늘에 가요 (oneure gayo) → ✅ 오늘 가요 (Oneul gayo). Relative time words like 오늘 (oneul) and 지금 (jigeum) take no particle; only clock times and days take 에 (e).
• ❌ 친구에 선물을 줘요 (chingue seonmureul jwoyo) → ✅ 친구에게 선물을 줘요 (Chinguege seonmureul jwoyo). A person who receives something takes 에게 (ege) or 한테 (hante), not 에 (e).
• ❌ 학교를 가요 (hakgyoreul gayo) → ✅ 학교에 가요 (Hakgyoe gayo). 가다 (gada) marks its destination with 에 (e), not the object particle 를 (reul).
• ❌ 도서관에서 있어요 (doseogwaneseo isseoyo) → ✅ 도서관에 있어요 (Doseogwane isseoyo). 있다 (itda) marks the place of existence with 에 (e); 에서 (eseo) would need an action verb.

A short conversation

— 지금 어디에 있어요? (Jigeum eodie isseoyo?) — “Where are you now?” — 집에 있어요. (Jibe isseoyo.) — “I’m at home.” — 주말에 뭐 해요? (Jumare mwo haeyo?) — “What do you do on the weekend?” — 토요일에 공원에 가요. (Toyoire gongwone gayo.) — “On Saturday I go to the park.”

Usage notes

• No 에 (e) on relative time words. 오늘 (oneul, today), 지금 (jigeum, now), 어제 (eoje, yesterday), 내일 (naeil, tomorrow) and 매일 (maeil, every day) take no particle. Clock times, days and parts of the day — 아침에 (achime), 저녁에 (jeonyeoge) — do take 에 (e).
• People take 에게 (ege) or 한테 (hante). For the person who receives something, use 에게 (ege) in writing or 한테 (hante) in speech: 친구에게 (chinguege), 친구한테 (chinguhante). 에 (e) is only for places and times.
• 에 (e) can also mean “per”. 하루에 두 번 (harue du beon) = “twice a day”; 한 개에 천 원 (han gaee cheon won) = “a thousand won each.”
• One 에 (e) per place or time. You can stack a time and a place in one sentence — 토요일에 공원에 가요 (Toyoire gongwone gayo) — each with its own 에 (e).

Compared with…

• 에서 (eseo) marks the place where an action happens, or “from” a place, while 에 (e) marks where something is or a destination. 집에서 일해요 (Jibeseo ilhaeyo) = “I work at home” (action), but 집에 있어요 (Jibe isseoyo) = “I am at home” (existence). See the 에서 (eseo) particle lesson.
• 에게 / 한테 (ege / hante) mark the person who receives something. 친구에게 편지를 써요 (Chinguege pyeonjireul sseoyo) = “I write a letter to a friend.” Use these for people; 에 (e) is for places and times. See the 에게 / 한테 (ege / hante) lesson.

Quick recap before the quiz.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

Next

• Review the object particle first: 을/를 (eul/reul)
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