Elementary School - Grade 4
Lesson 6: The "Two-for-One" Particle
(으)로 (to/toward, by/with)
What is (으)로?
This particle is a fantastic multi-tool. It's attached to nouns and can have two main meanings depending on the context:
- Direction: "to" or "toward" (e.g., Go *toward* the school)
- Tool/Method: "by" or "with" (e.g., I came *by* bus, I wrote *with* a pen)
The Conjugation Rule
The rule is simple and depends on what the noun ends in:
Noun ends in a Vowel or ㄹ (L)
... + 로
학교 학교로
버스 버스로
연필 연필로
Noun ends in a Consonant (except ㄹ)
... + 으로
집 집으로
책 책으로
펜 펜으로
Examples in Action
Meaning 1: Direction ("to" / "toward")
오른쪽으로 가세요.
Please go to the right.
집으로 갈 거예요.
I am going to(ward) home.
Meaning 2: Tool/Method ("by" / "with")
버스로 왔어요.
I came by bus.
이것을 펜으로 썼어요.
I wrote this with a pen.
한국말로 말해주세요.
Please speak in Korean. (literally: "by means of Korean")
Coming Up Next...
You've learned how to connect nouns with "and" (`하고`). Now let's learn how to connect *verbs* with "and." This is how you say "I ate *and then* I went to school."