What does 주어 mean?
주어 (ju-eo) means: Subject — the 'who' or 'what' doing the action.
In Korean, the subject is often omitted. If it's clear from the context, it's natural not to say it. 'I'm hungry' = '(I) am hungry'. This is why dropping the subject doesn't feel awkward.
◆ Grammar — In Korean, the 'subject' and the 'topic' can be different. '나는 사과가 좋아' (I like apples) — 나는 (topic: as for me), 사과가 (subject: apples are). In the English 'I like apples', 'I' serves as both the subject and the topic.
◆ Grammar — In Korean, the 'subject' and the 'topic' can be different. '나는 사과가 좋아' (I like apples) — 나는 (topic: as for me), 사과가 (subject: apples are). In the English 'I like apples', 'I' serves as both the subject and the topic.
🔊 From the story above
어순 — Eo-sun
주어 — ju-eo, "subject — the 'who' or 'what' doing the action"
목적어 — mok-jeok-eo, "object — what receives the action, marked by 을/를"
서술어 — seo-sul-eo, "predicate — the verb or adjective that ends the Korean sentence"
먹다 — meokda, "to eat"
먹었어요 — meogeosseoyo, "ate — past"
먹어요 — meogeoyo, "eat — present"
먹었어 — meogeosseo, casual
Other sides of 주어
◆ academic_pedagogy — Outside of middle school grammar class or TOPIK prep books, native speakers rarely use the word '주어' in casual conversation. It’s an analytical tool—the theoretical placeholder you point to when diagramming a sentence or arguing about particles. When someone drops this term in daily life, they are usually talking down to you like an overbearing hagwon teacher or breaking down a particularly tangled bureaucratic sentence.
◆ linguistic_meta_commentary — In Korean, subjects are dropped constantly when context allows—until someone wants to be passive-aggressive or hyper-critical. When a native drops the word 주어 into a casual chat, they are usually weaponizing grammar to say, 'Who exactly are you talking about right now?' It turns a vague gossip session or an indirect insult into a formal interrogation, signaling either playful pedantry or genuine annoyance at someone beating around the bush.
◆ linguistic_meta_commentary — In Korean, subjects are dropped constantly when context allows—until someone wants to be passive-aggressive or hyper-critical. When a native drops the word 주어 into a casual chat, they are usually weaponizing grammar to say, 'Who exactly are you talking about right now?' It turns a vague gossip session or an indirect insult into a formal interrogation, signaling either playful pedantry or genuine annoyance at someone beating around the bush.
Read the full story → · More on this word (part 2) →
How it's actually used
- 한국어는 문맥이 통하면 주어를 자주 생략해요.
hangug-eeneun munmaegi tonghamyeon ju-eoreul jaju saengnyakhaeyo.
In Korean, the subject is often omitted if the context is clear.
💡 Crucial grammatical concept for natural Korean conversation. - 이 문장에서는 '누가'가 주어 역할을 해요.
i munjang-eseo-neun 'nuga'ga ju-eo yeokhareul haeyo.
'Who' acts as the subject in this sentence.
💡 Used in language learning and grammatical analysis. - 이 문장에서는 주어가 생략되어 있어서 누구인지 알기 어려워요.
i munjang-eseoneun ju-eoga saengnyakt-doe-isseoseo nugu-inji algi eoryeowoyo.
The subject is omitted in this sentence, so it's hard to tell who it is.
💡 Often used when analyzing grammar or sentence structure.
Related words in Foundation
서술어 seo-sul-eo목적어 mok-jeok-eo어순 eo-sun조사 jo-sa한자어 수사 hanja-eo su-sa