4 · The written style
Written connectors: 및, 등, 또는, 혹은, 즉
joining and listing nouns on paper
Written Korean joins nouns with 및 and 또는, closes lists with 등 and restates with 즉.
Spoken Korean joins nouns with particles: 하고, 와/과, (이)랑, (이)나. Written Korean has, in addition, a set of separate connecting words that stand between nouns with a space on either side and never attach to anything. 및 means “and”: 서울 및 경기 지역, “Seoul and the surrounding province”. 또는 and the slightly more literary 혹은 mean “or”: 전화 또는 이메일.
등 closes a list: “and so on, and others”. 사과, 배, 포도 등 is “apples, pears, grapes and so on”. It is a noun, so it takes particles, and it stands before another noun either directly or with 의: 등이 있다, 포도 등 과일, 등의 과일. 즉, “that is, namely”, restates what came before more precisely: 어머니의 남동생, 즉 외삼촌.
These words belong to notices, forms, news, reports and instructions. 및 in particular is almost never heard in conversation: nobody orders 커피 및 케이크 at a counter. And 및 joins nouns only — two verbs are joined with -고 or -(으)며, or turned into nouns first: 자료 수집 및 분석, “collecting and analysing data”.
English speakers sometimes overuse 또는 in speech, because it looks like the dictionary translation of “or”. In conversation “coffee or tea?” is 커피나 차 or 커피 아니면 차.
The form
| and (between nouns) | 서울 및 경기 |
| or | 전화 또는 이메일 / 오늘 혹은 내일 |
| and so on | 사과, 배, 포도 등 |
| and so on, before a noun | 한국어, 일본어 등의 언어 |
| that is | 여름, 즉 유월부터 팔월까지 |
| in speech instead | 커피하고 케이크 / 커피나 차 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
및 joins nouns, in writing only, with a space on either side.
이 박물관은 월요일 및 공휴일에 쉰다.The museum is closed on Mondays and public holidays.
또는 and 혹은 mean “or” between nouns, numbers or clauses.
볼펜 또는 연필로 작성하십시오.Fill in the form in ballpoint pen or pencil.
등 closes a list and behaves like a noun: 등이, 등의.
한국어, 일본어, 중국어 등의 언어를 배울 수 있다.You can learn languages such as Korean, Japanese and Chinese.
즉 restates the preceding expression more precisely.
도서관은 유월부터 팔월까지, 즉 여름 동안 문을 닫는다.The library is closed from June to August, that is, over the summer.
In conversation use particles instead: 하고, (이)랑, (이)나.
커피하고 케이크 주세요.Coffee and cake, please.
A closer look
More words of the written page
The same written register has its own sentence connectors, placed at the start of a sentence: 그러나 (however), 따라서 and 그러므로 (therefore), 또한 (moreover), 한편 (meanwhile, on the other hand). Spoken Korean says 그런데, 그래서 and 그리고 instead.
A text that mixes the two registers reads unevenly. If an essay ends its sentences in -다, it joins nouns with 및 or 와/과 rather than 하고, and opens a contrast with 그러나 rather than 근데.
How to spot it
- 및
- 등
- 등의
- 또는
- 혹은
- 즉
Example sentences
신청서 및 증명서를 제출하십시오.Submit the application form and the certificate.
사과, 배, 포도 등 다양한 과일을 판매합니다.We sell a variety of fruit: apples, pears, grapes and more.
문의 사항은 전화 또는 이메일로 보내 주십시오.Please send enquiries by phone or email.
참가 신청은 직접 방문 혹은 우편으로 가능하다.Applications can be made in person or by post.
그는 어머니의 남동생, 즉 외삼촌이다.He is my mother's younger brother, that is, my uncle.
이 시설은 노인 및 장애인을 위한 공간이다.This facility is a space for elderly and disabled people.
8 more example sentences
서울 및 경기 지역에 비가 내리겠습니다.It will rain in Seoul and the surrounding province.
책, 공책, 연필 등 필요한 물건을 준비하십시오.Bring what you need: books, exercise books, pencils and so on.
이 약은 하루에 두 번 또는 세 번 복용하십시오.Take this medicine two or three times a day.
이번 행사는 다음 주 혹은 그다음 주에 열릴 예정이다.The event is due to take place next week or the week after.
입학 및 졸업에 관한 안내는 홈페이지를 참고하십시오.For information on admission and graduation, see the website.
이 지역에서는 쌀, 감자, 배추 등이 많이 생산된다.Rice, potatoes, cabbages and other crops are grown in large quantities in this region.
회의는 다음 주 수요일, 즉 시월 칠 일에 열린다.The meeting takes place next Wednesday, that is, on the seventh of October.
자료 수집 및 분석은 연구팀이 맡는다.The research team is in charge of collecting and analysing the data.
Worth knowing (1)
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등 after a single item
등 can follow a single noun as well: 감기 등 means “colds and the like”. The list is then left open on purpose, and the reader understands that the first item is only an example.
감기 등 가벼운 병은 동네 병원에서 치료할 수 있다.Minor illnesses such as colds can be treated at a local clinic.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
및 is a word for forms, notices and reports. In a spoken sentence with -어요 it sounds like an order form read aloud. Between two nouns in speech, use the particles 하고, (이)랑 or 와/과.
Mit, ttoneun, deung and jeuk are words for paper; in speech the particles do the joining.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.