에게: To (a person)

에게, 한테, 께: same job, three levels of politeness

These three all mark the person on the receiving end of something — the one you give to, tell, send, or ask. They mean the same thing. Choosing between them is about who you're talking to and whether you're speaking or writing.

The three, in order of formality

한테 hante is the spoken one. If you're having a conversation, this is the default and you'll hear it far more than the other two.

• 동생한테 선물을 줬어요. dongsaeng-hante seonmul-eul jwosseoyo — "I gave a present to my younger sibling."

에게 ege is the written one. Books, articles, formal letters, anything typed with care.

• 학생들에게 공지를 보냈습니다. haksaengdeul-ege gongji-reul bonaetseumnida — "I sent a notice to the students."

께 kke is the honorific. Use it when the recipient outranks you: a boss, a teacher, a grandparent, a customer.

• 사장님께 보고하세요. sajangnim-kke bogohaseyo — "Report to the boss."

Swapping 한테 into a formal report reads as sloppy. Swapping 께 into a chat about your little brother reads as sarcastic. Neither is a grammar error, which is exactly why it's worth knowing.

Only for living things

All three are for people and animals. A place or an object takes 에 instead.

• 친구한테 전화했어요. chingu-hante jeonhwahaesseoyo — "I called my friend."
• 회사에 전화했어요. hoesa-e jeonhwahaesseoyo — "I called the company."

Same verb, same sentence shape. The recipient decides the particle: a person gets 한테, an organization gets 에.

The "from" versions

Add 서 and the direction reverses. Instead of the person receiving, they're the source.

• 친구한테서 들었어요. chingu-hante-seo deureosseoyo — "I heard it from a friend."
• 부모님에게서 편지를 받았어요. bumonim-ege-seo pyeonji-reul badasseoyo — "I got a letter from my parents."

In casual speech the 서 often falls off and 한테 alone covers both directions, with the verb making it obvious which one you mean. 주다 juda · "to give" points one way; 받다 batda · "to receive" points the other.

께 and 께서 are not the same particle

This one catches people, because the two look almost identical and both are honorific.

• 께 marks the person receiving: 선생님께 드렸어요. seonsaengnim-kke deuryeosseoyo — "I gave it to the teacher."
• 께서 marks the person doing: 선생님께서 오셨어요. seonsaengnim-kkeseo osyeosseoyo — "The teacher came."

께 is the honorific version of 한테. 께서 is the honorific version of 이/가. One is the recipient, the other is the subject, and the extra 서 is the whole difference.

"By", with passive verbs

When something happens to you, 한테 and 에게 mark who did it. English says "by":

• 모기한테 물렸어요. mogihante mullyeosseoyo "I got bitten by a mosquito."
• 선생님한테 혼났어요. seonsaengnimhante honnasseoyo "I got told off by my teacher."

The verb is what tells you the direction. 물다 mulda is "to bite", and 물리다 mullida is "to get bitten".

Feelings toward someone

Feelings aimed at a person also take these particles, where English uses "at", "with" or "to":

• 친구한테 미안해요. chinguhante mianhaeyo "I feel bad about what I did to my friend."
• 동생한테 실망했어요. dongsaenghante silmanghaesseoyo "I'm disappointed in my younger sibling."
• 모두에게 고마워요. moduege gomawoyo "I'm grateful to everyone."