(이)고 ((i)go) means "both A and B".
Goes after each of two nouns to mean "both": 밤이고 낮이고 일해요 (bamigo najigo ilhaeyo), "he works both night and day".
Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language
- After a consonant 이고, after a vowel 고.
- Put it after each noun. What comes next is true of both.
Build it
When to use it
Both, no exceptions
Whatever you say next is true of each one.
All the time
With night and day, it means "all the time".
Anything at all
You don't pick one over the other.
Watch out
(이)고 goes after each noun, not only the first.
In context
6 examples- 1
밤이고 낮이고 공부만 했어요.
Bamigo najigo gongbuman haesseoyo.
I did nothing but study, day and night.
- 2
주말이고 평일이고 늘 바빠요.
Jumarigo pyeongirigo neul bappayo.
Weekends, weekdays, I'm always busy.
- 3
우리 강아지는 과일이고 채소고 다 잘 먹어요.
Uri gangajineun gwairigo chaesogo da jal meogeoyo.
My dog eats everything, fruit, vegetables, whatever.
- 4
돈이고 시간이고 다 써 버렸어요.
Donigo siganigo da sseo beoryeosseoyo.
I've used up both my money and my time.
- 5
한국 음식이면 김치고 떡볶이고 다 좋아해요.
Hanguk eumsigimyeon gimchigo tteokbokkigo da joahaeyo.
When it comes to Korean food, I like both kimchi and tteokbokki.
- 6
밥이고 뭐고 너무 피곤해서 그냥 잤어요.
Babigo mwogo neomu pigonhaeseo geunyang jasseoyo.
I was too tired for dinner or anything else, so I just went to sleep.
Practice
6 questions빵 + (이)고
"Both" or "is, and"?
You'll see 이고 in two places, and they look the same.
On this page, 이고 goes after each noun and means "both": 책이고 옷이고 다 버렸어요 chaegigo osigo da beoryeosseoyo, "I threw out both the books and the clothes".
The other 이고 is 이다 ida · to be plus 고 go · and: 저는 학생이고 jeoneun haksaengigo, "I'm a student, and…". It says what something is.
X고 뭐고
In speech you'll hear X(이)고 뭐고 mwogo, "X or anything else". People use it to say they don't care about X: 밥이고 뭐고 babigo mwogo, "forget dinner".
(이)고 or (이)나?
(이)나 (i)na usually means "or": 커피나 차 keopina cha, "coffee or tea". (이)고 means "both", so there's no choice. Used twice, A(이)나 B(이)나 can also mean "both": 밤이나 낮이나 bamina najina, "night and day".
Look it up in the dictionary
The entry for 이고 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.
