Korean Grammar Basic #8 – How to Use “(으)로 / 로” (By / With / Toward)

Lee Serene
Oct 24, 2025
3 min read

1️⃣ Introduction

In English, “to,” “by,” or “with” often serve multiple roles. In Korean, (으)로 can cover all of them depending on the context. It's used to indicate direction, transportation, material, language, or purpose.

2️⃣ Grammar Explanation

🔹 (으)로 — “By / Toward / With / In”

Form

Noun+(으)로

If the noun ends with a consonant, add 으로 (eu-ro).
If the noun ends with a vowel, add 로 (ro).
If the noun ends with ㄹ, just add 로 (ro) (not 으로).

Form Examples:

책 → 책으로 (cha-geu-ro)
버스 → 버스로 (beo-seu-ro)
학교 → 학교로 (hak-gyo-ro)
길 → 길로 (gil-lo)

Usage

1️⃣ Direction / destination (“toward”)

→ shows where someone or something is heading.

2️⃣ Means / method (“by / with / using”)

→ shows how something is done (transportation, tools, etc).

3️⃣ Material (“made of”)

→ shows the material something is made from.

4️⃣ Language / method of communication.

→ shows the language or medium used.

5️⃣ Role or occupation (“as / in the role of”).

Example	Meaning
학교로 가요. (hak-gyo-ro ga-yo)	I’m going to school.
버스로 와요. (beo-seu-ro wa-yo)	I come by bus.
손으로 먹어요. (so-neu-ro meo-geo-yo)	I eat with my hands.
나무로 만들었어요. (na-mu-ro man-deu-reo-sseo-yo)	It’s made of wood.
한국어로 말해요. (han-gu-geo-ro mal-hae-yo)	I speak in Korean.
의사로 일해요. (ui-sa-ro il-hae-yo)	I work as a doctor.

Tip:

1. Pronunciation tip:

When spoken quickly, 으로 (eu-ro) often sounds like [으로→로]

— so don’t worry if you barely hear “으.”

2. Remember “ㄹ” rule:

If the word ends in ㄹ, just add 로, not 으로.

➡ example: 길 → 길로 ✅ (not 길으로❌)

3. Common mistake:

You can’t use (으)로 for static location (like “at home”) — that’s 에!

➡ 학교에 있어요 → I’m at school.(❌ 학교로 있어요 → Wrong.)

3️⃣ Comparison: (으)로 vs 에 (Direction)

Both “에” and “(으)로” can show direction, but they’re not exactly the same.

“에” → where something exists or ends up.
“(으)로” → where something moves or heads toward.

“에” → Think “where you end up.”
✅ Focus on the final place / goal.
example : 학교에 가요 → You will arrive at school.
“(으)로” → Think “where you are headed / moving toward.”
✅ Focus on movement or flow in that direction.
example : 학교로 가요 → You are on your way to school.

Particle	Focus	Example	Translation
에 (e)	destination / arrival point	집에 가요. (ji-be ga-yo)	I go home. (to the destination)
(으)로 (eu-ro / ro)	route / direction / means of movement	집으로 가요. (ji-beu-ro ga-yo)	I go toward home. (focusing on direction or path)

4️⃣ Mini Practice

Fill in the blanks with (으)로 / 로

(Choose the correct one based on the noun ending)

1️⃣ 저는 버스____ 학교에 가요.(I go to school by bus.)

2️⃣ 친구는 집____ 돌아왔어요.(My friend came back home.)

3️⃣ 젓가락____ 김치를 먹어요.(I eat kimchi with chopsticks.)

4️⃣ 연필____ 글씨를 써요.(I write letters with a pencil.)

5️⃣ 우유____ 만들었어요.(It was made with milk.)

Answers

1️⃣ 버스로 학교에 가요. (beo-seu-ro hak-gyo-e ga-yo)

→ “I go to school by bus.”→ “버스” ends with a vowel, so we use 로 to express means of transportation.

2️⃣ 집으로 돌아왔어요. (ji-beu-ro do-ra-wa-sseo-yo)

→ “I came back home.”

→ “집” ends with a consonant, so we use 으로 to express direction or destination.

3️⃣ 젓가락으로 김치를 먹어요. (jeot-ga-ra-geu-ro gim-chi-reul meo-geo-yo)

→ “I eat kimchi with chopsticks.”

→ 으로 shows the tool or instrument used for an action.

4️⃣ 연필로 글씨를 써요. (yeon-pil-lo geul-ssi-reul sseo-yo)

→ “I write letters with a pencil.”

→ “연필” ends with ㄹ, so just 로 is used (no 으).

5️⃣ 우유로 만들었어요. (u-yu-ro man-deu-reo-sseo-yo)

→ “It was made with milk.”

→ “우유” ends with a vowel, so use 로 to express material or ingredient.

Vocabulary Check

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
버스	(beo-seu)	bus
젓가락	(jeot-ga-rak)	chopsticks
김치	(gim-chi)	kimchi
연필	(yeon-pil)	pencil
우유	(u-yu)	milk

Summary

Function	Example	Translation
Direction	집으로 가요. (ji-beu-ro ga-yo)	I go toward home.
Means / Tool	버스로 가요. (beo-seu-ro ga-yo)	I go by bus.
Reason / Cause	바람으로 불이 꺼졌어요. (ba-ra-meu-ro bul-i kkeo-jyeo-sseo-yo)	The candle went out because of the wind.

📂 Download Practice File

Review and complete more examples in your free worksheet:

📥 Download your “(으)로” Grammar Practice Sheet