요

Korean

Etymology 1

요욕욖욗욘욙욚 욛욜욝욞욟욠욡 욢욣욤욥욦욧욨 용욪욫욬욭욮욯
외 ←	→ 우

Syllable

(deprecated template usage) 요 • (yo)

1. (deprecated template usage) A Hangul syllabic block made up of ㅇ and ㅛ.

Etymology 2

Of native Korean origin.

Noun

요 • (yo)

1. bedspread

Etymology 3

Particle

요 • (yo)

1. (Sentence-final particle for verbs and adjectives in the 해요체 (haeyoche, “polite”) speech level)

   해요 ― haeyo ― does

   제가 도와드리지요.

   jega dowadeurijiyo.

   I can give you a hand.

   만나서 반가웠어요. — 저도요. 잘 가요.

   mannaseo ban'gawosseoyo. - jeodoyo. jal gayo.

   Nice to meet you! — You too, Bye.

   2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

Usage notes

In the 해요체 (haeyoche, “polite”) speech level, there is no explicit marker to distinguish between indicative, interrogative, imperative, and hortative moods. The mood distinction is made with punctuation (e.g. “?”, “!”) and pitch (e.g. rising for interrogative) only.

The modern pronunciation of this particle is more open than the syllable 요 and can be described as 여.

Derived terms

• 죠 (jo) (contraction of -지요)