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의

ui [e]

The letter written 의 and said [e]

The picture A thread tied from the first word to the second, so the second one is pulled back and belongs to the first. 의 hangs the second thing off the first; 와/과 stands the two side by side — 딸의 친구 is one person hanging off my daughter, 딸과 친구 is two people standing together.

Particles

Where the picture shows up in 의

  1. tied to its owner

    이건 회사의 규정이에요.

    i-geon hoe-sa-ui gyu-jeong-i-e-yo

    This is company policy.

    A sheet of rules is tied to a thread and pulled back toward the company's signboard

    Spoken, the particle 의 is pronounced [e] — 회사의 sounds like 회사에.

  2. tied to where it came from

    김 선생님의 소개로 왔어요.

    gim seon-saeng-ni-mui so-gae-ro wa-sseo-yo

    I came on Mr. Kim's recommendation.

    A thread traces your footprints backwards, all the way to Mr. Kim, who sent you here

  3. tied to what holds it

    이번 일의 원인이 뭐예요?

    i-beon i-rui wo-ni-ni mwo-ye-yo

    What caused this?

    You open the box marked 'this incident' and find the cause hanging by a thread from its inside wall

  4. tying person to person

    다음 달이 딸의 결혼식이에요.

    da-eum da-ri tta-rui gyeol-hon-si-gi-e-yo

    My daughter's wedding is next month.

    A wedding invitation hangs on a thread that runs all the way to your daughter's wrist

  5. tied to the years behind it

    십 년의 경험이 있습니다.

    sim nyeo-nui gyeong-heo-mi it-seum-ni-da

    I have ten years of experience.

    A bundle of experience is dragged along on the end of a rope ten years long

    In speech Koreans often drop 의 — 제 가방 and 우리 집 sound more natural than the full form.

All of it in one picture

의 is a single thread that ties the second word back to the first. Pull the rules toward the company's sign and they are the company's rules; trace your footprints back to Mr. Kim and the visit started with him. Open the box and find the cause hanging from its inside wall, and it is the cause this incident was holding; run the thread from the invitation to your daughter's wrist and it is her wedding. Drag a bundle of experience on a rope ten years long and it is what those years piled up. So when you see 의, one thread has been pulled from the back word to the front one.

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