Particles — learn them through core images – Page 2 – ShareDocs

께 kke The same arrow, one notch higher: 께 The same arrow to a person, but aimed a notch above their eye level — the angle of handing something up with both hands. Korean 5 uses

ahead əˈhed The slot that sits one step in front of you One slot in front of where you stand, already lying on the side you are heading for. English 5 uses

しか shika What's left after you erase everything: しか You rub everything out with an eraser and one thing is still sitting there. Not "good, I still have this" but "this is all there is" — the picture has a hole in it. Japanese

보다 boda Whatever comes before 보다 is the ruler, not the story Two things stood side by side, with a line drawn at the height of one. Everything the sentence cares about happens above that line. Korean 5 uses

past pæst Brushing by a marker and leaving it behind Something brushes by the side of a marker and leaves it behind its back. English 5 uses

ばかり bakari The screen is wallpapered with one thing: ばかり The whole screen in front of you is papered over with one thing, edge to edge. It's so full of that one thing nothing else gets through. Japanese

처럼 cheoreom Lay a stencil down and trace it: 처럼 Placing a stencil on paper and tracing its outline. You are not becoming the stencil, you are borrowing its shape. Korean 5 uses

opposite ˈɑːpəzɪt The place that faces you with something in between With a road or a table in between, two sides face each other head-on. English 5 uses

ほど hodo Holding a ruler up to it: ほど You hold a measuring stick next to something and point at a mark: "up to here". The mark can be rough, it can be the very end of the stick, or it can be where you compare someone else. Japanese 4 uses

versus ˈvɜːrsəs The word that puts two things in the ring Two things are stood facing each other and one stroke is drawn between them. English 5 uses

くらい kurai A loose circle instead of a dot: くらい／ぐらい Instead of marking an exact dot, you draw a loose circle around roughly where it lands. That looseness is why it works for time, for brushing something off, and for naming a bare minimum. Japanese 4 uses

마다 mada A stamp on every one, skipping none: 마다 Going along a row and pressing the same stamp on every single item, leaving none out. Korean 5 uses

at æt Why 'at three' and 'shouting at someone' are the same word A finger comes down on a wide map and presses one spot. The width disappears; only the point is left. English 5 uses

밖에 bakke Push everything outside the circle and keep one: 밖에 Drawing a circle, keeping exactly one thing inside it, and pushing everything else out past the line. What is left always looks like too little. Korean 5 uses

など nado Show one, wave at the rest: など You lift one thing out of a box, leave the rest inside, and wave a hand at them as your voice trails off. The point is that you refuse to pin anything down. Japanese

to tuː Why kindness needs an arrow An arrow travels along a line and taps the far end. What matters is not the journey but the point it touches. English 5 uses

(이)나 (i)na Close your eyes and grab one: (이)나 Several things laid out, and a hand that grabs one without deciding which — whatever it lands on. Korean 5 uses

より yori Drawing a line at your feet: より You draw a line on the ground and declare "from here". Sometimes you measure how far above that line something sits; sometimes you simply set off from it. Japanese

for fɔːr Why 'for two hours' and 'for twenty dollars' are the same word A hand holds something out toward someone. It hasn't arrived yet, but the direction is already decided. English 5 uses

か ka A fork in the road, still open: か A road splits in two and nothing has decided which way yet. Hand that undecidedness to the person in front of you and it's a question; leave it sitting inside your sentence and it becomes "I don't know". Japanese

든지 deunji If any of them lands you in the same place: 든지 A shrug in front of a fork in the road. Every path ends at the same place, so there is nothing to choose. Korean 5 uses

with wɪð Why going along and fighting take the same word Two hands are clasped and move as one lump; when one goes, the other goes too. English 5 uses

ね ne Rolling the ball over and waiting: ね At the end of your sentence you roll a ball gently towards the other person and wait for them to catch it. It signals that you two are standing on the same spot, not that you're talking at them. Japanese 4 uses

조차 jocha Even the one thing you'd never expect: 조차 Things lined up from easiest to hardest, with a finger pointing at the easy end. If it failed even there, the rest needs no discussion. Korean 5 uses

by baɪ Why 'by the window' and 'by Friday' are the same word A hand sweeps right past the side of something. As it passes, something happens, and a mark is left where it went by. English 5 uses

마저 majeo Down to the last one left: 마저 A handful that keeps slipping away, one at a time, until a single one is left — and that last one slips away too. Korean 5 uses

よ yo Putting it in their hand: よ You hold something the other person doesn't have and push it across to them. A gentle push is a kindness; a hard shove is shoving it in their face. Japanese 4 uses

from frʌm Why bread is made 'from' flour Footprints stay on the spot while the body has already pulled away from it. The place you left is still clearly visible behind you. English 5 uses

of ʌv Cut off, yet still attached A piece is broken off a bigger lump, and the lump comes trailing after it, hanging on like a thread. English 5 uses

into ˈɪntuː Why translating and crashing share a word Something outside steps over a threshold and settles inside. The moment of crossing is the part you can see. English 5 uses

around əˈraʊnd Why "about fifty dollars" and "turn around" are the same word A line that travels around something placed in the middle, never touching the middle, always keeping to the outside. English 5 uses

about əˈbaʊt Why "about twenty minutes" and "about to call" are the same hand A hand circling something, brushing the edge of it, never quite pressing the middle. English

under ˈʌndər Why "under six" and "under my manager" are one picture Something roofs over you, and you are tucked in beneath it; the cover is always above. English 5 uses

behind bɪˈhaɪnd How "behind schedule" and "we're behind you" share one spot Something stands in front and you are tucked in at its back, hidden from the front but certainly there. English 5 uses

between bɪˈtwiːn Why "between two and four" and "between you and me" are one gap One thing on the left, one on the right, and something sitting snugly in the narrow gap they make. English 5 uses

above əˈbʌv Why a fever and a voice in a noisy room use the same word Something floats higher than you, not touching, simply up there. English 5 uses

below bɪˈloʊ Why "below zero" and "the family below" are the same shelf A line is drawn across, and something rests in the space under that line, never touching what is above. English

beyond biˈjɑːnd Why "beyond my authority" and "beyond repair" draw the same line A line is drawn on the ground and something sits on the far side of it, out of reach from where you stand. English 5 uses

beside bɪˈsaɪd One seat to the side: comfort one moment, off the point the next Two people standing shoulder to shoulder, right next to each other. Not in front, not behind — the spot you can reach with one hand. English 5 uses

within wɪˈðɪn Draw one line, then never step over it A circle drawn on the floor, and you staying on the inside of it. Not one foot crosses the line. English 5 uses

during ˈdʊrɪŋ Time as a band you stand inside, not a length you measure A long band laid out flat, with things happening on the inside of it. The band already has a name and a beginning and an end. English 5 uses

near nɪr One narrowing gap measures distance, time and feeling alike Two fingertips brought together and stopped with the thickness of a sheet of paper left between them. Not touching yet, but as good as touching. English 5 uses

among əˈmʌŋ Mixed into a crowd, and place, rumor and share all follow Standing in the middle of a packed crowd with people on every side. Nobody is being counted one by one; you are simply in there. English 5 uses

against əˈɡenst Put a hand on the wall and opposing, shielding and checking are one move A palm pressed to a wall and pushing. However hard you push, the wall pushes back. You can feel the two forces meeting in your fingertips. English 5 uses

toward təˈwɔːrd You never arrive, and the direction alone says how you feel Turning your body to face one way and taking a step that way. You have not reached it; only the direction your nose points has been settled. English 5 uses