-들

See also: 들

Korean

Etymology

First attested in the Worin seokbo (月印釋譜 / 월인석보), 1459, as Middle Korean ᄃᆞᆶ〮 (Yale: -tólh). Beyond Korean, most likely related to Japanese 達(たち) (tachi, pluralizing morpheme); if so, the ancestral form may have been */tatVk/ or similar.[1]

Pronunciation
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?deul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?deul
McCune–Reischauer?tŭl
Yale Romanization?tul

Particle

들 • (-deul)

  1. An auxiliary plural particle with an emphasis on the individuality of each item. See Usage notes for more.
    사람들 ― saramdeul ― people, persons
    기억들 ― gieokdeul ― memories
    빨리들 하세요. (when addressing multiple people)
    Ppallideul haseyo.
    Get it done quickly.
    그 사람들은 가족이에요. ― Geu saramdeureun gajogieyo. ― Those people are family.

Usage notes
  • Korean does not grammatically distinguish between singular and plural nouns. Thus, while 사람들 (saramdeul) means "people", 사람 (saram) can mean either "person" or "people", depending on context.
  • 들 (deul) has a nuance of emphasizing the individuality of each item. Compare the following:
    아이가 공부만 해서는 안 된다.
    Ai-ga gongbu-man haeseo-neun an doenda.
    Children [a child in a generic sense; children as a collective group] should not just be studying.
    아이들이 공부만 해서는 안 된다.
    Aideur-i gongbu-man haeseo-neun an doenda.
    The children [specific children, or simply emphasizing the individuality of children] should not just be studying.
    우리가 하는 말 좀 들어봐.
    Uri-ga haneun mal jom deureobwa.
    Listen for a bit to what we are saying.
    우리들이 하는 말 좀 들어봐.
    Urideur-i haneun mal jom deureobwa.
    Listen for a bit to what we [each of us] are saying.
  • 들 (deul) is not typically used for a quantified noun, except in a construction where the classifier precedes the quantified noun and is linked by the genitive particle 의 (ui).
    두 사람 ― du saram ― two people
    두 사람들 ― du saramdeul ― two people (but uncommon)
    사람 두 명 ― saram du myeong ― two people
    사람들 두 명 ― saramdeul du myeong ― two out of some larger group of people
    두 명의 사람 ― du myeong-ui saram ― two people
    두 명의 사람들 ― du myeong-ui saramdeul ― two people
  • 들 (deul) is obligatory after the deictic determiners 이 (i, “this”), 그 (geu, “that”), 저 (jeo, “that”).
    저 사람 ― jeo saram ― that person
    저 사람들 ― jeo saramdeul ― those people
  • 들 (deul) can used after an adverb or an object to pluralize the subject, especially when the subject has been omitted.
    빨리들 먹어라 (command to a group of people) ― ppallideul meogeora ― eat quickly
    밥들 먹어라 (command to a group of people) ― bapdeul meogeora ― eat some rice

References
  1. Vovin, Alexander (2010) Koreo-Japonica: A Re-Evaluation of a Common Genetic Origin, University of Hawai’i Press, →ISBN, →JSTOR, page 120
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