-마다
Every, Each
-마다 means 'every' or 'each' and attaches to nouns.
How It Works
-마다 is a particle that expresses repetition or distribution. It translates to 'every' or 'each' and is attached directly to the end of a noun, regardless of whether the noun ends in a vowel or a consonant.
Common Noun Types:
- Time: 날마다 (every day), 아침마다 (every morning), 주말마다 (every weekend), 1년마다 (every year)
- Place: 나라마다 (every country), 도시마다 (every city)
- People/Things: 사람마다 (every person), 책마다 (every book)
Usage:
Simply add -마다 to the noun you want to specify.
Noun + 마다
- 학생 (student) → 학생마다 (every student)
- 금요일 (Friday) → 금요일마다 (every Friday)
It's important to distinguish -마다 from '모든' (all). '모든' is a determiner that comes before a noun (e.g., 모든 사람 - all people), while -마다 is a particle that comes after a noun (e.g., 사람마다 - each person).
Examples (5)
- 주말마다 영화를 봐요.
I watch a movie every weekend.
Word by Word: Weekend every movie watch.
- 사람마다 성격이 달라요.
Every person has a different personality.
Word by Word: Person every personality is different.
- 이 버스는 10분마다 와요.
This bus comes every 10 minutes.
Word by Word: This bus 10 minutes every comes.
- 나라마다 문화가 달라서 재미있어요.
It's interesting because every country has a different culture.
Word by Word: Country every culture is different so it's interesting.
- 아침마다 공원에서 운동해요.
I exercise in the park every morning.
Word by Word: Morning every in the park exercise.
Common Mistakes
Using -마다 with verbs or adjectives instead of nouns.
Not Quite저는 행복하다마다 노래를 불러요.Better저는 행복할 때마다 노래를 불러요.-마다 is a particle that must be attached to a noun. To express 'every time I am happy', you need to use a structure like -ㄹ 때마다 (every time...).
Confusing the placement of -마다 with '모든' (all).
Not Quite마다 학생이 질문이 있어요.Better학생마다 질문이 있어요. (or) 모든 학생이 질문이 있어요.-마다 is a particle that follows a noun (학생마다). '모든' is a determiner that precedes a noun (모든 학생). They are not interchangeable in sentence structure.
Related Patterns
- -도Also, Too, Even
Both are particles attached to nouns. While -마다 means 'every', -도 means 'also' or 'even'. They can sometimes be used together for emphasis, like in '날마다도' (even every day), though this is less common.
- -들Plural Marker
-마다 implies multiple items but treats them individually, while -들 is a plural marker that treats items as a group. '사람마다' means 'each person' (individually), whereas '사람들' means 'people' (collectively).
- 동안During, While
Both relate to time. 동안 indicates a continuous duration (e.g., '3일 동안' - for 3 days), while -마다 indicates repeated, regular intervals (e.g., '3일마다' - every 3 days).