-란
Contracted Quotative
-란 is attached to a noun to introduce it as a topic for definition or explanation, similar to saying 'the thing called [noun]' or 'as for [noun]...'.
How It Works
-란 is a grammatical particle that attaches to a noun to introduce it for definition or explanation. It is a contraction of the quoting phrase -(이)라고 하는, which means 'the thing called...'.
Structure:
- Noun ending in a vowel + 란 (e.g., 친구 + 란 → 친구란). This is a contraction of '친구라고 하는'.
- Noun ending in a consonant + 이란 (e.g., 사랑 + 이란 → 사랑이란). This is a contraction of '사랑이라고 하는'.
It functions like a specialized topic marker, signaling that what follows will be a definition, explanation, or a question about the noun's essence.
While similar to the topic marker 은/는, -란/-이란 carries a stronger nuance of 'defining'. For example:
- 친구는 소중하다. (Friends are precious.) - A general statement about friends.
- 친구란 어려울 때 힘이 되어주는 사람이다. (A friend is someone who supports you in difficult times.) - A definition of a friend.
This pattern is frequently used in philosophical questions, dictionary-style definitions, and formal discussions.
Examples (4)
- 사랑이란 무엇이라고 생각해요?
What do you think love is?
Word by Word: Love (as for) what (is) think?
-이란 is attached to 사랑 (love) to ask for its definition or essence.
- 행복이란 멀리 있는 것이 아니라, 바로 우리 곁에 있는 것이다.
Happiness is not something that is far away, but something that is right beside us.
Word by Word: Happiness (as for) far away existing thing not, right our side in existing thing is.
Here, 행복이란 introduces 'happiness' as a concept to be defined in the rest of the sentence.
- '욜로'란 '인생은 한 번뿐이다'라는 뜻이에요.
'YOLO' means 'You Only Live Once'.
Word by Word: 'YOLO' (as for) 'life is one time only' meaning is.
-란 is used to define the acronym '욜로' (YOLO).
- 성공이란 끊임없는 노력의 결과물이다.
Success is the result of constant effort.
Word by Word: Success (as for) ceaseless effort's result is.
성공이란 sets up 'success' to be defined by the phrase that follows.
Common Mistakes
Using -은/는 when a definition is being asked for or given.
Different Meaning인생은 무엇입니까?Better인생이란 무엇입니까?While '인생은' is grammatically correct and asks a general question about life, '인생이란' specifically asks for the fundamental definition or meaning of 'life'. Use -란/-이란 when you want to define a term or concept.
Learn This First
To understand -란, you first need to know the full form -라고 하다.
Related Patterns
- 은/는Topic Marker
Both are topic markers, but -란/-이란 is more specific. It's used when the topic is being defined or explained, whereas 은/는 is a general topic marker.
- -는 것Thing of -ing
Definitions introduced by -란 often end with the nominalizing phrase -는 것, meaning 'the act of doing...' or 'the thing that is...'. For example, '행복이란 ... 찾는 것이다.' (Happiness is the thing of finding...).
- -ㄴ/는다는 것The Fact That... (Quoted)
Similar to -란, this pattern involves quoting and nominalizing a concept ('the fact that...'). It's used to make a whole clause the subject or object of a sentence, while -란 focuses on defining a single noun.