처럼/같이 in Korean: “like”

처럼 (cheoreom) and 같이 (gachi) mean "like" or "as" and attach right after a noun: 아이처럼 웃어요 means "she laughs like a child." They describe how something is done or what it resembles. 처럼 is the more common of the two.

How to form it

How to use it

처럼 and 같이 compare how something is done or how it looks: 가수처럼 노래해요 (She sings like a singer). They usually mean the same thing in this use.

When 같이 is a particle it is attached to the noun (봄날같이). Be careful: 같이 on its own as an adverb means "together" (같이 가요, let's go together).

To describe a noun, use 같은 (from 같다) before it: 꿈 같은 이야기 (a dreamlike story). This 같은 is written with a space.

These particles have no politeness level of their own and work in casual or polite speech.

Examples

Tap a word to see what it means and save it to your flashcards.

Don’t mix it up with

같이 (together): 같이 as a separate word means "together": 친구랑 같이 가요. Only when attached to a noun does it mean "like."

보다: 보다 means "than" and shows a difference, while 처럼 shows that two things are alike.

Common mistakes

Writing 처럼 with a space, as in 아이 처럼. It is a particle, so it is attached: 아이처럼.