만 in Korean: “only, just”
만
man
only, just
Beginner · Particles
만 (man) means "only" or "just" and attaches right after a noun: 물만 means "only water." It limits what you are talking about to that one thing. You can use it with positive and negative verbs.
How to form it
| When | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (any ending) | + 만 | 물 → 물만, 커피 → 커피만 |
| Replacing 이/가 or 을/를 | drop the particle, add 만 | 물을 마셔요 → 물만 마셔요 |
| After other particles (에, 에서, 한테) | + 만 | 주말에 → 주말에만, 너한테 → 너한테만 |
| Verb stem (only does) | + 기만 하다 | 자다 → 자기만 해요 |
How to use it
만 says "this and nothing else." 물만 마셨어요 means "I only drank water." It usually replaces 이/가 and 을/를.
With other particles like 에 or 한테, 만 comes after them: 주말에만 (only on weekends), 너한테만 (only to you).
만 also softens requests: 한 번만 (just once), 잠깐만요 (just a moment). This makes the request sound small and easy to say yes to.
만 has no politeness level of its own. The verb ending decides how polite the sentence is.
Examples
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Talking about a diet
Telling someone you trust them
Asking for a favor
Describing a routine
Don’t mix it up with
밖에: 밖에 also means "only" but must be followed by a negative verb: 물밖에 안 마셨어요. 만 works with any verb: 물만 마셨어요.
도: 도 adds ("also"), while 만 limits ("only").
Common mistakes
Putting 을/를 before 만, as in 물을만. The usual form is just 물만. In formal writing you may see 물만을, with 을 after 만.
Questions learners ask
What is the difference between 만 and 밖에?
Both mean "only," but 밖에 needs a negative verb after it (밖에 없어요), while 만 works with positive verbs (만 있어요). 밖에 often sounds like "not more than I wanted."
What does 만 mean in 3년 만에?
That is a different word written with a space. 3년 만에 means "for the first time in 3 years" or "after 3 years."