Grammar
N 등
Meaning
BeginnerN deung
Placed after a noun or a list of nouns to mean 'and others' or 'etc.', showing that the list is not complete.
Form
등 is a bound noun, so it follows the last item in the list with a space before it: 빵, 우유, 과일 등. Because it is a noun, particles attach to it rather than to the item — 등이, 등을, 등은, 등에서, 등의 (서울, 부산 등의 도시). It can also stand directly in front of the noun it sums up: 서울, 부산 등 큰 도시. It attaches to nouns only, never to a verb ending, and there is no batchim distinction. In casual speech 등등 or 기타 등등 is used for the same effect.
Examples
빵, 우유, 과일 등을 샀습니다.
I bought bread, milk, fruit, and more.
서울, 부산 등 큰 도시에는 지하철이 있습니다.
Big cities such as Seoul and Busan have subways.
도서관에서는 책, 잡지 등을 빌릴 수 있습니다.
At the library you can borrow books, magazines, and so on.
회의에는 학생, 교사 등 스무 명이 참석했습니다.
Twenty people, including students and teachers, attended the meeting.
Common mistakes & nuance
Leave the space: 과일 등, not 과일등. Learners often add a particle to the last listed item as well, but 과일을 등을 is wrong — the particle goes on 등 alone. 등 is neutral and very common in written and news Korean; in conversation people are more likely to say 등등.
Similar grammar
- N 같은 N
N 같은 N goes before the noun and offers the items as examples of it (과일 같은 음식, 'food like fruit'). N 등 comes after the list and says the list itself stops short of being complete — the emphasis is on what was left out rather than on what the items illustrate.
- -거나
-거나 links alternatives and says one of them applies ('or'). N 등 links items that all apply and hints there are further ones — so a list with 등 is additive, not a choice.