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In Korean, subject markers (이/가) and topic markers (은/는) serve different roles to highlight either the subject or the topic of a sentence.
Subject markers (이/가) help clarify who is performing an action or what is being described. For example, in “철수가 밥을 먹어요” (Cheolsu is eating), adding the subject marker 가 to “철수가” emphasizes that Cheolsu is specifically the one eating. It points directly to who is doing the action in the sentence.
On the other hand, topic markers (은/는) introduce the topic of a sentence, placing focus on what or whom you’re going to talk about. For instance, in “철수는 밥을 먹어요” (Cheolsu is eating), using the topic marker 는 in “철수는” indicates that Cheolsu is the main topic. It’s like saying, “As for Cheolsu…” and then discussing his action.
In summary, subject markers (이/가) show ‘who did it?’ or ‘what is described,’ while topic markers (은/는) set the scene to say ‘as for this person or thing…’
