를 가지고: With / Using — Means Or Topic Highlight

가지다 in 가지고 form: foreground the preceding as means 「007」 or as the matter handled 「008」.

Before this, make sure you know: 을/를 , (으)로 , -아요 / -어요

How to form it

When	Form	Example
Noun + 을/를 가지고	N을/를 가지고	펜을 가지고 / 돈으로가 아니라 노력으로… / 이 문제를 가지고
Spoken shorten	N 갖고	펜 갖고 / 이거 갖고

를/을 가지고 means with / using — taking that as the means or topic.

Why this is hard

It can mark an instrument or the thing under discussion. Learners overuse it where bare 으로 or a plain object is enough, and produce stiff ‘having-with’ English calques.

What it does

You hold N as the tool or as the matter in hand.

펜을 가지고 쓰세요.
이 문제를 가지고 이야기해요.
돈을 가지고 무엇을 살까요?
사진을 가지고 설명했어요.

Forms

N을/를 가지고 + clause.

When not to use it

Do not paste it on every object for ‘with’. Do not confuse it with -아/어 가지고 reason (related family — check sense). Do not use it when 으로 already names the tool cleanly.

Neighbours — and why they differ

Form	Why it is not this slot
으로	By / with — lighter instrument.
-어 가지고	After doing / and then — different attachment.
을/를	Object marker — bare object, no 가지고.

Classroom and meeting talk use the ‘topic in hand’ reading often. Keep the noun concrete.

Classroom examples should keep the meaning concrete: one clear scene beats three vague glosses. If a neighbour form already says the same thing more lightly, prefer the lighter tool unless register demands this one.

Ask: am I marking N as means or as the matter in hand? If yes, 을 가지고. If a plain tool 으로 works, prefer that.

Do not confuse it with

(으)로

by, toward, as — one particle doing three jobs

을/를

object particle — marks what the verb acts on

-어 가지고

and then, with that — spoken and a bit casual

Taught alongside this

On the jabi learning path, this appears in 표현 (expression) — Advanced Korean 1, Unit 4, on the theme of expression. These come with it:

-는다니1 what are they telling me to…? — asking what the order was -었던 that had been… — past modifier with a lingering sense 에 관하여 regarding, about — the written 에 관하여 / 관한 -자기에 because one decides to… — contracted -자고 하기에 (청유 인용 + 이유), pair of -는다기에 -게 마련이다 bound to be — naturally so (-기/게 마련이다) -게 생겼다 have ended up (badly)… — negative predicament with -게 생기다 -기 나름이다 depends on how you… — the outcome varies with the method -기가 바쁘게 as soon as — barely finishing one thing before the next -기가 쉽다 easy to… / prone to — a tendency that comes naturally -기만 하다 only does… — limiting the action to just that -기에 따라 depending on… — outcomes that change with the condition -기에 앞서(서) before doing… — prior to the step you name -은 나머지 as a result of… — the outcome that follows from that act -는 데다가 and on top of that — stacking one fact onto another -는 동시에 at the same time as — two things in the same moment -는 듯하다 seems to… — a soft guess from appearance -는 법이다 it is natural that… — a general rule of how things go -는 이상 now that / given that — already being in that state -은 채로 while still… — leaving it in the state it already has -는 척하다 pretend to… — acting as if -는 가운데 in the midst of — while that situation continues 는 말할 것도 없고 not to mention — A goes without saying, and B too (는/은 말할 것도 없고) -을 만하다 worth doing / decent enough — worth the effort or acceptable -을 법하다 likely to… — a reasonable prediction -을 테다 will (for sure) — a strong expectation about what follows -을 테면 if you are going to… — setting a condition for a plan -을 테지만 will, but… — expecting one thing and contrasting another -으려나 보다 I guess they mean to… — reading someone's likely intention -으면 몰라도 only if… — the following holds only under that (unreal / opposite) condition 에도 불구하고 despite — in spite of that noun situation -는데도 even though — contrast after a clause, softer than 지만 -어 내다 manage to… — pushing through until it is done -는다기에 because they say… — the reported claim is the reason -는다는 것이 meant to…, but — intention (-는다고 하는 것이) whose result diverged -는데도 불구하고 even so — despite the whole preceding clause

Words used above

Tap the speaker to hear it read aloud by your browser.

을/를 가지고eul/reul gajigowith / using / about

펜penpen

문제munjeproblem

노력noryeokeffort

돈donmoney

Quick check

No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.

1. Your team wants to tackle a thorny issue together. Which sentence foregrounds '이 문제' as the matter in hand using 을/를 가지고?

2. 펜을 가지고 쓰세요. The forms table lists a lighter spoken form. Which swap shows that spoken form?

3. Both 으로 and 을/를 가지고 can mark a tool. 'Explained using the photo.' Which line adds the 가지고 topic-emphasis shade?

Common questions

Dictionary?

우리말샘 가지다 「007」: 가지고 — means/method. 「008」: 가지고 — highlighted object/matter.

Vs -어 가지고?

-어 가지고 is after a verb result. This page is noun + 을/를 가지고.

Spoken?

갖고 is common: 이거 갖고 뭐 해?

Vs -으로?

Both can mark means. 가지고 also loves topic talk.