-으며
-으며: And / While — Written Twin of -으면서
Connective: list actions/states, or mark them as concurrent — written-leaning.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Batchim stem (not ㄹ) | -으며 | 높으며 / 많으며 |
| Open / ㄹ / 이다 | -며 | 크며 / 만들며 / 학생이며 |
-으며 / -며 lists traits or marks them as concurrent — the careful twin of spoken -으면서.
Curriculum gloss: and, while — the written 으면서. 우리말샘 -으며 「001」 lists actions/states; 「002」 marks them happening together. -며 is the open-stem allomorph. “Written” is teaching register colour — useful, not a separate lemma.
What it does — describe without café rhythm
산이 높으며 경사가 가파릅니다.
바람이 차가우며 습도가 높습니다.
낮에는 맑으며 밤에는 서늘합니다.Speech often prefers -으면서 or split sentences. Reading travel and geography prose, expect -으며/-며.
Forms
| Stem | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Batchim (not ㄹ) | -으며 | 높으며, 많으며 |
| Open / ㄹ / 이다 | -며 | 크며, 만들며, 학생이며 |
Near neighbours
| Form | Feel |
|---|---|
| -으며/-며 | list / concurrent (careful) |
| -으면서 | concurrent (spoken default) |
| -고 | plain and |
When to use
Use -으며 in formal descriptions and reading.
Prefer -으면서 in conversation about doing two things at once.
Practice rule: if the sentence could sit in a guidebook paragraph, -으며/-며 fits.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
On the jabi learning path, this appears in 여기는 산이 가까워서인지 밤이 되니까 좀 서늘한 것 같아 (Maybe it's because it's close to the mountains, but it feels a bit cool here at night.) — Intermediate Korean 2, Unit 6, on the theme of Terrain and Climate. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. Dictionary -으며 covers…
2. Spoken twin is often…
3. After 크다 (open stem)?
Common questions
-으며 vs -며?
Allomorphs: batchim (not ㄹ) → -으며; open/ㄹ/이다 → -며.
Is ‘written’ in the dictionary?
Teaching gloss pairs it with written -으면서. Dictionary senses are list/concurrent.
vs -고?
go-connective is the default and. -으며 often feels more descriptive/formal in series of traits.
Terrain unit tip?
Landscape descriptions stack traits: high, steep, forested — natural -으며/-며 territory.