과

"and", joining two nouns

Links noun to noun: 설탕과 버터 is "sugar and butter", 마늘과 고춧가루 is "garlic and red pepper powder", 거울과 작은 욕조 is "a mirror and a small bathtub". It only joins nouns — it can never join two sentences the way English "and" does. It goes on nouns ending in a consonant; the identical-meaning 와 goes on nouns ending in a vowel. In casual speech people usually say 하고 or 랑 instead, so 과 sounds a shade more composed, which fits its heavy use in recipes, descriptions, and written-style narration.

Register: slightly formal or written-leaning