Is a particle (조사) a word?

• A word is the smallest unit of a word that is used independently. For example, in the verb "to eat (먹는다)," the verb stem "(먹-)" or the ending "(-는다)" cannot be used independently, so they are not words. That is, "(먹-)" and "(-는다)" are not words, but "to eat (먹는다)" is a word.
  
• Particles(조사), like endings, cannot be used alone and are realized when attached to nouns, which differs from ordinary words. However, particles can maintain the self-reliance of nouns even when separated from the nouns they are attached to. ​
  
• Even if "밥을" is separated into "밥(rice)" and "을(particle)," "밥(rice)" is still self-reliant. This differs from when the stems of verbs or adjectives and endings are separated, as both the stems and endings lose their self-reliance. For this reason, it can be said that particles are closer to words than endings."