Now, we will shift our focus onto learning Korean demonstrative pronouns. With them, it will get easier for you to talk about objects or nouns and their locations.
Let’s go!
Contents
- 1 What are demonstrative pronouns?
- 2 How to use these types of pronouns
- 2.1 “This” in Korean (Object)
- 2.2 “That” in Korean (Object)
- 2.3 “That over there” in Korean (Object)
- 2.4 “Here” in Korean (Location)
- 2.5 “There” in Korean (Location)
- 2.6 “Over there” in Korean (Location)
- 2.7 “This person” (Person)
- 2.8 “That person” in Korean (Person)
- 2.9 “That person over there” in Korean (Person)
- 3 Additional notes
- 4 Other Resources
- 5 Wrap Up
What are demonstrative pronouns?
With the help of demonstrative pronouns, you can point out a certain object, as well as the place it is located in. In other words, demonstrative pronouns in Korean are used like “this” and “that,” as well as “here” and “there.”
List of Korean demonstrative pronouns
Below, we will introduce you to the demonstrative pronouns used in the Korean language.
Object
Here are the three demonstrative pronouns referring to objects.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| This | 이거 (igeo) |
| That | 그거 (geugeo) |
| That | 저거 (jeogeo) |
Location
The following demonstrative pronouns refer to a location.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Here | 여기 (yeogi) |
| There | 거기 (geogi) |
| There | 저기 (jeogi) |
Person
Lastly, the three demonstrative pronouns below refer to a person.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| This person | 이분 (ibun) |
| That person | 그분 (geubun) |
| That person | 저분 (jeobun) |
As you can notice, there are two different Korean words for “that” and “there.” Do not worry; we will go over them below, and you will know how to use them in no time!
How to use these types of pronouns
Now, let’s go over how these Korean pronouns are used in action. Pay attention, as the pronoun that should be used in each situation depends largely on the distance between the speaker and the listener regarding the object they’re speaking or referring to. We’ll also show you the demonstrative determiners used in each pronoun.
We’ve also added some example sentences under each pronoun to help you become more familiar with how to use these Korean pronouns.
“This” in Korean (Object)
이 (i) is a demonstrative determiner upon which the demonstrative pronoun 이거 (igeo) is built. You’ll use 이거 (igeo) when the object is near you or whoever the speaker is.
Note: When writing, you may opt to use 이것 (igeot) rather than simply 이거 (igeo). Likewise, 그거 (geugo) becomes 그것 (geugeot) and 저거 (jeogeo) becomes 저것 (jeogeot).
Sample sentence:
이거 얼마예요? (igeo eolmayeyo?)
“That” in Korean (Object)
그 (geu) is the first word of the two for “that.” It will be used when the object is far from the speaker but is located near the listener. For example, it may be an item the listener is holding, something on a table next to them, and so on. This can also be used if the speaker has already mentioned the object once.
Sample sentence:
그거 뭐예요? (geugeo mwoyeyo?)
“That over there” in Korean (Object)
The next word for “that” is 저 (jeo). In this case, the item is far from the speaker and the listener. You may translate it as “that over there” to make remembering the difference between 그 (geu) and 저 (jeo) easier.
Sample sentence:
저 노란색 사인을 볼 수 있어요? (jeo noransaek saineul bol su isseoyo?)
Can you see that yellow sign?
“Here” in Korean (Location)
여기 (yeogi) is used when you are talking about something that is near the speaker.
Sample sentences:
여기 오세요. (yeogi oseyo).
Please come here.
여기에서 가까운 곳에 사세요? (yeogieseo gakkaun gose saseyo?)
Do you live near here?
“There” in Korean (Location)
거기 (geogi) is also used to demonstrate that something is far from the speaker but near the listener.
Sample sentences:
내 코트는 거기 있나요? (nae koteuneun geogi innayo?)
Is my coat there?
거기 날씨는 어때요? (geogi nalssineun eottaeyo?)
How’s the weather there?
거기는 몇 시이에요? (geogineun myeot siieyo?)
“Over there” in Korean (Location)
As with the other pronouns, 저기 (jeogi) is used when something is far from the speaker and the listener. Also, note that the phrase 저기요 (jeogiyo) is commonly used in restaurants to request a waiter’s attention.
Sample sentence:
저기 좀 봐. 오늘 해질녘은 엄청 아름다워! (jeogi jom bwa. oneul haejillyeokkeun eomcheong areumdawo!)
Look, over there. The sunset is so beautiful tonight!
“This person” (Person)
이분 (ibun) is used when the person being talked about is near the speaker.
Sample sentence:
이분 누구예요? (ibun nuguyeyo?)
“That person” in Korean (Person)
On the other hand, 그분 (geubun) refers to the person that has already been talked about or thought of by the listener.
그분은 방금 가셨어요. (geubuneun banggeum gasyeosseoyo.)
That person just left.
그분이 오후 3시에 예약하셨어요. (geubuni ohu 3sie yeyakasyeosseoyo.)
That person made a reservation at 3 p.m.
“That person over there” in Korean (Person)
Finally, 저분 (jeobun) is used when the third person being talked about is far from both the speaker and the listener.
저분이 먼저 오셨어요. (jeobuni meonjeo osyeosseoyo.)
That person came first.
저분에게 이걸 가져다 드리세요. (jeobunege igeol gajyeoda deuriseyo.)
Please bring this to that person.
Additional notes
When you combine a demonstrative pronoun with the topic marker (은/는) or subject marker (이/가), it is possible to shorten them. Here is their shortened version.
이것은 (igeoseun) becomes 이건 (igeon)
이것이 (igeosi) becomes 이게 (ige)
The same, of course, applies to 그 (geu) and 저 (jeo). The function and meaning remain the same.
Other Resources
There are different types of pronouns (interrogative, possessive, demonstrative, personal pronouns). Korean pronouns can be further learned from these articles.
Korean Personal Pronouns – https://www.90daykorean.com/korean-pronouns/
Korean Possessive Pronouns – https://www.90daykorean.com/korean-possessive-pronouns/
Korean Interrogative pronouns – https://www.90daykorean.com/korean-question-words/
Wrap Up
This may be a surprisingly compact information package regarding Korean demonstrative pronouns, but don’t worry too much; they’ll be easy enough to use! As long as you remember the differences between 이 (i), 그 (geu), and 저 (jeo), you’re ready to start demonstrating!
