{"id":79531,"date":"2020-08-12T21:15:51","date_gmt":"2020-08-13T01:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/korean-pronouns\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T04:54:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T09:54:42","slug":"korean-pronouns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-pronouns\/","title":{"rendered":"Korean Pronouns: The Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Something to note about Korean pronouns is that there are a lot of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So today, let&#8217;s learn some of the most common ones and get a familiar feel for how they work. With these Korean pronouns under your belt, you&#8217;ll already have everything you need to start having better conversations.<\/p>\n<p>And once mastered, your grasp of the Korean language will improve significantly.<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc skip=4]<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Personal Pronouns in Korean<\/h2>\n<p>Pronouns are words used to substitute nouns so we don\u2019t repeat the same words over and over.<strong> Personal pronouns are used to refer to people, and they can be singular or plural. <\/strong>And, because we\u2019re talking about Korean here, personal pronouns can also be casual or formal.<\/p>\n<p>Personal pronouns come in three forms\u2014<strong>the first-person, the second-person and the third-person<\/strong>. Here is a summary of the personal pronouns.<\/p>\n<h3>Casual Personal Pronouns<\/h3>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-11010\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-11010\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><th class=\"column-2\">Singular<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">First Person<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\ub098 <em>(na)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\uc6b0\ub9ac <em>(u-ri)<\/em> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Second Person<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\ub108 <em>(neo)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\ub108\ud76c <em>(neo-hui)<\/em> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Third Person<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\uac54 <em>(gyae)<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\uadf8\ub4e4\uc740 <em>(geu-deur-eun)<\/em> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-11010 from cache -->\n<h3>Formal Personal Pronouns<\/h3>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-21010\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-21010\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><th class=\"column-2\">Singular<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">First Person<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\uc800 <em>(jeo)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\uc6b0\ub9ac <em>(u-ri)<\/em> \uc800\ud76c <em>(jeo-hui)<\/em> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Second Person<\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\uc5ec\ub7ec\ubd84 (<em>yeo-reo-bun<\/em>) <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Third Person<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\uadf8 <em>(geu)<\/em> \uadf8\ub140 <em>(geu-nyeo)<\/em> <br \/>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\uadf8\ubd84\ub4e4 <em>(geu-bun-deul)<\/em> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-21010 from cache -->\n<h3>First-person Singular<\/h3>\n<h4>\ub098 <em>(na)<\/em> \u2014 I (casual)<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\ub098\ub294 \ub108\ub97c \uc88b\uc544\ud574. <em>(Na-neun neoh-reul jo-a-hae.)<\/em> \u2014 I like you.<\/p>\n<h4>\uc800 <em>(jeo)<\/em> \u2014 I (formal)<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc800\ub294 \ud638\uc8fc\uc5d0\uc11c \uc654\uc2b5\ub2c8\ub2e4. <em>(Jeo-neun ho-ju-e-seo wa-sseum-ni-da.) \u2014 <\/em>I come from Australia.<\/p>\n<h3>First-person Plural<\/h3>\n<h4>\uc6b0\ub9ac <em>(u-ri)<\/em> \u2014 we\/us\/our (casual and formal)<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc6b0\ub9ac\ub294 \ub0b4\uc77c \ub9cc\ub098\uae30\ub85c \ud588\uc8e0?<em> (U-ri-neun nae-il man-na-gi-ro het-chyo?)<\/em> \u2014 We agreed to meet tomorrow, right?<\/p>\n<h4>\uc800\ud76c <em>(jeo-hui)<\/em> \u2014 we\/us\/our (formal)<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc800\ud76c\ub294 \uc544\uc9c1 \uc219\uc81c\ub97c \uc548 \ub0c8\uc5b4\uc694.<em>(Jeo-hee-neun a-jik suk-jae-reul an neass-eoh-yo.)<\/em> \u2014 We haven&#8217;t handed in our homework yet.<\/p>\n<p>Korean is a collective and inclusive culture. This means <strong>Korean speakers\u00a0may use the word for &#8220;our&#8221; but actually mean &#8220;my.&#8221;<\/strong> For example, \uc6b0\ub9ac \uc5c4\ub9c8  <em>(u-ri eom-ma)<\/em>, meaning &#8220;our mom,&#8221; is used to mean &#8220;my mom.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In formal language, you can use both \uc6b0\ub9ac and \uc800\ud76c. These two have a bit of nuance in their formal function, though.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When you use \uc6b0\ub9ac, it means the listener or the person you\u2019re talking to is included<\/strong> in the \u201cwe\u201d described. In other words, by saying &#8220;we,&#8221; you mean &#8220;you and me.&#8221; <strong>When you use \uc800\ud76c, the listener or the person you\u2019re addressing is excluded<\/strong> in the \u201cwe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you tell your mom &#8220;We&#8217;re going to the movies,&#8221; as in, &#8220;My friends and I are going to the movies,&#8221; you&#8217;d use \uc800\ud76c.<\/p>\n<h3>Second-person Singular<\/h3>\n<h4>\ub108<em> (neo)<\/em> \u2014 You<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\ub108 \ubb50\ud574? <em>(Neo mwo-hae?)<\/em> \u2014 What are you doing?<\/p>\n<p>This is a highly casual form of address and can only be used for people your age, who you\u2019re also close with.<\/p>\n<h4>\ub2f9\uc2e0 <em>(dang-sin)<\/em> \u2014 You<\/h4>\n<p>Dictionaries often use this as a more formal translation for &#8220;you,&#8221; and it\u2019s frequently used in lyrics, poems and other written works. <strong>But it&#8217;s rarely used in spoken Korean or informal engagements.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\ub2f9\uc2e0 carries both positive and negative connotations. The word is sometimes used as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-terms-of-endearment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">term of endearment<\/a> for spouses (usually middle-aged) similar to the English &#8220;sweetheart&#8221; or &#8220;honey.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>At the opposite extreme, if you feel like getting punched one morning\u2014or you want to do some swinging of your own\u2014\ub2f9\uc2e0 can be effectively used for these ends.<\/p>\n<p>A well-placed \ub2f9\uc2e0 in the middle of a conversation with a stranger can start a dentist-sanctioned fight. For the unnecessary nuances, the Korean beginner should avoid using \ub2f9\uc2e0.<\/p>\n<h4>Professions, Titles and Roles<\/h4>\n<p>Other than that, there\u2019s no direct \u201cyou\u201d in Korean. <strong>Instead of using the pronoun &#8220;you,&#8221; you would instead refer to the person you&#8217;re speaking to in the third person<\/strong>. It feels strange at first, but you get used to it!<\/p>\n<p>One of the most common substitutes for the word &#8220;you&#8221; is <strong>\uc528<\/strong>\u00a0<em>(sshi)<\/em>. It follows a simple formula:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Given name + \uc528<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The speaker can simply name the person straight out and append it with \uc528. This is comparable to the English Mr., Ms. or Mrs. For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc11c\uc900 (<em>Seo-jun<\/em>) becomes \uc11c\uc900 \uc528 <em>(Seo-jun sshi)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Each time the person is addressed, his name will be called out. In Korean, this is better than getting addressed as &#8220;you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Korean language also uses <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-honorifics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">professions, titles and roles<\/a> as substitutes for &#8220;you.&#8221; Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\ub2d8 <\/strong><em>(nim)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\uc544\uc800\uc528<\/strong> <em>(ah-jeo-ssi)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\uc544\uc90c\ub9c8<\/strong> <em>(a-jum-ma)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\uc544\uc8fc\uba38\ub2c8<\/strong> <em>(a-ju-meo-ni)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\ud559\uc0dd<\/strong> <em>(hag-saeng)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ub2d8 <em>(nim)<\/em> is an honorific especially employed for people belonging to a respected professional class like \ubc15\uc0ac\ub2d8 <em>(bak-sa-nim)<\/em> for Ph.D.&#8217;s, \uc120\uc0dd\ub2d8 <em>(seon-saeng-nim) <\/em>for teachers or \ubaa9\uc0ac\ub2d8<em> (mok-sa-nim)<\/em> for pastors.<\/p>\n<p>For middle-aged men and women, \uc544\uc800\uc528 <em>(ah-jeo-ssi)<\/em> and \uc544\uc90c\ub9c8<em> (a-jum-ma)<\/em> can be used respectively. They\u2019re the equivalent of the English &#8220;mister&#8221; and &#8220;ma&#8217;am.&#8221; \uc544\uc90c\ub9c8 might come off as a bit rude to some, so you can use the more polite alternative \uc544\uc8fc\uba38\ub2c8 <em>(a-ju-meo-ni)<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If somebody looks young enough to be a student, you can address him as \ud559\uc0dd <em>(hak-saeng)<\/em> \u2014 student.<\/p>\n<h3>Second-person Plural<\/h3>\n<h4>\ub108\ud76c <em>(neo-hui)<\/em> \u2014 you all (casual)<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\ub098\ub294 \ub0b4\uac00 \ub108\ud76c \ubaa8\ub450\ub97c \ubbff\uc744 \uc218 \uc788\ub2e4\ub294 \uac83\uc744 \uc548\ub2e4. <em>(Na-neun nae-ga neo-hui mo-du-reul mid-eul su it-da-neun geos-eul an-da.)<\/em> \u2014 I know I can count on all of you.<\/p>\n<h4>\uc5ec\ub7ec\ubd84 <em>(yeo-reo-bun)<\/em> \u2014 you all (formal)<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc5ec\ub7ec\ubd84, \ub9cc\ub098\uc11c \ubc18\uac00\uc6cc\uc694. <em>(Yeo-reo-bun, man-na-seo ban-ga-wo-yo.)<\/em> \u2014 Nice to meet you, everyone.<\/p>\n<p>\ub108\ud76c is the plural form of &#8220;you&#8221; and is similar to a phrase like &#8220;you guys&#8221; or &#8220;y&#8217;all.&#8221; It can be used to address your circle of friends.<\/p>\n<p>\uc5ec\ub7ec\ubd84, on the other hand, is more polite and is used to address an audience. For example, a YouTuber can use this to greet his viewers.<\/p>\n<h3>Third-person Singular<\/h3>\n<h4>\uadf8 <em>(geu)<\/em> \u2014 he<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uadf8\ub294 \ud0a4\uac00 \ud06c\ub2e4. <em>(Geu-neun ki-ga keu-da.)<\/em> \u2014 He is tall.<\/p>\n<h4>\uadf8\ub140 <em>(geu-nyeo)<\/em> \u2014 she<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uadf8\ub140\ub294 \uc608\uc058\ub2e4. <em>(Geu-nyeo-neun ye-ppeu-da.) \u2014 <\/em>She is pretty.<\/p>\n<h4>\uac54 <em>(gyae)<\/em> \u2014 that boy\/girl<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uac54\ub294 \ub611\ub611\ud574. <em>(Gyae-neun ttok-ttok-hae<\/em><em>)<\/em> \u2014 He\/she\/that person is smart.<\/p>\n<p>Technically, &#8220;he&#8221; and &#8220;she&#8221; in Korean is translated as \uadf8 and \uadf8\ub140 respectively. However, you&#8217;ll rarely hear these words coming out of a native speaker\u2019s mouth. You\u2019ll mostly find it in Korean textbooks, songs or poems. <strong>\uac54 <em>(gyae), <\/em>meaning &#8220;that boy or girl,&#8221; is used instead.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In English, we\u2019re so used to saying &#8220;he&#8221; or &#8220;she&#8221; and establishing the gender of the person being discussed. By using \uac54, which doesn\u2019t specify gender, the context in the Korean conversation plays a vital role in determining who&#8217;s actually being referred to. <strong>Keep in mind that \uac54 is very informal and casual.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Instead of using \uadf8 (he), \uadf8\ub140 (she) and their accompanying particles, to refer to a person politely, an option is to fall back on the practice of actually naming the person or mentioning his or her title, role or position. <strong>You could also say \uadf8\ubd84<em> (geu-bun)<\/em><\/strong>, with \ubd84 <em>(bun)<\/em> used a formal and polite word for &#8220;person.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Third-person Plural<\/h3>\n<h4>\uadf8\ub4e4\uc740\u00a0<em>(geu-deul-eun)<\/em> \u2014 they (casual)<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uadf8\ub4e4\uc740 \ub0b4\uc77c \ub3cc\uc544\uc62c \uac70\uc57c. (<em>Geu-deul-eun nae-il dor-a-ol geo-ya.<\/em>) \u2014 They&#8217;ll be back tomorrow.<\/p>\n<h4>\uadf8\ubd84\ub4e4 <em>(geu-bun-deul)<\/em> \u2013 they (formal)<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uadf8\ubd84\ub4e4\uc740 \ub9e4\uc8fc \uc77c\uc694\uc77c\uc5d0 \uacf5\uc6d0\uc5d0 \uac00\uc138\uc694. <em>(Geu-bun-deul-eun mae-ju il-yo-il-e gong-won-e ga-seyo.)<\/em> \u2014 They go to the park every Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\uadf8\ub4e4\uc740 is used to talk about a group of people who are absent or away from the conversation. This would be appropriate to use for friends and people who are similar in age and rank to the speaker.<\/p>\n<p>This is the plural version of the word we saw above. The word \uadf8\ubd84\ub4e4 is the same as \uadf8\ub4e4\uc740 but more formal. Thus, it&#8217;s more appropriate for referring to a group of people who are your seniors.<\/p>\n<h2>Demonstrative Pronouns in Korean<\/h2>\n<p>Demonstrative pronouns are often <strong>used to point out objects and their locations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-31010\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-31010\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><th class=\"column-2\">Thing<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">Place<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\t\uc774 <em>(ee)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\uc774\uac70 <em>(i-geo)<\/em> - This<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\uc5ec\uae30 <em>(yeo-gi)<\/em> - Here<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\t\uadf8 <em>(geu)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\uadf8\uac70 <em>(geu-geo)<\/em> - That<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\uac70\uae30 <em>(geo-gi)<\/em> - There<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\t\uc800 <em>(jeo)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\uc800\uac70 <em>(jeo-geo)<\/em> - That<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\uc800\uae30 <em>(jeo-gi)<\/em> - Over there<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-31010 from cache -->\n<p>There are three demonstrative stems that you need to remember, and they all have something to do with the physical distance of an object relative to the speaker and listener.<\/p>\n<h3>\uc774<em> (ee)<\/em> \u2014 This<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc774\uac70 \uc8fc\uc138\uc694. <em>(I-geo ju-se-yo.)<\/em> \u2014 This, please.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc774\uac70 \uc5bc\ub9c8\uc608\uc694? <em>(I-geo eol-ma-ye-yo?)<\/em> \u2014 How much is this?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc774\uac70 \uc0b4\uac8c\uc694. <em>(I-geo sal-ge-yo.)<\/em> \u2014 I\u2019ll buy this.<\/p>\n<p>\uc774, which means &#8220;this,&#8221; is used to refer to something <strong>near the speaker<\/strong>. So if you&#8217;re holding a pencil, you&#8217;d say, \uc774 \uc5f0\ud544 <em>(ee yeon-pil)<\/em> \u2014\u201cThis pencil.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>\uadf8 <em>(geu)<\/em> \u2014 That<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uadf8\uac70 \uc8fc\uc138\uc694. <em>(Geu-geo ju-se-yo.)<\/em> \u2014 That, please.<\/p>\n<p>\uadf8 is used to refer to something <strong>far from the speaker&#8230; but near the listener.<\/strong> So if the person you\u2019re talking to is holding a paper, you say \uadf8 \uc885\uc774<em> (geu jong-i)<\/em> \u2014 &#8220;That paper.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>\uc800 <em>(jeo)<\/em> \u2014 That&#8230; Over There<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc800\uae30\uc694! <em>(Jeo-gi-yo!)\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Over there!<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc800\uac70 \uc5bc\ub9c8\uc608\uc694? <em>(Jeo-geo eol-ma-ye-yo?)<\/em> \u2014 How much is that over there?<\/p>\n<p>\uc800 is used when referring to something that\u2019s<strong> far from both the speaker and listener<\/strong>. So if you and your friend are walking and talking about your dream ride and you happen to spot it, you can say \uc800 \ucc28 <em>(jeo cha)<\/em> \u2014 &#8220;That car.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Interrogative Pronouns in Korean<\/h2>\n<p>Interrogative pronouns are the words used to ask a question. <strong>They are the <em>What, When, Where <\/em>and<em> Who<\/em> sort of questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-41010\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-41010\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Korean<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\ub204\uad6c <em>(nu-gu)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Who<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\ubb50 <em>(mwo)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-2\">What<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\uc5b8\uc81c <em>(eon-je)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-2\">When<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\uc5b4\ub514 <em>(eo-di)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Where<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\uc5b4\ub290 <em>(eo-neu)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Which<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">\uc5b4\ub5a4 <em>(eo-tteon)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-2\">What kind of<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-41010 from cache -->\n<p>Here are the basic Korean interrogative pronouns:<\/p>\n<h3>\ub204\uad6c<em> (nu-gu)<\/em> \u2014 Who<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\ub204\uad6c\uc608\uc694? <em>(Nu-gu-ye-yo?)<\/em> \u2014 Who is that person?<\/p>\n<h3>\ubb50<em> (mwo)<\/em> \u2014 What<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc774\uac70 \ubb50\uc608\uc694? <em>(I-geo mwo-ye-yo?)<\/em> \u2014 What is this?<\/p>\n<h3>\uc5b8\uc81c<em> (eon-je)<\/em> \u2014 When<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc0dd\uc77c\uc774 \uc5b8\uc81c\uc608\uc694? <em>(Saeng-il-i eon-je-ye-yo?)<\/em> \u2014 When is your birthday?<\/p>\n<h3>\uc5b4\ub514<em> (eo-di)<\/em> \u2014 Where<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc5b4\ub514\uc5d0 \uac00\uc694? <em>(Eo-di-e ga-yo?)<\/em> \u2014 Where are you going?<\/p>\n<h3>\uc5b4\ub290<em> (eo neu)<\/em> \u2014 Which<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc5b4\ub290 \ub098\ub77c \ucd9c\uc2e0\uc774\uc138\uc694? <em>(Eo-neu na-ra chool-shin i-se-yo?)<\/em> \u2014 Which country are you from?<\/p>\n<h3>\uc5b4\ub5a4<em>(eo-tteon)<\/em> \u2014 What Kind Of<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc5b4\ub5a4 \uc74c\uc2dd\uc744 \uc88b\uc544\ud558\uc138\uc694? <em>(Eo-tteon eum-shig-eul joh-a-ha-se-yo?)<\/em> \u2014 What kind of food do you like?<\/p>\n<h2>Possessive Pronouns in Korean<\/h2>\n<p>Possessive pronouns are like clingy girlfriends at the mall. <strong>They indicate ownership, bond or some sort of relationship.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-51010\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-51010\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><th class=\"column-2\">Casual<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">Formal<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">My<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\ub098\uc758 <em>(na-ui)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-3\">\uc800\uc758 <em>(jeo-ui)<\/em> <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Your<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">\ub108\uc758 <em>(neo-ui)<\/em> <\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-51010 from cache -->\n<p><strong>In Korean, \uc758<em> (ui)<\/em> is the possessive particle.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can think of \uc758 as the equivalent of the &#8220;apostrophe S&#8221; placed at the tail of the noun to signify ownership or possession (for example, Kathy\u2019s bag).<\/p>\n<p>\uc758, in spoken form, sounds like \uc5d0 <em>(e)<\/em>. And like personal pronouns, possessive pronouns also have casual and formal forms.<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;My&#8221; in Korean<\/h3>\n<p><strong>\ub098\uc758 <\/strong><em>(na-ui)<\/em> \u2014 my (casual)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\ub0b4 \uce5c\uad6c <em>(<\/em><em>nae chin-gu)<\/em> \u2014\u00a0my friend<\/p>\n<p><strong>\uc800\uc758<\/strong>\u00a0<em>(jeo-ui)<\/em> \u2014 my (formal)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\uc81c \uac00\uc871 <em>(je ga-jok)<\/em> \u2014 my family<\/p>\n<p>You might&#8217;ve noticed a difference between the Korean words for &#8220;my&#8221; and the way they were used in the example sentences, \ub0b4 and \uc81c.<\/p>\n<p>This is because \ub098\uc758 can be shortened to \ub0b4 <em>(nae)<\/em> and \uc800\uc758 to \uc81c<em>\u00a0(je)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;Your&#8221; in Korean<\/h3>\n<p><strong>\ub108\uc758<\/strong> <em>(neo-ui)<\/em> \u2014 your (casual)<\/p>\n<p>In writing, \ub108\uc758 can be shortened to \ub124. But in spoken form, native speakers say it as \ub2c8 <em>(nee)<\/em>. Keep in mind that <strong>this is informal and can only be used with people younger than you and those you\u2019re close to<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>For safety purposes,\u00a0<strong>\ub124 is spoken as \ub2c8.\u00a0<\/strong>The reason is that \ub124 (your) and \ub0b4 (my) sound very much the same. And in situations when the distinction between &#8220;my&#8221; and &#8220;your&#8221; is crucial, like in answering the question, &#8220;Who\u2019s girlfriend is she?&#8221;, you better be crystal clear with the answer. Otherwise, \ub124 \uc778\uc0dd <em>(ne in-saeng)<\/em> \u2014 &#8220;your life&#8221; might be in danger.<\/p>\n<h2>3 Things to Know About Korean Pronouns<\/h2>\n<h3>You don\u2019t see them in every sentence.<\/h3>\n<p>Like in many other languages, Korean speakers usually just <a href=\"http:\/\/organickorean.com\/dont-use-a-subject-in-korean-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">drop pronouns whenever they can<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As long as the context is clear and the subject of the conversation has been established, the pronouns aren&#8217;t needed to express a clear thought. In any language, don&#8217;t underestimate the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7K-w1G1wdrY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">power of context and gestures<\/a> to fill in any gaps.<\/p>\n<p>Where you\u2019ll find Korean pronouns most powerful is in songs, poems and dramas. However, we still study them because, as you found out above, whenever they do appear in conversations, they imply a lot and affect the tone.<\/p>\n<h3>There are \u201ccasual\u201d and \u201cformal\u201d pronouns.<\/h3>\n<p>You already know this. Korean has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1S6MSNu2Lbw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">separate linguistic system<\/a> for casual engagements and another one for polite and formal occasions.<\/p>\n<p>One language is used for friends, people you\u2019re close with and people of the same age or rank. The other is big on respect and is employed when interacting with elders, strangers, bosses or people who occupy higher social ranks.<\/p>\n<p>Korea observes a hierarchical system of rules. While in the West, it can be considered rude to ask someone their age as a stranger, Koreans almost always have to ask for your age. This allows them to properly address you. They\u2019re not trying to be cheeky or rude, they simply want to use the proper language with you.<\/p>\n<p>That said, there are casual pronouns used for casual conversations and formal pronouns used for formal situations.<\/p>\n<h3>There\u2019s no \u201cyou\u201d in Korean.<\/h3>\n<p>As you learned above, instead of having one word for &#8220;you,&#8221; Korean has multiple.<\/p>\n<p>Native speakers make use of the actual names, positions, honorifics and roles when referring to people, instead of using the word &#8220;you.&#8221; So for example, instead of \u201cyou,\u201d native speakers might highlight their relationship with the person they&#8217;re addressing.<\/p>\n<p>They might also use terms like \ub204\ub098 <em>(noo-na)<\/em> if a male speaker addresses an older female, or \uc5b8\ub2c8 <em>(un-nie)<\/em> if a female speaker addresses an older female. This means &#8220;older sister&#8221; and is also used for people who are not family.<\/p>\n<p>While pronouns are supposedly used so that we don\u2019t repeat ourselves too much, in the case of those Korean \u201cyou\u201d substitutes, you can repeat names as often as you want without them being considered a drag in the conversation.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, native speakers aren&#8217;t too bothered when you say something like &#8220;Right this way, Mr. Johnson. Please sit down, Mr. Johnson. Would like some tea, Mr. Johnson?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So there you have it!<\/p>\n<p>Like I mentioned before, the most common places to find Korean pronouns are songs, poems and dramas. So mastering the most common ones will set you well on your way to understanding more of your favorite Korean content, which can be made even easier with a program like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/korean\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a>. <span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/korean\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NativeAd-Korean.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>You now have a working knowledge of Korean pronouns. Hopefully, you&#8217;re feeling confident about when to use each and how you should address (and talk about) people of different ages and roles.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><h2>And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you enjoyed this post, you're already halfway to having the time of your life <strong><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> learning Korean with FluentU<\/a><\/strong>!\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU makes it possible to learn with K-pop videos, funny commercials, entertaining web series and more. Just a quick look will give you an idea of <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the variety of FluentU videos on offer<\/a>:\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2028\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Korean-5.jpg\" alt=\"learn-korean-with-videos\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It's already hand-picked the best videos for you (which are organized by level and topic), so all you have to do is simply choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nEach word in the <strong>interactive captions<\/strong> comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2034\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Korean-2.jpg\" alt=\"learn-korean-with-subtitled-video-clips\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nAccess a complete interactive transcript of every video under the <strong>Dialogue<\/strong> tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under <strong>Vocab<\/strong>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2029\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Korean-6.jpg\" alt=\"practice-korean-with-adaptive-quizzes\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nYou can use FluentU\u2019s unique <strong>Quiz Mode<\/strong> to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2030\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Korean-7.png\" alt=\"practice-korean-with-customized-quizzes\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU keeps track of what you're learning, and tells you exactly when it's time for review, giving you a <strong>100% personalized experience<\/strong>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nReview sessions use video context to help embed the words in your memory.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Something to note about Korean pronouns is that there are a lot of them.\u00a0 So today, let&#8217;s learn some of the most common ones and get a familiar feel for&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":250063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Korean Pronouns: The Complete Guide | FluentU Korean Blog","description":"Korean pronouns play an important role when properly and politely addressing someone. Read this guide to learn all about Korean personal, demonstrative, interrogative and possessive pronouns. We give examples of each type and explain how to use them correctly. Plus, you'll learn how to pronounce them!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[441,451,455],"tags":[],"coauthors":[24],"class_list":["post-79531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-korean","category-korean-grammar-lessons","category-parts-of-speech-korean-grammar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/134"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79531"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232592,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79531\/revisions\/232592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79531"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=79531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}