Korean Pronouns — 대명사

Stage 1 · First & Second Person 1·2인칭

Korean Pronouns Overview 대명사 개요

Korean has two registers for first-person pronouns: polite and casual. 저 (jeo) is the polite 'I', used with strangers, seniors, and in formal settings. 나 (na) is the casual 'I', used with close friends and younger people. Crucially, Korean very often drops the subject pronoun entirely when context is clear — 어디 가요? can mean 'Where are you going?' without any pronoun at all. Mastering when NOT to use a pronoun is as important as knowing the pronouns themselves.

Words and phrases

Check your understanding

You are meeting your new boss for the first time. Which word for 'I' do you use?

Answer: 저 (나 · 저 · 내 · 제)

Saying 'You' in Korean '당신'과 호칭

Korean avoids the direct pronoun 'you' (당신) in most everyday speech — it can sound cold, confrontational, or overly formal depending on context. Instead, Koreans use the person's name, title, or relationship term. A teacher would be called 선생님 (teacher), not 당신. A friend would be called by name. The pronoun 당신 appears in songs, poetry, and formal writing but is uncommon in daily conversation.

Words and phrases

Check your understanding

Why do Koreans rarely say 당신 in conversation?

Answer: It can sound cold or confrontational (It is grammatically incorrect · It can sound cold or confrontational · It is reserved for speaking to children · It is recent slang among young people)

Stage 2 · Third Person & We 3인칭·우리

Third Person & We (그·그녀·우리) 그·그녀·우리

Korean rarely uses he/she pronouns in speech. Instead, Koreans say the person's name or use demonstratives: 그 사람 (that person), 이 사람 (this person). 그 (geu) and 그녀 (geunyeo) do exist — he/she — but they appear mostly in writing and translation. 우리 (uri) means 'we' or 'our'. Interestingly, Koreans use 우리 where English uses 'my': 우리 엄마 (my mom, literally 'our mom') — this reflects a collectivist cultural sense of shared family.

Words and phrases

Check your understanding

우리 엄마 literally means 'our mom' but is used to mean…

Answer: my own mom (someone else's mom · my own mom · the mom of everyone present · my husband's or wife's mom)

Words and phrases

Check your understanding

You are speaking to your company's president about your own team. Which word for 'we' do you use?

Answer: 저희 (우리 · 저희 · 우리들 · 너희)

Stage 3 · Demonstratives 지시대명사

Demonstrative Pronouns (이·그·저) 지시대명사 이·그·저

Korean has three levels of demonstratives based on spatial distance. 이 (i) = near the speaker. 그 (geu) = near the listener or previously mentioned. 저 (jeo) = far from both speaker and listener. These attach to 것 (geot, 'thing') to form pronouns: 이것 (this), 그것 (that), 저것 (that over there). In casual speech these are shortened: 이거, 그거, 저거. The same 이/그/저 roots also work with place words: 여기 (here), 거기 (there), 저기 (over there).

Words and phrases

Check your understanding

Which demonstrative refers to something far from BOTH the speaker AND the listener?

Answer: 저것 (이것 · 그것 · 저것 · 어떤 것)

Words and phrases

Check your understanding

You are telling a friend about a man you mentioned a moment ago, and he is not in the room. In natural spoken Korean you say…

Answer: 그 사람 (그 · 그 사람 · 저 사람 · 그녀)

Stage 4 · Question Pronouns 의문대명사

Question Pronouns (의문대명사) 의문대명사

Korean question words are placed in the same sentence position as the word they replace — unlike English, which moves 'what' and 'where' to the front. Compare: 영화 봐요? (You watch a movie?) vs 뭐 봐요? (What do you watch?). The question word simply swaps into the original slot. The main question pronouns are: 누구 (who), 무엇/뭐 (what), 어디 (where), 언제 (when), 왜 (why), 어떻게 (how), 얼마 (how much).

Words and phrases

Check your understanding

Which question pronoun means 'who'?

Answer: 누구 (뭐 · 어디 · 누구 · 왜)

What you have learned

Pronouns Complete! — 대명사 완료!

You've mastered Korean pronouns — from polite 저 to casual 나, from 우리 (our/my), to demonstratives and question words. Great progress!