In this lesson, we will cover everything you need to know about Korean pronouns.

This will be useful to use along with basic rules for Korean grammar, such as conjunctions, particles, and honorifics. By learning the Korean pronouns and how to correctly use them, you can elevate the look of your written and spoken sentences in no time.

Pronouns are important to the Korean language, so let’s get ready to understand how and when to use them.

Let’s go!

An overview of Korean pronouns

In this lesson, we’ll present you with different Korean pronouns that are commonly used when having conversations. We’ll also give you how these pronouns look like when they are used with particles. Below is a quick list of Korean pronouns.

I/Me – First person – Singular

• 저 (jeo)
• 나 (na)

We – First person – Plural

• 저희 (jeohui)
• 저희들 (jeohuideul)
• 우리 (uri)
• 우리들 (urideul)

You – Second person Singular

• 너 (neo)
• 자네 (jane)
• 그대 (geudae)
• 당신 (dangsin)

You – Second person Plural

• 너희 (neohui)
• 너희들 (neohuideul)
• 너네 (neone)
• 너네들 (neonedeul)
• 자네들 (janedeul)
• 그대들 (geudaedeul)
• 당신들 (dangsindeul)

He/She/It – Third person – Singular

• 그 (geu)
• 그녀(geunyeo) *for female

They – Third person – Plural

• 그들 (geudeul)
• 그녀들 (geunyeodeul) *for female

There you have the Korean pronouns. However, to go deeper in learning the different Korean pronouns, let’s move on to the next part of the lesson.

First person – Singular (I/Me)

Let’s start with ‘I’ in Korean, which is the first person singular pronoun. You will want to use the formal ‘I’ when speaking to those older than you or in a higher position than you, but also when meeting with someone for the first time. Although you are talking about yourself, maintaining formality offers your respect to your speaking partner. Once friendship has been established, you may drop to referring to yourself on an informal level.

 

I (formal) → 저 (jeo)

I (informal) → 나 (na)

Below is a list of the different forms of the Korean pronoun for “I”. We added the romanization for the rough approximation of their pronunciation. However, we recommend learning the Korean alphabet so you can pronounce these pronouns more accurately.

English	Korean Pronouns	Romanization
I	저는 (formal) 나는 (informal)	jeoneun naneun
I am	제가 (formal) 내가 (informal)	jega naega
Me	저를 (formal) 나를 (informal)	jeoreul nareul
Me too	저도 (formal) 나도 (informal)	jeodo jnado
My	저의 (formal) 나의 (informal)	jeoui naui

First Person – Plural (We)

We (formal) → 저희 (jeohui)

We (informal) → 우리 (uri)

When used together with the different common Korean particles, the Korean pronouns for “We” shape up like this:

English	Korean Pronouns	Romanization
We	저희는 (formal) 우리는 (informal)	jeohuineun urieun
We are	저희가 (formal) 우리가 (informal)	jeohuiga uriga
Us	저희를 (formal) 우리를 (informal)	jeohuireul urireul
We too	저희도 (formal) 우리도 (informal)	jeohuido urido
Our	저희의 (formal) 우리의 (informal)	jeohuiui uriui

 

Second Person – Singular (You)

While the usage of the ‘I’ pronouns are quite straightforward, you have to be more careful with ‘you’. First, let’s go over what the pronouns for singular ‘you’ are:

You (formal) → 당신 (dangsin)

You (polite) → 그쪽/그대 (geujjok/gudae)

You (informal) → 너 (neo)

The singular second-person pronoun for “you” take the following forms when used together with particles:

English	Korean Pronouns	Romanization
You	당신이 (formal) 그쪽이 (polite) 그대가 (polite) 네가 (informal)	dangsini geujjoki gudaega nega
You are	당신은 (formal) 그쪽은 (polite) 그대는 (polite) 너는 (informal)	dangsineun geujjokeun gudaeneun neoneun
You too	당신도 (formal) 그쪽도 (polite) 그대도 (polite) 너도 (informal)	dangsindo geujjokdo gudaedo neodo
Your	당신의 (formal) 그쪽의 (polite) 그대의 (polite) 너의 (informal)	dangsinui geujjogui gudaeui neoui

What about the caution you need to take when using the pronouns for ‘you’? You will not offend anyone by using 당신 or 그쪽, they are highly respective forms to use. However, more often, it is common to either use someone’s job title or family title, or alternatively, attach -씨 (ssi) or -님 (nim) to the name of the person you are speaking to. In addition, you should not use the casual ‘you’ pronoun 너 unless the person you are speaking to is the same age or younger and you two have a close relationship. Otherwise, it is nicer of you to refer to them by 오빠, 누나, or an alternative similar term.

Second Person – Plural (You)

And here are the pronouns for ‘you’ in plural form:

You (formal) → 당신들 (dangsindeul)

You (polite) → 그대들 (geudaedeul)

You (informal) → 너희, 너네, 자네 (neohui, neone, jane)

When used together with particles, the plural second-person pronoun for “you” shape up like these:

English	Korean Pronouns	Romanization
You are	당신들은 (formal) 그대들은 (polite) 너희는 (informal) 너네는 (informal) 자네는 (informal)	dangsindeuleun geudaedeuleun neohuineun neoneneun janeneun
You	당신들이 (formal) 그대들이 (polite) 너희가 (informal) 너네가 (informal) 자네가 (informal)	dangsindeuli geudaedeuli neohuiga neonega janega
You	당신들을 (formal) 그대들을 (polite) 너희를 (informal) 너네를 (informal) 자네를 (informal)	dangsindeuleul geudaedeuleul neohuireul janereul
You too	당신들도 (formal) 그대들도 (polite) 너희도 (informal) 너네도 (informal) 자네도 (informal)	geudaedeuldo neohuido neonedo janedo
Yours	당신들의 (formal) 그대들의 (polite) 너희의 (informal) 너네의 (informal) 자네의 (informal)	dangsindeului geudaedeului neohuiui neoneui janeui

 

Third Person – Singular and Plural (he, she, they)

He, they → 그 (geu)

She , they (a group of women) → 그녀 (geunyeo)

The Korean pronouns for “he”, “she”, and “they” take the forms below when used together with the Korean particles:

English	Korean Pronouns	Romanization
He She or They (group of women)	그는 그녀는	geuneun geunyeoneun
He is She is	그가 그녀가	geuga geunyeoga
Him Her	그를 그녀를	geureul geunyeoreul
Him too She too	그도 그녀도	geudo geunyeodo
His Her	그의 그녀의	geuui geunyeoui

If you want to emphasize that you are speaking of ‘they’ in plural, simply add 들 (deul) after 그 or 그녀. It is good to know these pronouns just in case. However, do note that they are not usually used outside of certain written situations.

And there you have the pronouns for both singular and plural! The list may seem overwhelming at first, but as you have a few examples laid in front of you on the list, memorizing these pronouns should be quick and easy. So do not worry and instead trust as when we say you’ll learn them in no time. And when you feel ready and confident, we would love for you to share a sentence or two of your own choosing, including one of these pronouns, with us! Keep browsing our blog and website for more Korean grammar and phrases!

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