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 personal pronouns look like when they are used with particles. These are greatly helpful as you learn Korean and begin forming your own sentences both in written and spoken form. Below is a quick list of Korean personal 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 the pronoun ‘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!
The post Korean Pronouns – Easy Grammar Lesson appeared first on 90 Day Korean®.
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