Pronouns (I, You) - 나, 저, 너, 당신

Pages

• Home
• Korean Language Guide
• Learn Korean With Music
• Learn Korean With Videos
• Read, Pray and Act

Pronouns (I, You) - 나, 저, 너, 당신

In this lesson, we are going to learn about pronouns, especially, "I and You," then "He, She and They," and how their forms are changed depending on the degree of politeness. For the video recording of this lesson, please see below. :) Let's start with "I": Informal form (나, I)

• 나 = I

• 나는 = I + 는 (Topic particle)
• 난 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 내가 = I + 가 (Identifier particle)

• 나도 = I + 도 (Additive particle)

• 나를 = I + 를 (Object particle)
• 날 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 내 = my

• 내 것 = mine (written Korean)
• 내 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Note: 나 becomes 내 when combined with 가 (Identifier particle) Polite form (저, I)

• 저 = I

• 저는 = I + 는 (Topic particle)
• 전 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 제가 = I + 가 (Identifier particle)

• 저도 = I + 도 (Additive particle)

• 저를 = I + 를 (Object particle)
• 절 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 제 = my

• 제 것 = mine (written Korean)
• 제 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Now for "You": Informal form (너, You)

• 너 = You
• 너는 = You + 는 (Topic particle)
• 넌 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 네가 = You + 가 (Identifier particle) (written Korean)
• 니가 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 너도 = You + 도 (Additive particle)

• 너를 = You + 를 (Object particle)
• 널 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 네 = your (written Korean)
• 니 (usually in spoken Korean)

• 네 것 = yours (written Korean)
• 니 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Polite form (당신, You)

• 당신 = You
• 당신은 = You + 은 (Topic particle)

• 당신이 = You + 이 (Identifier particle)

• 당신도 = You + 도 (Additive particle)

• 당신을 = You + 을 (Object particle)

• 당신 = your

• 당신 것 = yours (written Korean)
• 당신 꺼 (usually in spoken Korean)

Note: Just a word of caution, 당신 is very infrequently used when addressing someone in spoken Korean because it has a nuance of confrontation, and it can be offensive when used wrongly. Therefore I advise that you do not use 당신 at all when speaking in Korean! In Korean, if you want address someone directly, it's more common to use their designated position or status in society, for example, 선생님 (teacher), 사장님 (Head of any company), 사모님 (Wife of any respectable man), 아저씨 (middle-aged man), 아줌마 (middle-aged woman), 할아버지 (elderly man), 할머니 (elderly woman) Note: Doctors are called 의사 선생님 (Doctor-teacher) or just 선생님 (teacher), and any person can be called 선생님 if you learned something from that person and even if someone is not your teacher, you may choose to call him/her 선생님 if you respect them, and don't have any other particular to name to call them. However, please let me make this clear that it seems that 당신 is more frequently used in songs and dramas, and 당신 in songs do not sound confrontational, and offensive at all. Actually they sound very endearing in some songs for some reason. But in dramas, 당신 can still be confrontational and offensive, and so it's more likely used in the scenes where characters have verbal arguments. You may also hear 그 쪽 when someone is addressed. 그 쪽 is used in place of 당신 (because 당신 is avoided in spoken Korean as explained above). 그 쪽 literally means "that side." 그 쪽 is not used frequently at all. It's used between people who share a similar position or status in society, and have just met and are not sure how to address the other person. e.g.

• Person A: 점심 드셨어요? (Have you had lunch?)
• Person B: 아뇨. 아직이요. 그쪽은요? (No, not yet, what about you?)

at 12/09/2012 Labels: Grammar, Pronouns

32 comments:

1. robyn in space6:18 PM, December 29, 2012

   I am somewhat confused about the "polite" you. If it is not advisable to use it, and if "that side" is only for people who occupy a similar position or status in society, which pronoun should one use to address a stranger, who might occupy a far higher position on the social ladder (but if you don't know what their profession is)? Would you use "that side" for them, too, until you learn what their profession is?

   ReplyDeleteReplies
   1. Luke4:55 PM, December 31, 2012

      Hi Robyn in space,You would probably avoid using "you" at all in that case until you establish who they're in a society.However, if you're a young adult and they're quite older than you, for example, a middle-aged man, you could say, "아저씨," which just means, "a middle-aged man" or "아줌마" which means "a middle-aged woman".There are many alternatives, for example, "사장님" which means CEO of any company, regardless of whether they're small or big.선배(님) could be used if you went to the same school as them and they're a senior in that school.Sometimes, when people are quite close, they may use the name of the person's son or daughter to address them.For example, 로빈 아빠/아버님 = Robyn's Dad/FatherBut if you're really not sure how to address them, it is still possible to still address them without using "you" at all.Hope this helps.

      DeleteReplies
      Reply
   Reply
2. Anonymous12:00 AM, January 01, 2013

   hello.... can i ask what word would you use to adress a group of people that are strangers to you? you wouldn't use 당신을 right?

   ReplyDeleteReplies
   1. Luke5:01 PM, January 01, 2013

      You could use 여러분 which means "everyone." I use 여러분 in my audio recording as well.Or, as I've written above, you can just address them without using any pronouns or names.For example, Talking to a group of strangers if they could move to the park over there, you could say,저쪽 공원으로 가주실래요? = Can you please move to the park over there?Notice, there's no names or pronouns in 저쪽 공원으로 가주실래요?저쪽 (over there / that side) 공원으로 (to the park) 가주실래요? (Can you please move?)Hope this helps.

      DeleteReplies
      Reply
   2. Anonymous7:18 PM, January 01, 2013

      thank you it really does. your entire blog is helpful actualy.^^

      DeleteReplies
      Reply
   Reply
3. Anonymous10:31 PM, March 04, 2013

   Hi..I want to ask something. If I were to address someone that I've just known and he is younger than me,what is most suitable?

   ReplyDeleteReplies
   Reply
4. redeye9982:40 AM, May 25, 2013

   Hello Luke!Just wanted to ask if you clearify the difference these meanings:-Sometimes I hear that 내가/니가 (I/You with Identifiers) replacing the OBJECTS, not the subjects. For example:니가 생각나는 날엔 is translated by "That day, I(subject) think about You(object). you..."Since 니가 asks about "WHO", ok Who am I thinking? -You.But could the question be like: WHO is thinking about WHAT?This is so confusing... Why notI - Think (about) You.내가/난 널 생각해.So, I am confused when the topic 은/는 is blended in the same sentance with 가/이...When the 가/이 word is technicly the object like the first example?Thank you very much!

   ReplyDeleteReplies
   1. Luke7:20 PM, August 16, 2013

      Ok, the subject is "니가 생각나는 날"The whole thing is a big subject.i.e. "The day when I think about you"For example, 니가 생각나는 날은 슬퍼 = The day when I think about you is sad.Hope this helps.

      DeleteReplies
      Reply
   Reply
5. enasalabsi9:52 AM, August 14, 2013

   Hi,i feel confuse about 그 쪽 당신

   ReplyDeleteReplies
   1. Luke7:10 PM, August 16, 2013

      그 쪽 and 당신 both mean "you".당신 is not used often but it can be heard often in dramas or songs.그 쪽 is also used quite uncommonly but it can be used to address someone in a formal situation, e.g. when meeting someone in a business meeting and addressing someone who has a similar social status as you.

      DeleteReplies
      Reply
   Reply
6. Unknown5:04 AM, November 08, 2013

   안녕하세요!I just wanna ask if what does 잘 means.I usually encounter it in Korean conversations.At first,I thought it means "you" but I don't think that's right.Thanks in advance for the help.Your site is,by far,the best site that I got into since I started researching for Korean language learning sites.Keep up the good work!^_^

   ReplyDeleteReplies
   Reply
7. zalila4:11 PM, December 31, 2013

   Hi, i want ask about the pronunciation of 네가, 내가 and 니가. I got confuse about the pronunciation and start to confuse how to use it. I hope you can explain to me how to pronounce it correctly. Thanks for advance. :)

   ReplyDeleteReplies
   Reply
8. Anonymous1:12 AM, September 27, 2014

   ~So... They're not using a (stress)... Ø i mean in their conversations?..

   ReplyDeleteReplies
   Reply
9. Anonymous8:39 AM, February 23, 2015

   안녕하세요! I absolutely love your blog. I'd just like to ask, is there such a word as 너가? Because a friend of mine had sent me a letter where it said, 너가 사랑하는 오빠 생일이야. Or maybe I just misread it? Thank you in advanced.

   ReplyDeleteReplies
   1. Luke11:34 PM, March 06, 2016

      Hi, you're welcome! It's a late reply but 너가 사랑하는 오빠 means It's the "birthday of 오빠 you love". 너가 means "you" with an article 가 to identify "you" who "love."

      DeleteReplies
      Reply
   Reply
10. Ramesh Thapa1:38 PM, August 27, 2015

    I always hear the sound of ㄴ is ㄷ(D). Am i wrong?

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    1. Shanehh2:08 AM, October 23, 2020

       I know right? I often misheard ㄴ bc of their pronunciations but idk. Maybe I'll get better at identifying these letters by time (when I'm fluent enough :/)

       DeleteReplies
       Reply
    2. Anonymous5:14 PM, December 26, 2020

       Umm... actually the sound of ㄴ 9s somewhere between (n and d) in English.... I'll say it's better to pronounce it as (n) so that won't sound weird

       DeleteReplies
       Reply
    Reply
11. Languages!10:49 PM, August 20, 2016

    Hi! I'm just scrolling through your blog and I am like what have I been missing?Anyway, if your are texting a friend, and you want to say (sympathetically) I'm sorry, how would put it?Thanks!

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
12. Annonymous8:38 AM, November 19, 2016

    Hello, I have a question.If you would have a classmate, would you say 그쪽 or not. And what if you bump into someone older on the street but not jet 아저씨/아좀마. Thanks

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
13. Anonymous8:11 PM, May 10, 2017

    After the comment right above mine, I can't help but ask the difference between 니가 and 너가. Are they used the same way as alternatives? Or they are used to mean an entirely different thing?

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
14. Unknown6:14 AM, May 12, 2017

    What is the difference between the formal you "당신" and the formal your "당신"

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
15. Robert Williams12:22 AM, June 23, 2017

    This is very old, but I learned a lot and have two questions.Both really happened!I am 50. A 30 year old man (much younger but adult) got up from subway but left his umbrella! I picked it up and wanted to say "이것 당신 것 이에요?" But didn't want to say 당신. I also can't just leave out the pronoun "이것 이에요?" (nonsense). What to put in for 당신 in above case.Another case:A young man (30 때) next to me on subway says "키가 크시네요!" (I am 188 cm.) That young man was also quite tall, so I wanted to say "당신도 키가커요!", but again... I didn't know what to put in for 당신 when addressing a young man 20 years younger than me. Again, I couldn't just reply "키가 커요!" because I needed to emphasize "you" in response to his statement. What to put in for 당신 there? These are both real examples. Thanks so much!!

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
16. Gabriella_3:52 AM, July 28, 2017

    hi! i absolutely love your blog, it helps so much! but can i ask for examples where 난 and 날 are used? im abit confused about the differences between the usage of the two. thank you!

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
17. 14989498069:01 PM, August 15, 2017

    여러분 - is this formal or informal? also thank you this website is really useful and was wondering if you could recommend any books for learning Korean that are also good for beginners.

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
18. Anonymous7:54 AM, September 11, 2017

    Hi, Luke. Where is the "verb to be" lesson. I don't see here. Would you please post that lesson.

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
19. Altair9:36 PM, December 03, 2017

    Thank you for sharing this :)I would like to ask about "당신은". would it be rude if I use those in chat with someone older than you? even the word next to it have positive nuance?e.g "당신은 짱 !!"

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
20. Unknown12:20 AM, August 27, 2018

    Hello, um what if I go to Korea someday and I need to ask directions? And I ask a stranger? What do I call the person??

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    Reply
21. Anonymous4:06 AM, May 04, 2019

    Hello! What difference there are between 나 and 저?

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    1. Luke5:43 PM, April 05, 2021

       나 = I (informal), 저 = I (polite)

       DeleteReplies
       Reply
    Reply
22. Anonymous7:28 PM, November 11, 2020

    can you tell if yeorubun(everyone) is formal or informal

    ReplyDeleteReplies
    1. Luke5:48 PM, April 05, 2021

       여러분 yeorubun is a formal/polite form!

       DeleteReplies
       Reply
    Reply

Add commentLoad more... Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Korean Language Guide Welcome Korean Alphabet Sentence Order . Particles ● Topic Particle - 는 / 은 ● Identifier Particle - 가 / 이 ● Subject Particles ● Additive Particle - 도 ● Object Particle - 를 / 을 ● Time / Place Particle - 에 . Pronouns ● Pronouns (I, You) - 나, 저, 너, 당신 ● Pronouns (He, She) - 그, 그녀, 걔, 그분 ● Pronouns (He, She) - 얘, 쟤, 걔 ● Pronouns (They) - 그들, 걔들, 그분들 ● Pronouns- This, It, That ● Nouns - Present, Past ● Nouns - Nominalising ● Nouns - Nominalizing Verbs ● Nouns - Numbers and Counting ● Adjectives - Present, Past ● Adjectives - Polite [Present, Past] ● Adjectives - Descriptive ● Adjectives - Connective ● Verbs - Present, Past ● Verbs - Polite [Present, Past] ● Verbs - Future [Will] ● Verbs - Continuous ● Verbs - Connective ● Verbs - Can ● Verbs - Have ● Verbs - Want ● Verbs - Descriptive I ● Verbs - Descriptive II ● Verbs - Speech ● Adverbs - 부사 ● Particles - 께/에게/한테 ● Particles - 으로/로 ● Particles - 에서, 까지 ● Particles - 만 [only] ● Possessive - 의 ● Conjunctions - And ● Conjunctions - But [~지만] ● Conjunctions - But [는데/은데] ● Conjunctions - Because, So [~서] ● Conjunctions - Because [때문에] ● Conjunctions - If/Once [~면] ● Conjunctions - If/Once [~거든] ● Conjunctions - When [~때] ● Conjunctions - While [~며/면서] ● 5W1H Advanced Grammar ● Comparatives & Superlatives ● Imperatives - 해, 하지마 ● Have to - 해야 한다 ● Allowed to - 해도 된다 ● I like doing - 하는게 좋다, 하는걸 좋아한다 ● I think - ~고 생각해 (Opinion) ● I think/It seems - 하는 거 같애 (General) ● I used to do - 했었어 ● I used to do - 하던 ● (I learned that) - ~더라고 ● (I found that) - ~던데 ● I heard / You said - ~며 ● There is / I have - 있다/있네 Special Expressions ● Are you doing? - ~는 거야? [Informal] ● Are you doing? - ~시는 거예요? [Polite] ● Are we doing? - 하는 거야 / 거예요? ● Go to do - ~러 가다 ● To do something - ~기 위해 ● Try doing - 해 보다 ● Of course, I've done it before - 해봤죠 ● Give the favour of doing - 해 주다 ● Would you like to go? - 갈래요? ● Shall we do something? - 우리 뭐 할까? ● It's cold, isn't it? - 춥지요? ● Let's do it - 하자 ● Easy to do / Difficult to do - ~기 쉽다 / ~기 어렵다 ● I know how - 어떻게 하는지 알아 ● Habitually - ~되면 ~게 돼요 ● Because I'm - ~거든요 ● I will go first - 먼저 갈게 Phrases ● As I was donig - ~하다 보니깐 Other Lessons ● Addressing people ● Pronunciation Blog Archive Blog Archive Sep 2020 (1) Mar 2013 (8) Feb 2013 (12) Jan 2013 (25) Dec 2012 (26) Nov 2012 (1) Jan 2012 (2) Dec 2011 (7) Nov 2011 (16) Aug 2011 (1) Mar 2011 (1) Jan 2011 (6) Dec 2010 (1) Apr 2010 (1) Mar 2010 (1) Feb 2010 (2) Jan 2010 (3) Oct 2009 (1) Sep 2009 (1) Aug 2009 (1) Jul 2009 (5) Jun 2009 (10) Dec 2008 (1) Oct 2008 (3) Sep 2008 (24) Aug 2008 (12) Dec 2006 (2) Nov 2006 (14)

Video Lessons The List of Video Lessons Audio Recordings ● Introduction ● Korean Alphabet ● Recording - Sentence Order ● Topic Particle - 는/은 ● Identifier Particle - 가/이 ● Additive Particle - 도 ● Object Particle 를/을 ● Time/Place Particle 에 ● This, It and That ● Pronouns (I, You) ● Pronouns (He, She) - 그, 그녀, 걔, 그분 ● Pronouns (He, She) - 얘, 쟤, 걔 ● Pronouns (They) - 그들, 걔들, 그분들 ● Nouns (Present, Past) ● Nouns - Nominalising ● Nouns - Nominalising Verbs ● Numbers and Counting I ● Numbers and Counting II Word Builder: Listening ● Top 10 Nouns ● Top 10 Adjectives ● Top 10 Verbs ● Top 10 Adverbs ● Top 10 Exclamations Get Free Updates Learn Korean ■ With Music ■ With Videos Resources ♠ Korean Language (Grammar) - PDF file ♠ Pop-up Korean Dictionary ♠ Korean Dictionary: Google Translate Followers Search This Blog Labels Grammar Listening Exercise Special Expressions Music Pronunciation Advanced Grammar Let's Speak Korean Updates Verb Particles Conjunction Pronouns Adjectives Colloquialism Interviews Nouns Videos Words Word Builder Resources Homonyms Phrases Reading Exercise Words In Korean Language Korean Lessons ★ Learn Korean - 002 ★ Learn Korean - 003 ★ Learn Korean - 011 ★ Learn Korean - 012 ★ Learn Korean - 013 ★ Learn Korean - 014 ★ Learn Korean - 015 ★ Learn Korean - 016 ★ Learn Korean - 017 ★ Learn Korean - 018 ★ Learn Korean - 180 Korean Pronunciation Help ■ Korean Words Pronunciation Guide by Wiki Project Korean words ■ Korean Words: 단어 My Favourite Links Desiring God Compassion International About Me Luke View my complete profile

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.

Copyright © 2006-2020 Luke Park. All rights reserved.