Demonstratives 이/그/저 in Korean

Overview

Korean has a three-way demonstrative system at the CEFR A1 level, unlike English which only distinguishes "this" and "that." The three demonstratives are 이 (this, near the speaker), 그 (that, near the listener or previously mentioned), and 저 (that over there, far from both speaker and listener). This system is used for things, places, people, and directions.

The three-way distinction reflects physical or psychological distance and is one of the features that gives Korean its precision in referring to objects and concepts. 그 is particularly versatile because it also refers to things mentioned in conversation but not physically present.

Mastering demonstratives is essential for basic communication — pointing things out, asking about objects, and referring back to topics in conversation.

How It Works

Demonstrative	Distance	Usage
이	Near speaker	this (close to me)
그	Near listener / mentioned	that (near you / already discussed)
저	Far from both	that over there

These combine with common nouns:

Base	이- (this)	그- (that)	저- (that over there)
것 (thing)	이것	그것	저것
곳 (place)	이곳	그곳	저곳
사람 (person)	이 사람	그 사람	저 사람
때 (time)	이때	그때	저때

Contracted spoken forms:

Full form	Contraction
이것	이거
그것	그거
저것	저거

Place words:

Meaning	이-series	그-series	저-series
Here/there	여기	거기	저기
This way/that way	이쪽	그쪽	저쪽

Examples in Context

Korean	Romanization	English	Note
이것은 뭐예요?	i-geo-seun mwo-ye-yo	What is this?	near speaker
그 책 주세요.	geu chaek ju-se-yo	Please give me that book.	near listener
저 건물이 학교예요.	jeo geon-mu-ri hak-gyo-ye-yo	That building over there is a school.	far from both
여기, 거기, 저기	yeo-gi, geo-gi, jeo-gi	here, there, over there	place words
이거 얼마예요?	i-geo eol-ma-ye-yo	How much is this?	contracted form
그 사람 알아요?	geu sa-ram a-ra-yo	Do you know that person?	previously mentioned
저쪽으로 가세요.	jeo-jjo-geu-ro ga-se-yo	Please go that way.	direction
이 근처에 은행이 있어요?	i geun-cheo-e eun-haeng-i i-sseo-yo	Is there a bank near here?	near speaker
그때 뭐 했어요?	geu-ttae mwo hae-sseo-yo	What did you do at that time?	past reference

Common Mistakes

Using 저 for things previously mentioned in conversation

• Wrong: Referring to a restaurant you both discussed as 저 식당
• Right: 그 식당 (that restaurant we were talking about)
• Why: 저 refers to physical distance (far away and visible). 그 is for things already in the shared context of conversation.

Always translating 그 as "that"

• Wrong: Thinking 그 always means something physically near the listener
• Right: 그 often refers to previously mentioned information, like English "the"
• Why: 그 serves a dual function: physical proximity to the listener and anaphoric reference to known information.

Forgetting to use contracted forms in speech

• Wrong: Always saying 이것 in casual conversation
• Right: Using 이거 in casual and even polite speech
• Why: The contracted forms (이거, 그거, 저거) are standard in spoken Korean. The full forms sound overly formal.

Usage Notes

In everyday conversation, the contracted forms (이거, 그거, 저거) are far more common than the full forms. The 그-series is heavily used in storytelling and narratives to refer back to previously introduced characters and objects. In formal writing, the full forms 이것, 그것, 저것 are preferred.

Practice Tips

• Practice pointing at objects around you and describing them: 이거는 책이에요. 그거는 펜이에요. 저거는 시계예요.
• In conversations, consciously use 그 when referring back to something already mentioned. This builds the anaphoric use naturally.
• Learn the place words (여기/거기/저기) as a set and use them when giving or receiving directions.

Related Concepts