TL;DR
- 이 = this (near you) 🫵, 그 = that (near listener) 👂, 저 = that over there (far from both) 👀
- Use them before nouns to point things out, or alone to say "this one/that one" 📍
- They combine with words like 것 (thing), 사람 (person), and 곳 (place) to make super useful expressions! ✨
What are 이/그/저? 🤔
These three little words are your pointing squad in Korean! 👉
They help you indicate which thing, person, or place you're talking about based on distance 📏
Think of them like this:
- 이 = THIS (close to the speaker)
- 그 = THAT (close to the listener, or something previously mentioned)
- 저 = THAT OVER THERE (far from both speaker and listener)
Using 이/그/저 Before Nouns 📦
The most common way to use these is right before a noun! Just stick them directly in front 💪
→ 이 책 (this book) 📚
→ 그 가방 (that bag) 🎒
→ 저 건물 (that building over there) 🏢
→ 이 사람 (this person) 👤
→ 그 커피 (that coffee) ☕
→ 저 산 (that mountain over there) ⛰️
Using 이/그/저 Alone 🎯
You can also use them by themselves to mean "this one" or "that one"!
Just drop the noun when it's obvious what you're talking about 😎
→ 이거 주세요 (Give me this one, please) 🙏
→ 그거 뭐예요? (What's that?) 🤷
→ 저거 예뻐요 (That one over there is pretty) 😍
Super Useful Combinations! 🌟
These pointing words love to team up with other words to create everyday expressions you'll use constantly! 💬
이것/그것/저것 (this thing/that thing) 🧩
The formal way to say "this/that" when used alone.
→ 이것은 제 휴대폰이에요 (This is my phone) 📱
→ 그것은 비싸요 (That is expensive) 💸
Casual versions: 이거/그거/저거 (way more common in conversation!) 🗣️
→ 이거 좋아요 (I like this) 👍
→ 그거 맛있어요 (That's delicious) 😋
이곳/그곳/저곳 (this place/that place) 📍
→ 이곳이 유명해요 (This place is famous) ⭐
→ 저곳에 가고 싶어요 (I want to go to that place over there) 🚶
Casual version: 여기/거기/저기 (super common!)
→ 여기 앉으세요 (Sit here) 🪑
→ 거기 있어요 (It's there) 👆
이분/그분/저분 (this person/that person - honorific) 🎩
A polite way to refer to people! ✨
→ 이분은 제 선생님이에요 (This person is my teacher) 👨🏫
→ 저분이 사장님이세요 (That person over there is the boss) 💼
Casual version: 이 사람/그 사람/저 사람
→ 이 사람 몰라요 (I don't know this person) 🤷♀️
이렇게/그렇게/저렇게 (like this/like that) 🎨
Shows how to do something!
→ 이렇게 하세요 (Do it like this) ✅
→ 그렇게 비싸요? (Is it that expensive?) 😱
→ 저렇게 하지 마세요 (Don't do it like that) ⛔
When to Use 그 vs 저 🧐
This trips people up at first! Here's the key difference 🔑
그 = Something the listener is near OR something already mentioned in conversation 🗨️
저 = Something physically far from both of you 🌄
→ A: 어제 영화 봤어요 (I watched a movie yesterday)
→ B: 그 영화 재미있었어요? (Was that movie fun?)
The movie isn't physically present, so you use 그 because it was mentioned! 💡
Exceptions ⚠️
There are no major exceptions for this grammar point! 🎉
Just remember that 그 has a double role (near listener AND previously mentioned things), which can feel a bit tricky at first 🤯
But with practice, it becomes second nature! 💪✨
Try the following exercise.
Fill in the blanks with the correct demonstrative (이/그/저). 📍
- _ 사람은 제 친구예요.
Answer
이
- _ 가방은 누구 거예요?
Answer
그
- _ 건물이 우리 학교예요.
Answer
저
- _ 책은 재미있어요.
Answer
이
- _ 음식은 맛있었어요?
Answer
그
- _ 산이 정말 높아요.
Answer
저
- _ 핸드폰은 새 거예요.
Answer
이
- _ 영화 봤어요?
Answer
그
- _ 카페에서 만날까요?
Answer
저
- _ 문제가 어려워요.
Answer
이
Vocabulary
사람 - person
친구 - friend
가방 - bag
누구 - who
건물 - building
학교 - school
책 - book
재미있다 - interesting/fun
음식 - food
맛있다 - delicious
산 - mountain
높다 - high/tall
핸드폰 - cell phone
새 - new
영화 - movie
카페 - cafe
만나다 - to meet
문제 - problem
어렵다 - difficult
Common mistakes
- 🚫 Using 이 for objects that are medium distance (use 그 instead)
- 🚫 Confusing 그 (that - medium distance) with 저 (that over there - far distance)
- 💡 Remember: 이 = this (close to speaker), 그 = that (close to listener or previously mentioned), 저 = that over there (far from both)
- ⚠️ Context matters! 그 can also refer to something mentioned earlier in conversation, even if it's not physically present
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