This, that, and things in Korean

01 / Understand

Use i geu and jeo before a noun

Korean demonstratives help identify the particular thing you mean. 이 책 means this book, with 이 placed before the noun. 그 책 means that book, and 저 책 means that book over there. Write a space between the demonstrative and the noun. These short forms are noun modifiers in this use: they point to a referent while the noun tells the listener what kind of thing it is.

For the basic physical contrast, 이 points to something close to the speaker. 그 points to something near the listener, and 저 points to something away from both people. Imagine you and a partner standing beside different tables. A book beside you can be 이 책, a book beside your partner can be 그 책, and a visible book across the room can be 저 책. The relevant viewpoint is the current speaker's, not the location of an imaginary camera.

The noun does not change form to match these demonstratives in gender. The same 이 can occur before 책, 가방, or 영화. Nor do you select a demonstrative from whether the noun ends in a consonant or vowel. That final sound matters for particles added after the noun, not for the choice among 이, 그, and 저. First identify the referent, then build its noun phrase and grammatical role.

02 / Understand

Let the viewpoint change when the speaker changes

A demonstrative belongs to an utterance made from a particular person's perspective. If you hold a book and say 이 책, your partner can refer to the same book as 그 책 because it is near the listener from the partner's new speaking position. The object did not change; the speaker did. This is why translating a dialogue requires following who is talking, not simply assigning each object one permanent demonstrative label.

Physical distance is not the whole system. 그 also refers to something already known or mentioned in the conversation. 그 영화 can mean the movie we have been discussing, even if nobody is pointing to a screen or holding a movie ticket. The shared conversation makes the referent identifiable. The physical three way contrast is a useful first scene, but it should not become an absolute claim that 그 always measures distance from the listener's body.

Likewise, 이것 can refer to a matter just mentioned or something the speaker is considering, as well as a nearby physical object. For beginner production, choose a clear scene with visible objects first. Then practice one shared conversation reference, such as a movie both speakers know. In an exercise without a picture, the prompt needs to specify where the object is or how it was introduced. Otherwise more than one demonstrative may be plausible.

03 / Understand

Use igeot geugeot and jeogeot for things

이것, 그것, and 저것 refer to a thing without naming it again. They correspond broadly to this, that, and that over there. The element 것 means a thing or matter, but these three demonstrative words are written together. In contrast, 이 책 remains two words. Do not insert a space inside 이것 merely because you can identify its components.

A thing demonstrative can take a particle. 이것은 introduces this as a topic, 이것이 marks it as a subject, and 이것을 marks it as an object. The choice depends on the phrase's role. 이것은 책이에요 identifies the object as a book. 이것을 읽어요 says that the speaker reads this. You need the following predicate and the context to understand what the demonstrative contributes to the whole message.

Use these forms for objects and matters in your first conversations. Referring to people with a thing pronoun can sound disparaging in ordinary contexts, even though dictionaries record specialized or affectionate uses. A person's name, title, or an appropriate noun is usually a better beginner choice. Learning that boundary prevents you from treating an English sentence such as This is my friend as a mechanical instruction to replace this with a thing word in every introduction.

04 / Understand

Recognize common conversation forms

In conversation, 이것, 그것, and 저것 commonly appear as 이거, 그거, and 저거. They still refer to the same broad kinds of things. The shorter forms are useful vocabulary, not permission to remove random final consonants from unfamiliar nouns. Learn the established pairs so that you can recognize a spoken form and connect it to a fuller written example.

Combinations with particles also have common contractions. 이것은 can become 이건, 이것이 can become 이게, and 이것을 can become 이걸. The parallel forms include 그건, 그게, 그걸 and 저건, 저게, 저걸. The final consonant or vowel in the contracted form carries grammatical information. 이건, 이게, and 이걸 are therefore not three free variants to exchange without considering the role of the phrase.

For example, 이건 책이에요 identifies this as the topic of a noun sentence. 이게 뭐예요? asks what this is with a subject form, and 이걸 읽어요 uses the object form with reading. Start with the full expression if that helps you see the structure, then match it to the contracted version. In a focused exercise, a prompt may request the full or contracted form explicitly. Both can be legitimate in real use, so a shorter answer should not be labeled wrong merely for being shorter.

05 / Understand

Keep here and there distinct from things

여기 means here, 거기 means there near the listener or a place already under discussion, and 저기 means over there. These words identify places rather than objects. 여기 있어요 says that the understood thing or person is here. 이것이에요 identifies something as this thing. English sometimes uses this place or here in overlapping ways, but the Korean word choices still need to match the construction.

The related forms 이곳, 그곳, and 저곳 also identify places. 곳 means a place, and these combinations are written together. The lesson focuses on the conversational 여기 set because it is immediately useful for finding things and coordinating activities. Recognizing the 곳 set helps you connect the pattern across reading materials without assuming that every demonstrative must end in 것.

Location particles can follow the place words. 여기에 있어요 locates something here, while 여기에서 공부해요 places studying here. You will also hear shorter forms and omitted particles in familiar expressions, such as 여기 있어요. When you need to name a thing, use a thing demonstrative or a noun phrase. When you need to name its location, use a place expression. You can combine the two: 이것이 여기에 있어요 makes the thing and the place separate parts of the sentence.

06 / Understand

Ask which one or what something is

어느 before a noun asks which member of a set is intended. 어느 책 means which book, and 어느 가방 means which bag. The noun remains after the question modifier, just as it does after 이 or 그. If you want to ask which thing without repeating a noun, 어느 것 is available. Unlike 이것, 어느 것 is written as two words. This is a useful spelling distinction to learn with the expression itself.

A which question differs from a what is it question. 어느 책을 읽어요? asks which book someone reads from the relevant possibilities. 이게 뭐예요? asks for the identity or description of the indicated thing. The first invites selection, and the second requests information about what the thing is. A clear situation helps determine which question will actually help your listener.

Retain the grammatical role in the question. In 어느 책을 읽어요?, 을 marks the entire phrase which book as the object of reading. An answer can replace the unknown choice with a demonstrative: 이 책을 읽어요. The Korean question word does not require an English style movement to a special sentence position. Practice the question and answer as a pair, keeping the known structure and changing only the piece of information that the conversation is trying to establish.

07 / Understand

Read short words from their sentence role

The spelling 저 has more than one job. Before a noun in 저 책, it means that over there. As a humble first person pronoun, 저 refers to I or me. 저는 introduces the speaker as a topic, while 제 is the corresponding possessive form my. Do not interpret 저 책 as my book merely because you learned 저 as I. The intended possessive phrase is 제 책.

Likewise, 이 before a noun in 이 책 is the demonstrative this, while 이 attached after a consonant ending noun can be a subject particle, as in 책이. Their placement reveals their different functions. Korean spacing helps make that distinction visible: the demonstrative is a separate word before the noun, and the particle is attached after it. Reading only an isolated syllable can hide information supplied by the whole phrase.

To prepare a message, first decide whether you need a noun modifier, a thing pronoun, or a place word. Then establish the speaker's viewpoint and the known context. Finally, add the particle or predicate required by the sentence. This sequence works for pointing to a nearby book, referring back to a shared movie, and directing someone to a distant location. Practice with three actual objects in different positions, then change speakers and explain why the same object can receive a different demonstrative.

Notice the difference

Common mistakes

From understanding to using

Make your own example.

Try these without answer choices. Say your answer aloud or write it below, then compare your reasoning with the model.