Korean grammar · Level 1 · 1급
이거 · 그거 · 저거 (이/그/저 + N)
This, that, that over there
Taught in Level 1, Unit 2: What is this?
your bag, your desk, your whole classroom are full of things you cannot name yet — pointing words let you talk about them anyway.
Korean has three words for “this / that”, and the choice depends on distance from the two speakers, not only from you. 이 is near me (the speaker), 그 is near you (the listener), and 저 is far from both of us. Add 거 (“thing”) to point at an object: 이거, 그거, 저거. 거 is the spoken form; in careful writing the word is 것 (이것, 그것, 저것). The same three words also come before a noun as a determiner: 이 시계 (“this watch”), 그 사진 (“that photo”), 저 의자 (“that chair over there”). Use 이거/그거/저거 when you point at something and there is no noun; use 이/그/저 + N when you name it. Never put 거 after the noun — the pointing word always goes first.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| near me | 이거 · 이 + N | 이거 · 이 시계 |
| near you | 그거 · 그 + N | 그거 · 그 사진 |
| far from both of us | 저거 · 저 + N | 저거 · 저 의자 |
Examples
이거 시계예요.
This is a watch.
그 사진은 호야 씨 사진이에요.
That photo (near you) is Hoya's photo.
저 의자는 소리쌤 의자예요.
That chair over there is Sori-ssaem's chair.
Practise it in context · Level 1, Unit 2
What is this?
The rule with a table, Sori’s tips, practice that checks itself, a review room and a one-page cheat sheet.
Open the unit →