Korean grammar · Level 1 · 1급
N의 · 제 · 내 · 누구 N
Whose it is
Taught in Level 1, Unit 2: What is this?
as soon as you name things you need to say whose they are — “my bag”, “Sori's phone” — and to ask “whose is this?”.
의 is the possessive particle, like “'s”: 호야 씨의 가방 is “Hoya's bag”. It is written 의 but pronounced [에] when it means “'s”. In everyday speech it is usually dropped, so you simply put two nouns next to each other: 호야 씨 가방, 소리쌤 책. In writing, 의 is more common. “My” has two forms: 제 (polite, short for 저의) and 내 (casual, short for 나의). Because you are talking to a teacher, use 제. 제 거 means “mine” (거 = “one/thing”), and 소리쌤 거 is “Sori-ssaem's (one)”. To ask whose something is, put 누구 in front of the noun: 누구 가방이에요? “Whose bag is it?”. Do not add 의 after 제 (제의 is wrong), because 제 already contains it.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| my (polite) | 제 | 제 가방 · 제 거 |
| my (casual) | 내 | 내 가방 |
| someone else's | N(의) N | 소리쌤(의) 책 |
| whose | 누구 N | 누구 우산이에요? |
Examples
이거 제 공책이에요.
This is my notebook.
이 열쇠는 선생님의 열쇠예요.
This key is the teacher's key.
이 지갑은 누구 거예요?
Whose wallet is this?
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 →