Demonstratives: 이 / 그 / 저

Korean demonstratives are built around three roots: 이, 그, and 저. At first glance they look simple: 이 means “this”, 그 means “that”, and 저 means “that over there”. But in real Korean, these three words are not only about physical distance. They also express whether something is close to the speaker, close to the listener, far from both, already known, or already mentioned in the conversation.

The easiest starting point is physical distance. Use 이 when something is near you, the speaker. Use 그 when something is near the listener, or when both people already know what is being discussed. Use 저 when something is far from both speaker and listener.

This is different from English, where “this” and “that” mostly form a two-way contrast. Korean has a three-way system. Vietnamese also has “này / đó / kia”, so the idea feels familiar, but Korean uses 그 in a very important extra way: it often points back to something already mentioned or already shared in context.

For example, 그 사람 can mean “that person”, but very often it means “the person we are talking about” or “the person both of us know”. This is why 그 appears constantly in real Korean conversation, news, dramas, and storytelling.

이것, 그것, and 저것 are noun-like forms. They mean “this thing”, “that thing”, and “that thing over there”. The final part 것 means “thing”. So you can understand the structure as 이 + 것, 그 + 것, and 저 + 것.

Use 이것 for something close to the speaker. Imagine you are holding a book and saying 이것은 책입니다: “This is a book.” Use 그것 for something close to the listener, or something already mentioned. Use 저것 for something far away from both people.

In formal writing or careful speech, you may see the full forms 이것, 그것, 저것. In daily conversation, Koreans very often shorten them to 이거, 그거, and 저거. This is extremely important. If you only learn 이것, you will understand textbooks, but you may feel that real Korean sounds different. In shops, cafés, hospitals, and daily life, you will hear 이거 뭐예요?, 그거 주세요, and 저거 얼마예요? much more often than the full forms.

The pattern becomes very powerful when combined with noun-sentence endings from lesson 1: 이것은 책입니다, 그것은 가방이에요, 저것은 자동차예요. You are now using lesson 1 and lesson 2 together.

이, 그, and 저 can stand directly before a noun. In this use, they behave like “this”, “that”, and “that over there”. This pattern is different from 이것 / 그것 / 저것. When you already know the noun, use 이 / 그 / 저 + noun. When you do not name the noun and just mean “thing”, use 이것 / 그것 / 저것.

For example, 이 사람 means “this person”, while 이것 means “this thing”. 그 책 means “that book”, while 그것 means “that thing”. 저 건물 means “that building over there”, while 저것 means “that thing over there”.

A common learner mistake is to combine both patterns incorrectly. You should not say something like 이것 사람 to mean “this person”. Because 이것 already means “this thing”, putting another noun after it sounds wrong. The correct form is 이 사람.

This distinction is important because Korean often builds phrases by placing modifiers directly before nouns. Once you understand 이 / 그 / 저 + noun, you can make many useful phrases immediately: 이 책, 그 병원, 저 학교, 이 음식, 그 문제, 저 사람.

그 is more than just “that near you”. In real Korean, 그 often points to something already known, already mentioned, or shared between speaker and listener. This is one of the most important differences between textbook distance and real conversation.

Imagine two people are talking about a movie. After the movie has been mentioned once, Korean can use 그 영화 to mean “that movie”, not because the movie is physically near the listener, but because it is now part of the shared conversation. In the same way, 그 사람 can mean “that person we were talking about”, and 그 문제 can mean “that problem already mentioned”.

This is why translating 그 mechanically as “that” is sometimes too weak. It can carry the feeling of “the one we both know”, “the one already mentioned”, or “the one in that context”.

For Vietnamese learners, this is useful because Vietnamese also uses “đó” for things already mentioned. But Korean uses 그 very systematically. If something is in the shared mental space of both people, 그 often appears naturally.

The full forms 이것, 그것, and 저것 are correct, but daily Korean very often uses 이거, 그거, and 저거. These are shorter and more natural in conversation. You will hear them constantly.

For example, in a store, people usually say 이거 얼마예요? rather than 이것은 얼마입니까?. Both are grammatical, but the first sounds natural in daily life, while the second sounds more formal and textbook-like.

이거 is one of the most useful Korean words you can learn early. You can point to food, a document, medicine, a product, or a baby item and ask 이거 뭐예요?, “What is this?” You can ask the price with 이거 얼마예요?, or request something with 이거 주세요.

This is where grammar becomes practical. You are not just learning forms; you are learning sentences you can use immediately in Korea.

The particle 의 expresses possession. It is close to Vietnamese “của”, English “of” or the possessive apostrophe. For example, 민수 씨의 차 means “Minsu's car”.

In careful pronunciation, 의 can be pronounced like ui, but in possession it is very often pronounced closer to e. So 민수 씨의 차 may sound like Minsu ssi-e cha in natural speech.

With “my”, Korean usually does not say 저의 in everyday speech. It often contracts to 제. So 저의 책 becomes 제 책, meaning “my book”. This is a very important beginner pattern because 제 appears constantly in introductions: 제 이름은 ...입니다, “My name is ...”.

Do not overuse 의. Korean often drops it when the relationship is obvious. But for beginners, learning 의 clearly first helps you understand how possession works before learning natural omissions later.

To ask “what is this?”, Korean uses 무엇, meaning “what”. In formal speech, 이것은 무엇입니까? means “What is this?” This form is clear and polite, but it sounds formal.

In everyday conversation, 무엇 usually becomes 뭐, and 입니까? often becomes 예요?. So the natural daily sentence is 이거 뭐예요? This is one of the most useful Korean sentences in real life.

The difference is not only grammar; it is also social feeling. 이것은 무엇입니까? sounds like a textbook, classroom, presentation, or formal interview. 이거 뭐예요? sounds like real conversation: asking about food, medicine, a document, a baby product, or something you do not recognize.

This lesson therefore gives you two layers: the formal structure and the living spoken form. You should understand both, but in daily life you will probably use 이거 뭐예요? much more often.

Now connect the whole lesson into real conversation. Imagine you are in Korea and you see an object you do not know. You can point and ask 이거 뭐예요? The other person can answer with the noun sentence pattern from lesson 1: 약이에요, 서류예요, 책이에요, or 가방이에요.

This is the value of learning grammar as connected blocks. Lesson 1 gave you noun sentences. Lesson 2 gives you demonstratives. Together, they create real usable Korean: 이거 뭐예요?, 이것은 제 책입니다, 그 사람은 선생님입니다, 저 건물은 병원이에요.

Do not treat 이 / 그 / 저 as just vocabulary. They are small words, but they control how Korean speakers point, remember, refer back, and share context. Once you hear them in dramas or daily conversation, you will notice they appear everywhere.

A good beginner habit is to practice with real objects around you. Pick up a phone and say 이거 휴대폰이에요. Point to a bag and say 그거 가방이에요? Look outside and say 저 건물은 학교예요. This turns grammar into instinct.