This, That, That Over There: 이/그/저
Point to things in Korean with 이, 그 and 저, ask “What is this?”, and use the short forms 이거, 그거 and 저거 in daily speech.
Mr. Gaon · Grammar, vocabulary & TOPIKWhat you will learn in this lesson
- Choose 이, 그 or 저 by distance
- Ask and answer 이게 뭐예요?
- Use the spoken forms 이거, 그거, 저거
- Say where with 여기, 거기, 저기
Welcome back! Today’s grammar is very practical. With just three little words, you can point to anything in a shop or a restaurant and ask what it is. English has two words, “this” and “that”. Korean has three, so let’s see why.
Three distances
Korean divides space into three areas.
이 — near the speaker (me). Like “this”.
그 — near the listener (you), or something both people already know about. Like “that” near you.
저 — far from both of us, but we can see it. Like “that over there”.
These words never stand alone. They always come before a noun: 이 책 (this book), 그 가방 (that bag near you), 저 사람 (that person over there).
The 이 / 그 / 저 family
| 이 (near me) | 그 (near you / known) | 저 (far from both) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| + noun | 이 책 | 그 책 | 저 책 |
| thing (formal) | 이것 | 그것 | 저것 |
| thing (spoken) | 이거 | 그거 | 저거 |
| thing + 이 (spoken) | 이게 | 그게 | 저게 |
| place | 여기 | 거기 | 저기 |
| person (polite) | 이분 | 그분 | 저분 |
이것, 그것, 저것 are common in writing. In conversation, 이거, 그거, 저거 are more natural.
What is this / that?
- The thing word comes first, then 뭐예요? (what is it?).
- In daily speech people say 이게 뭐예요? (이거 + 이 → 이게). Both 이거 뭐예요? and 이게 뭐예요? are natural.
- To answer, use the noun + 이에요/예요 from the last lesson.
- 이게 뭐예요? ige mwoyeyo?What is this?
- 그거 뭐예요? geugeo mwoyeyo?What is that (near you)?
- 저게 뭐예요? jeoge mwoyeyo?What is that over there?
- 이건 김밥이에요. [이건 김바비에요] igeon gimbabieyo.This is gimbap.
- 저건 우체국이에요. [저건 우체구기에요] jeogeon uchegugieyo.That over there is a post office.
Here is a simple test for 그. If the thing is in your partner’s hand or next to them, use 그. If you both talk about something mentioned before, also use 그: “that movie we talked about” is 그 영화.
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그 or 저?
- 그 가방 예뻐요. geu gabang yeppeoyo. That bag (you are holding) is pretty. The bag is near the listener.
- 저 가방 예뻐요. jeo gabang yeppeoyo. That bag (over there) is pretty. The bag is far from both people, for example in a shop window.
- 그 사람 알아요? [그 사람 아라요] geu saram arayo? Do you know that person (we talked about)? 그 for something both people know, even if it is not visible.
It is not N
- To say “not”, use 아니에요 after the noun.
- Add 이 after a consonant, 가 after a vowel: 책이 아니에요, 의자가 아니에요.
- A common answer pattern: 아니요, N이/가 아니에요. N이에요/예요.
- 이건 물이 아니에요. [이건 무리 아니에요] igeon muri anieyo.This isn’t water.
- 저건 학교가 아니에요. [저건 학꾜가 아니에요] jeogeon hakgyoga anieyo.That over there isn’t a school.
- 아니요, 커피가 아니에요. 녹차예요. aniyo, keopiga anieyo. nokchayeyo.No, it’s not coffee. It’s green tea.
Places: 여기, 거기, 저기
The same three distances work for places. 여기 is “here”, 거기 is “there (near you)”, and 저기 is “over there”.
You can make very useful sentences with them. 여기가 어디예요? means “Where is this place?” 화장실이 어디예요? means “Where is the restroom?” The answer can be 저기예요, “It’s over there.”
You also learned 저기요 in the greetings lesson. It means “excuse me” when you call a waiter or a stranger. It comes from 저기, “over there”.
Things around you
- 책 chaek book
- 가방 gabang bag
- 의자 uija chair
- 책상 [책쌍] chaeksang desk
- 휴대폰 hyudaepon mobile phone
- 우산 usan umbrella
- 물 mul water
- 녹차 nokcha green tea
- 화장실 hwajangsil restroom, toilet
- 어디 eodi where
- 누구 nugu who
- 얼마 eolma how much
Shopping and asking
- 이거 얼마예요? igeo eolmayeyo? How much is this?
- 저 사람은 누구예요? [저 사라믄 누구예요] jeo sarameun nuguyeyo? Who is that person over there?
- 저분은 우리 선생님이에요. [저부는 우리 선생니미에요] jeobuneun uri seonsaengnimieyo. That person over there is our teacher.
- 이거 제 우산이에요. [이거 제 우사니에요] igeo je usanieyo. This is my umbrella.
- 그거 주세요. geugeo juseyo. Please give me that one (near you).
- 여기가 어디예요? yeogiga eodiyeyo? Where am I? (Where is this place?)
At a market stall
Practice tips
A good way to practice is to use your own room. Pick up something near you and say 이건 책이에요. Point to something across the room and say 저건 창문이에요. Then imagine a friend is holding your phone and ask 그거 제 휴대폰이에요?
Also remember that Korean often leaves out words that are clear from the situation. In a shop, you can simply point and say 이거 주세요, “This one, please.” You don’t need a full sentence. When someone asks 이게 뭐예요?, a short answer like 김밥이에요 is perfectly natural. Short, clear answers are a big part of real conversation.
Check quiz
Q1. A book is in your hand. What do you call it?
Q2. A building far away from you and your friend. Which word?
Q3. Which is the natural spoken way to say “What is that (near you)?”
Q4. “This is not water.”
Q5. What does 화장실이 어디예요? mean?
Excellent work. Next time you see something new, point and ask 이게 뭐예요? It is one of the most useful questions for a learner. Next lesson, we look closely at the small particles 은/는 and 이/가.
Key points
- 이 = near me, 그 = near you or already known, 저 = far from both.
- 이/그/저 always come before a noun: 이 책, 저 사람.
- In speech, use 이거/그거/저거 (thing) and 이게/그게/저게 (thing + 이).
- 여기, 거기, 저기 mean here, there, over there.
- N이/가 아니에요 means “it is not N”.
Recommended official free resources
- Korean Basic Dictionary (11 languages) — National Institute of Korean Language
- Study Korean — Overseas Koreans Agency
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