Korean Demonstratives: This, That, Here & There Made Simple

You point at something on a menu, open your mouth, and freeze — is it 이거, 그거, or 저거? Three tiny words for "this" and "that," and the wrong one will leave a Korean listener glancing around the room. This is a beginner-friendly guide to Korean demonstratives: the this / that / here / there words, sorted by one simple idea — distance.

What are Korean demonstratives?

Korean demonstratives are the little words meaning this, that, here, and there. They split into three distances: 이 (i, near me), 그 (geu, near you), and 저 (jeo, far from both of us). Almost every "this/that" word in Korean is built on one of those three roots — learn the roots and the rest falls into place.

이거, 그거, 저거: pointing at things

For objects, add 거 to the root. 이거 is the thing in your hand. 그거 is the thing by the person you're talking to. 저거 is the thing across the room that neither of you can reach.

여기, 거기, 저기: talking about places

Swap 거 for 기 and you get places, not things. 여기 is here, where you stand. 거기 is there, by the listener. 저기 is over there, far from you both — and its cousin 저기요 (jeogiyo) is the polite "excuse me" for flagging down a stranger. These three come up constantly when you ask for directions, like in Korean travel phrases.

Tap each line below to hear a native speaker. Listen for how 여기 and 저기 answer the question 어디예요? (where is it?).

When do I use 그거 instead of 저거?

Use 그거 when the thing is near the person you're talking to, or when you both already know what you mean from earlier in the chat. Use 저거 only when the object is physically far from both of you. So if your friend is holding something, it's 그거 — never 저거.

이 사람 vs 이거: putting it before a noun

When a "this/that" word sits right in front of a noun, drop the 거 and use the bare root 이 / 그 / 저. 이거 already means "this thing," so 이거 사람 sounds like "this-thing person." Say 이 사람 — "this person" — instead.

Common mistakes

So Korean demonstratives really come down to one question: how far is it, and from whom? Near me → 이거 / 여기. Near you → 그거 / 거기. Far from both → 저거 / 저기. Right before a noun, shrink to the bare 이 / 그 / 저.

Now try it: point at three things around you and name each one out loud. Then build full sentences with Korean particles and basic sentence structure, or drill the directions and places words these Korean demonstratives pair with most.