2 · Particles
The possessive 의 and its contractions
the possessive particle
의 links two nouns like "of" or "'s" — and in speech it is usually contracted or left out.
의 joins an owner to what is owned, in the same order as English "'s": the owner first. 친구의 책 is "a friend's book", 선생님의 우산 "the teacher's umbrella". It has one shape after vowels and consonants.
The particle is spelt 의 but usually said like 에: 친구의 sounds like [친구에]. The full sound is correct too, but rare in speech. The romanisation on this site still writes ui, as the official system does. Inside a word, the same letter is said differently — 의자, "chair", begins with the full sound.
Three possessives are contracted, and the contractions are the normal forms: 저의 becomes 제 ("my", polite), 나의 becomes 내 ("my", casual), 너의 becomes 네 ("your", casual). 제 이름, 내 가방. The full 저의 belongs to speeches and formal writing.
In speech, and in much writing, 의 is simply left out when the link is obvious: 친구 집, 엄마 생일. And for family, home and anything shared, Korean says "our" where English says "my": 우리 엄마, 우리 집. A trap for English speakers: not every "of" is 의. "A cup of coffee" is counted, not owned: 커피 한 잔.
The form
| owner, particle, thing owned | 친구의 책 |
| the same in speech | 친구 책 |
| my (polite) | 제 가방 |
| my (casual) | 내 가방 |
| your (casual) | 네 가방 |
| our family, our home | 우리 집, 우리 엄마 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
The owner comes first and takes 의; the thing owned follows.
이건 언니의 자전거예요.This is my older sister's bicycle.
저의, 나의 and 너의 shrink to 제, 내 and 네.
제 이름은 박서연이에요.My name is Park Seoyeon.
In speech the particle is usually left out when the link is obvious.
이건 동생 방이에요.This is my younger sibling's room.
Korean says "our" for family and home where English says "my".
우리 엄마는 요리를 잘하세요.My mum is a good cook.
In writing and in names of things, 의 stays.
이것은 세종대왕의 동상이에요.This is the statue of King Sejong.
A closer look
Why "our" mother
Korean speaks of family, home, school, company and country as something shared: 우리 엄마, 우리 집, 우리 회사. Even an only child says 우리 엄마, and nobody hears it as "the mother we share". 내 엄마 sounds possessive in an odd way, as if the speaker were claiming her against someone else. In polite speech to someone senior, the humble 저희 replaces 우리: 저희 회사.
Where 의 is kept, it usually helps the reader: with long or abstract nouns (성공의 비결, "the secret of success"), in titles, and in chains of owners, where one 의 keeps the parts apart: 제 친구의 동생, "my friend's younger sibling".
Exceptions and special cases (2)
-
the owner is 저, 나 or 너
use 제, 내 and 네; the full forms with 의 are kept for speeches and formal writing.
제 취미는 등산이에요.My hobby is hiking.
The contractions are so old and so frequent that they have become the ordinary words for "my" and "your".
-
the same letter starts or ends an ordinary word, as in 의자 or 회의
it is not said like 에.
회의실에 의자가 많아요.There are a lot of chairs in the meeting room.
The reading like 에 belongs to the particle only; in a word, the letter keeps its own sound at the start and is often said like 이 elsewhere.
How to spot it
- 의
- 제
- 내
- 네
- 우리
Example sentences
이건 누구의 가방이에요?Whose bag is this?
제 동생은 고등학생이에요.My younger sibling is a high school student.
친구 집이 학교 근처에 있어요.My friend's house is near the school.
이것은 이 회사의 새 제품이에요.This is a new product from this company.
우리 집에 오세요.Come round to my place.
내 휴대폰 어디 있어?Where is my phone? (to a family member)
7 more example sentences
이건 아버지의 차예요.This is my father's car.
제 취미는 요리예요.My hobby is cooking.
내 동생은 지금 열 살이야.My younger sibling is ten now. (to a friend)
그 영화의 제목이 뭐예요?What is the title of that film?
언니 친구가 우리 집에 왔어요.My older sister's friend came to our house.
우리 회사는 강남에 있어요.My company is in Gangnam.
제 친구의 언니는 가수예요.My friend's older sister is a singer.
Worth knowing (1)
-
The problem with "your"
내 (my) and 네 (your) sound almost the same in Seoul speech, so in casual talk "your" is usually said like 니. In writing it stays 네. In polite speech "your" is avoided altogether: Korean uses the person's name or title instead.
지수 씨 가방은 어디 있어요?Where is your bag, Jisu?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Not every English "of" is 의. An amount is counted after the noun, with a number and a counter: 커피 한 잔, "a cup of coffee", 물 한 병, "a bottle of water". 의 is for an owner or a close link between two things.
Owner first, then ui, said like "e" — and in speech, usually nothing at all.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.