The particle 의 (ui) marks possession and relationships between nouns. It functions similarly to English "'s" or "of," indicating that one noun belongs to or is associated with another.
Form
의 (ui) - invariable form (doesn't change)
Pronunciation Note
In casual speech, 의 is often pronounced as:
- 에 (e) - most common casual pronunciation
- 이 (i) - also common
- 의 (ui) - formal/careful pronunciation
Written as 의, but rarely pronounced that way in conversation.
Basic Function
Marks possession, belonging, or relationship between nouns.
Pattern: [Possessor + 의] + [Possessed Noun]
Translation: "'s" or "of"
Possession Examples
Personal Possession
People owning things:
- 저의 책 (jeo-ui chaek) - my book
- 친구의 집 (chingu-ui jib) - friend's house
- 선생님의 차 (seonsaengnim-ui cha) - teacher's car
- 학생의 가방 (haksaeng-ui gabang) - student's bag
Shortened forms (common in speech):
- 제 책 (je chaek) - my book (저의 → 제)
- 네 책 (ne chaek) - your book (너의 → 네)
- 내 책 (nae chaek) - my book (나의 → 내, casual)
Relationships
Family and social relationships:
- 친구의 동생 (chingu-ui dongsaeng) - friend's younger sibling
- 선생님의 아들 (seonsaengnim-ui adeul) - teacher's son
- 회사의 사장 (hoesa-ui sajang) - company's president
Abstract Relationships
Non-physical associations:
- 한국의 수도 (Hanguk-ui sudo) - Korea's capital
- 여름의 날씨 (yeoreum-ui nalssi) - summer's weather
- 이야기의 끝 (iyagi-ui kkeut) - story's end
Common Patterns
Pattern 1: Person's Thing
[Person + 의] + [Noun]
- 친구의 전화 (friend's phone)
- 오빠의 컴퓨터 (older brother's computer)
- 동생의 자전거 (younger sibling's bicycle)
Pattern 2: Place/Country's Attribute
[Place + 의] + [Attribute]
- 한국의 음식 (Korea's food / Korean food)
- 서울의 거리 (Seoul's streets)
- 학교의 도서관 (school's library)
Pattern 3: Abstract Relationship
[Abstract noun + 의] + [Related noun]
- 사랑의 힘 (power of love)
- 시간의 흐름 (flow of time)
- 역사의 교훈 (lesson of history)
When 의 Is Omitted
In casual conversation, 의 is frequently dropped when the relationship is obvious:
Personal Pronouns
Full form (formal):
- 저의 책 (jeo-ui chaek)
- 너의 집 (neo-ui jib)
Shortened (common):
- 제 책 (je chaek) - my book
- 네 집 (ne jib) - your house
- 내 집 (nae jib) - my house (casual)
Clear Relationships
When context makes the relationship obvious:
Can omit:
- 친구 집 (chingu jib) - friend's house (instead of 친구의 집)
- 엄마 전화 (eomma jeonhwa) - mom's phone
- 학교 도서관 (hakgyo doseogwan) - school library
Context-dependent: In casual speech, 의 is often dropped. In formal writing, it's usually kept.
Shortened Possessive Forms
Personal Pronouns
First person:
- 나의 → 내 (nae) - my (casual)
- 저의 → 제 (je) - my (polite)
Second person:
- 너의 → 네 (ne) - your (casual)
- 당신의 → 당신 (dangsin) - your (formal, rarely used)
Third person:
- 그의 (geu-ui) - his (usually not shortened)
- 그녀의 (geunyeo-ui) - her (usually not shortened)
Examples:
- 내 가방 (my bag - casual)
- 제 가방 (my bag - polite)
- 네 책 (your book - casual)
Multiple 의 in Sequence
Can chain multiple possessive relationships:
[A + 의] + [B + 의] + [C]
-
친구의 동생의 책 (chingu-ui dongsaeng-ui chaek)
-
Friend's younger sibling's book
-
회사의 사장의 차 (hoesa-ui sajang-ui cha)
-
Company's president's car
Note: Too many 의 in a row sounds awkward. Native speakers often restructure or drop some.
의 with Proper Nouns
Names
With personal names:
- 민수의 책 (Minsu's book)
- 수진의 가방 (Sujin's bag)
Place Names
With countries and cities:
- 한국의 역사 (Korea's history)
- 서울의 인구 (Seoul's population)
- 미국의 문화 (America's culture)
Alternative: Often omitted in compound nouns:
- 한국 음식 (Korean food) - instead of 한국의 음식
- 서울 지하철 (Seoul subway) - instead of 서울의 지하철
Special Uses
As a Noun Modifier
의 creates attributive (descriptive) relationships:
- 여름의 꽃 (summer's flower / summer flower)
- 나무의 잎 (tree's leaf / tree leaf)
- 철학의 책 (philosophy's book / philosophy book)
In Titles and Formal Names
Common in book titles, organization names:
- 구름의 저편 (Beyond the Clouds - literally "cloud's other side")
- 인간의 조건 (The Human Condition)
- 대한민국의 헌법 (Constitution of the Republic of Korea)
의 vs Other Markers
의 vs 에
의 (possession/relationship):
- 친구의 집 (friend's house)
에 (location):
- 친구 집에 가요 (go to friend's house)
- Here, 집 is the destination, not possession marker
의 vs 을/를
Can combine when possessed noun is an object:
[Possessor + 의] + [Noun + 을/를]
- 친구의 책을 읽어요 (read friend's book)
- 친구의 = friend's (possession)
- 책을 = book (object)
With Demonstratives
이/그/저 + 의:
- 이것의 (of this)
- 그것의 (of that)
- 저것의 (of that over there)
More natural without 의:
- 이 책 (this book) - instead of 이것의 책
- 그 사람 (that person) - instead of 그것의 사람
Formal vs Casual Usage
Formal/Written
의 is usually included:
- 학생의 권리 (student's rights)
- 국가의 의무 (nation's duty)
- 회사의 정책 (company's policy)
Casual/Spoken
의 is often dropped:
- 친구 집 (friend's house)
- 엄마 전화 (mom's phone)
- 학교 선생님 (school teacher)
Common Expressions with 의
나의 것 (na-ui geot) - mine / my thing 너의 것 (neo-ui geot) - yours / your thing
Shortened:
- 내 것 (nae geot) - mine (casual)
- 제 것 (je geot) - mine (polite)
Usage:
- 이것은 내 거예요. (This is mine.)
- 그것은 네 거예요. (That is yours.)
Compound Nouns
Many compound nouns that historically used 의 now write it without:
Historical 의 absorbed:
- 사랑방 (sarangbang) - men's quarters (originally 사랑의 방)
- 책상 (chaeksang) - desk (originally 책의 상)
Current compounds without 의:
- 한국 음식 (Korean food)
- 서울 대학교 (Seoul University)
- 수학 선생님 (math teacher)
의 in Questions
Used in possessive questions:
Whose?:
- 누구의 책이에요? (Nugu-ui chaeg-ieyo?) - Whose book is it?
- 누구의 가방이에요? (Whose bag is it?)
Which country's/what kind of?:
- 어느 나라의 음식이에요? (Which country's food is it?)
Position in Sentence
의-marked phrases function as modifiers before nouns:
Subject:
- 친구의 가방이 예뻐요. (Friend's bag is pretty.)
Object:
- 선생님의 책을 읽었어요. (Read teacher's book.)
Topic:
- 한국의 음식은 맛있어요. (As for Korean food, it's delicious.)
Multiple Possessors
Can express joint or separate possession:
Joint possession (one 의):
- 민수와 수진의 집 (Minsu and Sujin's house - shared)
Separate possession (multiple 의):
- 민수의 책과 수진의 책 (Minsu's book and Sujin's book - separate)
Summary Table
| Usage | Korean | English |
|---|---|---|
| Person's thing | 친구의 책 | friend's book |
| Shortened personal | 제 책 | my book |
| Place attribute | 한국의 음식 | Korean food |
| Relationship | 선생님의 학생 | teacher's student |
| Abstract | 사랑의 힘 | power of love |
Key Points
- ✅ Form: 의 (invariable)
- ✅ Function: Marks possession and relationships
- ✅ Pronunciation: Often said as 에 or 이 in casual speech
- ✅ Shortened forms: 저의→제, 나의→내, 너의→네
- ✅ Often omitted: In casual speech when context is clear
- ✅ Formal writing: Usually kept
- ✅ Can chain: Multiple 의 for complex relationships
Understanding 의 and when it can be omitted is key to natural Korean. While grammatically present, it's frequently dropped in casual conversation, making speech flow more naturally.