He and She with '그' & '그녀'

01

The Written Forms: 그 (gŭ) and 그녀 (gŭ·nyŏ)

The word 그 (gŭgeugŭku) literally means "that" and is used as the masculine pronoun he in writing. The feminine form 그녀 (gŭ·nyŏgeu·nyeogŭ·nyŏku·nye) is a combination of 그 (gŭgeugŭku) - that and 녀 (nyŏnyeonyŏnye) - female. While you must know these for reading comprehension, you should generally avoid using them in daily speech.

• 그는 학생입니다.

  gŭ·nŭn hak·sæng·im·ni·da.geu·neun hak·saeng·im·ni·da.gŭ·nŭn hak·saeng·im·ni·da.ku·nun hak·sayng·im·ni·ta.

  He is a student. (Written style)

• 그녀는 의사입니다.

  gŭ·nyŏ·nŭn ŭi·sa·im·ni·da.geu·nyeo·neun ui·sa·im·ni·da.gŭ·nyŏ·nŭn ŭi·sa·im·ni·da.ku·nye·nun uy·sa·im·ni·ta.

  She is a doctor. (Written style)

02

Spoken Alternative: Names and Titles

The most natural way to refer to a third person in spoken Korean is to use their name or title. If you are talking about a friend named Minji, simply repeat "Minji" where you would use she in English. If talking about a teacher or a boss, use their job title.

• 민지는 지금 바빠요.

  min·ji·nŭn ji·gŭm ba·bba·yo.min·ji·neun ji·geum ba·bba·yo.min·ji·nŭn ji·gŭm ba·ppa·yo.min·ci·nun ci·kum pa·ppa·yo.

  Minji is busy now. (Instead of "She is busy")

• 선생님은 학교에 있어요.

  sŏn·sæng·nim·ŭn hak·gyo·e iss·ŏ·yo.seon·saeng·nim·eun hak·gyo·e iss·eo·yo.sŏn·saeng·nim·ŭn hak·gyo·e iss·ŏ·yo.sen·sayng·nim·un hak·kyo·ey iss·e·yo.

  The teacher is at school. (Instead of "He/She is at school")

03

Spoken Alternative: 'That Person'

If you do not know the person's name, or if you want to refer to someone you just mentioned without repeating their name, use the phrase 그 사람 (gŭ sa·ramgeu sa·ramgŭ sa·ramku sa·lam) - that person. This is the standard spoken equivalent of he or she.

For a more polite or formal nuance, you can use 그 분 (gŭ bungeu bungŭ bunku pun) - that person [honorific].

• 그 사람은 제 친구예요.

  gŭ sa·ram·ŭn je chin·gu·ye·yo.geu sa·ram·eun je jin·gu·ye·yo.gŭ sa·ram·ŭn je chin·gu·ye·yo.ku sa·lam·un cey cin·ku·yey·yo.

  That person is my friend. (He/She is my friend)

• 그 분은 아주 친절해요.

  gŭ bun·ŭn a·ju chin·jŏl·hæ·yo.geu bun·eun a·ju jin·jeol·hae·yo.gŭ bun·ŭn a·ju chin·jŏl·hae·yo.ku pun·un a·cu cin·cel·hay·yo.

  That person is very kind.

04

Contextual Omission

Korean is a "high-context" language. Once the subject of the conversation is established, you can often drop the pronoun entirely. If you ask "Where is Minji?", the reply does not need to include "She."

• 민지 왔어요? 아니요, 아직 안 왔어요.

  min·ji wass·ŏ·yo? a·ni·yo, a·jik an wass·ŏ·yo.min·ji wass·eo·yo? a·ni·yo, a·jik an wass·eo·yo.min·ji wass·ŏ·yo? a·ni·yo, a·jik an wass·ŏ·yo.min·ci wass·e·yo? a·ni·yo, a·cik an wass·e·yo.

  Is Minji here? No, (she) hasn't come yet.

05

Plural Forms: 'They'

The written word for they is 그들 (gŭ·dŭlgeu·deulgŭ·dŭlku·tul). Just like the singular forms, this is rarely used in speech. In conversation, you should use 그 사람들 (gŭ sa·ram·dŭlgeu sa·ram·deulgŭ sa·ram·dŭlku sa·lam·tul) - those people or refer to the specific group, such as "my friends" or "the students."

• 그들은 떠났습니다.

  gŭ·dŭl·ŭn ddŏ·nass·sŭm·ni·da.geu·deul·eun ddeo·nass·seum·ni·da.gŭ·dŭl·ŭn ttŏ·nass·sŭm·ni·da.ku·tul·un tte·nass·sum·ni·ta.

  They left. (Written style)

• 그 사람들은 한국 사람이에요.

  gŭ sa·ram·dŭl·ŭn han·guk sa·ram·i·e·yo.geu sa·ram·deul·eun han·guk sa·ram·i·e·yo.gŭ sa·ram·dŭl·ŭn han·guk sa·ram·i·e·yo.ku sa·lam·tul·un han·kuk sa·lam·i·ey·yo.

  Those people are Koreans. (Spoken style)