나 vs 저 in Korean: Differences, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Choose 나 or 저 by speech level and listener.
• Form 내가, 제가, 내, 제, 나도 and 저도.
• Use 저희 and 우리 correctly.
• Avoid mixes such as 저는 민수야.

Before you start: you should know the polite ending from 해요체 polite speech -아요/어요 and the idea of speech levels. Time: about 30 minutes.

나 vs 저 in Korean: What Is the Difference?

저 is humble and 나 is plain, and the difference follows the speech level. 저 lowers the speaker a little and fits polite or formal speech. 나 treats the speaker as equal or senior and fits casual speech. Both mean "I"; only the register differs.

The One-Line Rule

Use 저 with the 요 ending or the -ㅂ니다 ending, and use 나 with the casual ending. Example: 저는 민수예요 (polite) pairs with 저, and 나는 민수야 (casual) pairs with 나. The ending and the pronoun move together.

Side-by-Side Table

Pronunciation: 제가 is [제가], 내가 is [내가], 저를 is [저를], 저한테 is [저한테], 말했어요 is [말해써요] and 불러요 is [불러요]. The short forms 전, 난, 절 and 날 are standard contractions of the topic and object forms; they are normal in speech and casual writing, while careful writing prefers the long forms.

Grammar books call 저 a humble form (겸양어 or 겸칭, "humble words") and 나 a plain form (평칭). A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun, and the full lesson on pronouns is Korean pronouns. The next section builds one sentence in both forms.

How Do You Switch from 나 to 저, Step by Step?

To convert a casual sentence to a polite one, change the pronoun and the ending together. Follow these steps with 나는 민수야 and turn it into 저는 민수예요.

1. Start from the casual sentence. 나는 민수야. ("I am Minsu.") 나는 means "I", and 야 is the casual copula after a vowel.
2. Replace the pronoun. 나는 becomes 저는. The topic particle 는 stays.
3. Replace the ending. 민수야 becomes 민수예요. The polite copula after a vowel is 예요.
4. Read the whole sentence. 저는 민수예요.

Listen to the pair.

Humble and polite: 저는 민수예요. (jeoneun minsuyeyo) "I am Minsu." Pronounced [저는 민수예요]. This form suits a first meeting, a teacher or a colleague.

Plain and casual: 나는 민수야. (naneun minsuya) "I am Minsu." Pronounced [나는 민수야]. This form suits a friend or a younger person.

You'll know it worked when the pronoun and the ending belong to the same level: 저 with 예요, or 나 with 야. Common mistake at this step: changing the pronoun and forgetting the ending, which gives 저는 민수야. The sentence sounds mixed, because the humble pronoun and the casual ending disagree. The next section matches the pair to listeners.

Choosing in Each Situation

The listener and the setting pick the pronoun. The table covers eight common situations.

Pronunciation: 1학년이에요 is [일항녀니에요], 하겠습니다 is [하겓씀니다], 갈게요 is [갈께요], 계산할게요 is [계산할께요], 갈게 is [갈께], 괜찮아 is [괜차나], 도와줄게 is [도와줄께] and 도와드리겠습니다 is [도와드리겓씀니다]. The row for parents depends on the family. Some families use polite speech and 저 with parents, and others use casual speech and 나.

Two expert rules help in situations that are not in the table. First, use 저 when the other person is older or senior and you are not close. Second, follow the listener's own pronoun and level only after you have been invited to relax. The honorific system that backs these rules is in Korean humble forms 드리다 뵙다, where the speaker lowers themselves with special verbs. The next section explains the form differences.

Why Do 제가 and 내가 Look Different?

The subject forms are 제가 and 내가 because Korean merges the pronoun and the particle. 저 + 가 becomes 제가, and 나 + 가 becomes 내가. The merged forms are required: 저가 and 나가 are not used as subjects.

The same merge produces the possessive and the "to me" forms.

Pronunciation: 제 and 내 are spoken [제] and [내]. The standard pronunciation rules (Article 4) still list ㅐ and ㅔ as two vowels, but most Seoul speakers today pronounce them the same. That merger does not affect 제가 and 내가, whose first consonants differ, but it makes 내가 ("I") and 네가 ("you") sound alike, which is why casual speech often says 니가 for "you".

The merged forms are fixed by the standard spelling, so learners should memorise 제가 and 내가 as units. The sound 나가 does exist, but as the verb 나가다 ("to go out"), as in 나가요 ("I go out"), so a learner who writes 나가 for "I" will confuse the reader. The possessive pronouns are collected in Korean possessive pronouns 내 제 네. The next section shows both pronouns in a short conversation.

How Do 나 and 저 Sound in a Short Conversation?

In a real exchange, the pronoun appears with the same ending in every line. The two mini-dialogues below carry the same meaning at two levels. Read them aloud and notice that the pronoun and the ending change together in every line.

Pronunciation: 이름이 뭐예요 is [이르미 뭐예요], 지은이에요 is [지으니에요], 도와드릴게요 is [도와드릴께요] and 도와줄게 is [도와줄께]. Two details are worth noticing. The polite column asks about the listener's name with the honorific noun 성함, while the casual column uses 너 ("you"). The casual column also drops politeness in the verb: 도와드릴게요 uses the humble verb 드리다, and 도와줄게 uses the plain verb 주다. The honorific noun is explained in Korean honorific nouns.

A final point concerns names. After a name that ends in a consonant, the polite copula is 이에요 and the casual copula is 이야, as in 지은이에요 and 지은이야. After a vowel the forms are 예요 and 야, as in 민수예요 and 민수야. The pronoun does not change this rule. The next section lists the errors to avoid.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Six mistakes cover most wrong 나 vs 저 sentences.

1. Mixing 저 with a casual ending. 저는 민수야 is odd. Say 저는 민수예요 or 나는 민수야.
2. Mixing 나 with a polite ending to a senior. 나는 학생이에요 said to a professor sounds blunt. Use 저는.
3. Writing 저가 or 나가 as the subject. The right forms are 제가 and 내가.
4. Using 제 for "I" in other roles. 제 means "my", not "I". Say 제가 가요 for "I go" and 제 이름 for "my name".
5. Using 저 with close friends. 저는 괜찮아요 to a friend your age sounds distant. Use 나는 괜찮아.
6. Treating 우리 as only "we". 우리 집 means "my home" in normal speech, so a learner who says 내 집 for every case sounds foreign in family talk.

A seventh issue is the question side. When you ask "you", Korean prefers a name, title or sibling word over a pronoun, as explained in Korean word for you. The same habits carry over to Korean honorific mistakes. The next section covers the exceptions.

Edge Cases and Exceptions

The rule works in most sentences, and a few cases need care.

• Plural forms. The humble plural is 저희 and the plain plural is 우리. A shop worker says 저희 가게 ("our shop") to a customer. Friends say 우리 학교 ("our school").
• 우리 for "my". Koreans say 우리 집 ("our home"), 우리 엄마 ("our mom") and 우리 학교 even when only the speaker belongs to them. This is not a plural in meaning.
• 저 as a different word. The sound 저 also means "that over there" in 저 사람 ("that person") and works as a hesitation word like "um" in 저, 질문이 있어요. The particle after it shows which one is meant. 저는 is "I" and 저 사람은 is "that person".
• 저기요. The phrase 저기요 ("Excuse me") comes from 저기 ("over there") and is unrelated to the pronoun.
• Drop the pronoun. Korean often leaves out "I". 학생이에요 alone already means "I am a student" when the context is clear, so the 저 may disappear.
• Written Korean. Academic papers usually avoid both 나 and 저 and may say 필자 ("the writer") or leave the subject out.

The rest of the pronoun system, including 너 and 당신, is in 나 너 banmal pronouns and 아/야. For the grammar of the pronoun class itself, see Korean pronouns. Now test yourself.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio, normal and slow.

1. Choose the form. You speak to your teacher. 나는 학생이에요 or 저는 학생이에요?
2. Fix the error. 저는 민수야. (The speaker is talking to a new colleague and wants to use the polite level.)
3. Translate. "I will go too." Use the humble pronoun and the polite ending 갈게요.
4. Write your own. Write one polite sentence that starts with 저는 and gives your job or your studies.

Answer Key

1. 저는 학생이에요. (jeoneun haksaeng-ieyo) Pronounced [저는 학쌩이에요]. A teacher is senior, so the humble 저 matches the polite ending.

2. 저는 민수예요. (jeoneun minsuyeyo) Pronounced [저는 민수예요]. The ending 야 is casual. The polite copula after a vowel is 예요.

3. 저도 갈게요. (jeodo galgeyo) Pronounced [저도 갈께요]. The particle 도 means "also", and 갈게요 is a polite promise.

4. Sample answer: 저는 회사원이에요. (jeoneun hoesawon-ieyo) "I am an office worker." Pronounced [저는 회사워니에요]. Any job or study sentence that starts with 저는 and ends in 요 is right.

If you chose the wrong pronoun, check the ending first and then match the pronoun to it. Then continue with the next lessons.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After 나 vs 저 in Korean, the natural next steps are the pronoun and possessive lessons: Korean pronouns, Korean possessive pronouns 내 제 네 and 나 너 banmal pronouns and 아/야. To see how the speaker lowers themselves in verbs, read Korean humble forms 드리다 뵙다. To avoid common errors, read Korean honorific mistakes. The set overview, Korean honorifics, lists every lesson in order.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: 나 vs 저 in Korean is a choice of register, with 저 and 제 for polite and formal speech and 나 and 내 for casual speech.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Difference between 나 and 저 in Korean?

Both mean "I". 저 is humble and goes with polite or formal speech, as in 저는 학생이에요. 나 is plain and goes with casual speech to friends and younger people, as in 나는 학생이야. The choice follows the level of speech and the listener, so the two pronouns rarely mix in one sentence.

Should I Say 나 or 저 as a Beginner?

Say 저 as a beginner. Most conversations with strangers, teachers, colleagues and shop staff use the polite ending, and 저 matches it. Use 나 only when a friend has invited you to speak casually. A learner who uses 저 almost never offends, while 나 with a stranger can sound rude.

Why Is It 제가 and Not 저가?

The subject form of 저 is 제가, and the subject form of 나 is 내가. Korean contracts 저 + 가 into 제가 and 나 + 가 into 내가. The forms 저가 and 나가 are incorrect as subjects, and 나가 is a different word meaning "go out" in 나가요.

What Is the Difference between 저희 and 우리?

저희 is the humble "we" or "our" used toward a listener you respect, as in 저희 회사. 우리 is the plain "we" or "our" used among equals or friends. Koreans also use 우리 for "my" with family and home, as in 우리 엄마 and 우리 집, even with a single owner.

Is 저 Also a Word for "That"?

Yes. The same sound 저 is a different word meaning "that over there", as in 저 사람 ("that person"). It also appears as a hesitation word like "um" at the start of a sentence. Context and particles tell the meanings apart: 저는 is "I", and 저 사람은 is "that person".