Hangul Syllable Geu

A Korean demonstrative, it points to a familiar person or thing. Before a noun, 그 works like “that”: 그 사람 means “that person,” and 그거 refers to “that thing.”

Korean groups it with 이 and 저 in a three-way contrast: 이 points near the speaker; 그 points near the listener or back to a known topic; 저 points far from both.

Can 그 mean “he” or “she”?

It can refer to a person of any gender; context identifies them. In writing, 그 can work as a third-person pronoun, but using it alone for someone can sound literary or translated rather than conversational.

If a message contains only 그, the person or thing is missing from the text. Ask whom or what the sender means instead of guessing; a name or title may sound more natural in everyday conversation.

How did 그 acquire a written pronoun use?

It is a Hangul syllable; its pronoun use developed later. Accounts record Hangul's creation in 1443; its principles were explained in Hunminjeongeum, a text about the writing system, in 1446 to make Korean writing and pronunciation teachable. 그 is one syllable formed from Hangul letters, not a separately invented emblem.

An early written example of 그 appears in Seokbosangjeol, a Korean text from 1447. A 2020 study of its Middle Korean usage finds that 그 mainly pointed back to something already mentioned. A 2015 study argues that context-focused writing in the early 20th century helped establish its neutral third-person-pronoun use.