What is 의 in Korean and How to Say ‘of’, ‘my’ ‘your’ in Korean?

의 expresses the possessive relationship of the first noun being the possessor of the second noun. It corresponds to the possessive ‘of’ or ‘(Noun)’s’, in English. When 의 is used in this possessive sense, it can be pronounced as either [의] or [에] although [에] is used most often. In a sentence, 의 is placed between the possessor and the possession. Furthermore, the particle 의 is often omitted in colloquial speech.

Example:

리처드의 어머니 (=리처드 어머니)

우리의 선생님 (=우리 선생님)

In the case of pronouns representing people, such as 나, 저，and 너，rather than being omitted, 의 combines with each to form:

나의 -> 내 (my)

저의 -> 제 (my)

너의 -> 네 (your)

나의 친구/내 친구: my friend

저의 이름/제 이름: my name

너의 책/네 책: your book

When referring to a group with which one is associated (home, family, company, country, or school), it is common to use the pronouns 우리/저희 in place of 나. Also, 우리 is used in place of 제 and 내 when referring to one's family members. However, in the case of 동생, 내 동생 and 제 동샘 are used more often than 우리 동생 (our younger brother/sister).

내 가족 (my family) -> 우리 가족 (my/our family)

제 회사 (my company) -> 우리 회사 (my/our company)

제 나라 (my country) -> 우리나라 (my/our country)

제 학교 (my school) -> 우리 학교 (my/our school)

내 어 머니 (my mother) ->  우리 어머니 (my/our mother)

제 아버지 (my father) -> 우리 아버지 (my/our father)

제 언 니 (my older sister) ->  우리 언 니 (my/our older sister)

제 남편/아내 (my husband/wife) -> 우리 남편/아내 (my husband/wife)

제 딸/아들 (my daughter/son) -> 우리 딸/아들 (my/our daughter/son)

제 동생 (my younger brother/sister)

When showing respect to the listener, 저희, the humble from of 우리，is used. Examples include 저희 어머니 and 저희 아버지. However, when referring to one’s country, only 우리 나라 is used, not 저희 나라.