NP: Pronoun (대명사)

Definition

NP refers to a specific noun that replaces the name of a person or object.

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Characteristics

• NP in Korean can be categorized into two different types:
  • Personal pronoun refers to people, such as ‘나’ (I), ‘너’ (you), and ‘우리’ (we).
  • Demonstrative pronoun refers to specific objects or locations, such as ‘그것’ (that), ‘이것’ (this), and ‘거기’ (there).
• Examples:
  • 너는 한국어를 배울 예정이니?
  • 거기에서 수영을 할래요.

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Boundary cases and clarifications

Differences with related tags

• NP vs. MM (Determiners, 관형사):
  • Words like ‘이’, ‘그’, and ‘저’ function as both NP and MM because they share the role of indicating specific entities.
  • However, there is a key difference; NP functions as noun substitutes and can combine with postpositions. MM modifies a following noun and cannot stand alone.
    • NP: 이는 어쩔 수 없이 선택한 길이다.
    • MM: 이 여행이 아주 좋았습니다.

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Examples

• 나와 같이 영화를 좋아하는 친구이다.
• 우리 모두 그곳에 갔었습니다.
• 사람마다 자기 취미가 있다.
• 이와 같이 한국 사람들은 예의를 중요시한다.