TeacherJoy

I heard that many of you are confused by the two nouns “자기” and “자신”. As a native speaker, I used them without thinking, but looking at it from a learner’s perspective, I realized it can be quite tricky!

Basically, both words mean “one-self.” They have the same core meaning, but they are used differently grammatically.

“자기” is used to refer back to a person mentioned earlier.

For example, instead of saying “민수는 민수 일을 사랑해”, we can say “민수는 자기 일을 사랑해.” (Minsu loves his job.)

What about the word “자기소개”? There is no name or pronoun before it, right? In this case, because the person is physically present and everyone knows who is being referred to, it doesn’t cause any communication problems.

On the other hand, “자신” is grammatically used to emphasize the person mentioned earlier. Instead of simply repeating the pronoun or the name, you add “자신” to give it weight.

For example, you can say “나는 나를 사랑해” but it’s more natural to say “나는 나 자신을 사랑해.” (I love myself.)

If you’re thinking, “Okay, I get it!” but then feel totally lost when you try to speak. That’s where the “chaos” begins. My advice? Use your “foreigner privilege.” Make mistakes, get corrected, and repeat.

• 저는 제 영어가 나쁘지 않다고 생각해요. – I think my English is not bad.
• 저는 제 자신의 영어가 나쁘지 않다고 생각해요. – I think my [own self’s] English is not bad.

In the 1st person, we rarely use “자기” and “자신” together in the same phrase. But once we move away from the 1st person, things start to look more complex. You’ll see them being used together or in various combinations. Don’t be intimidated! If you break down the sentence structure, I promise it’s doable.

• 조이는 자기 영어가 나쁘지 않다고 생각해요. – Joy thinks her English is not bad.
• 조이는 자기 자신의 영어가 나쁘지 않다고 생각해요. – Joy thinks her [very own] English is not bad.

The more you practice these structures, the more natural they will feel. Don’t be afraid of the complexity.