# 것

| 것 | U+AC83, &#44163; HANGUL SYLLABLE GEOS |
| Composition: | ㄱ + ㅓ + ㅅ |
| ← 겂 [U+AC82] | Hangul Syllables | 겄 → [U+AC84] |

## Korean
### Alternative forms

* 거 (geo) (dominant form in colloquial speech)

### Etymology

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 것 (Yale: kès), from Old Korean 物叱 (*KAs).
The now colloquially dominant contraction 거 (geo) is first attested in the nineteenth century.

### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [kʌ̹t̚]
** Audio:(file)
* Phonetic hangul: [걷]
* South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 것의 / 것에 / 것까지Syllables in red take high pitch. This word takes low pitch only before consonant-initial multisyllabic suffixes.

### Dependent noun

것 • (geot)
* thing; something; that which; what; used to designate any object, action, or phenomenon, forming noun phrases.
    이 중에서 제일 큰 게 뭐야?i jung-eseo jeil keun ge mwoya?What's the biggest one out of these?
          Audio (South Korea):(file)
    이 곳에는 바위 같은 것이 정말 많습니다.I gos-e-neun bawi gateun geos-i jeongmal manseumnida.Here, there are very many things that look like rocks.
          Audio (South Korea):(file)
    적군이 서울에 진입한 것으로 판단됩니다.Jeokgun-i Seour-e jiniphan geos-euro pandandoemnida.We judge that the enemy has entered Seoul.(literally, “We judge it as the thing that the enemy has entered Seoul.”)
          Audio (South Korea):(file)
    Synonym: 바 (ba, for abstract nouns, formal)
* an object belonging to an owner; forms constructions equivalent to English possessive pronouns. Colloquially pronounced 꺼 (kkeo) with initial tensing.
    이 세상은 우리들의 것이었지만, 이제는 너희들의 것이다.I sesang-eun uri-deur-ui geos-ieotjiman, ije-neun neohui-deur-ui geos-ida.This world was ours, but now it’s yours.
          Audio (South Korea):(file)
    이 연필 친구 건데?i yeonpil chin'gu geonde?But this pencil is my friend's.
          Audio (South Korea):(file)
    저 집도 우리 거야.Jeo jip-do uri geo-ya.That house is ours, too.
          Audio (South Korea):(file)
* (after the suffix ㄴ (-n)) Emphasizes the speaker's certainty about the preceding verb or adjective.
    인생은 원래 헤어지는 거야.Insaeng-eun wollae heeojineun geo-ya.Life is always about saying goodbye.(literally, “Life is always a thing where you say goodbye.”)
          Audio (South Korea):(file)
    걔는 태어날 때부터 그런 거야.Gyae-neun taeeonal ttae-buteo geureon geo-ya.He must have been like that since he was born.(literally, “He is a thing like that since he was born.”)
          Audio (South Korea):(file)
* Used as an element in a number of verbal suffixes; see the "Derived terms" section.

#### Usage notes

As a dependent noun, 것 (geot) and its colloquial variant cannot occur in isolation, but must always be attributed by a verb, an adjective, a determiner, or a possessor.
In colloquial Korean, 거 (geo) is the generally accepted form of this important dependent noun, to the point that the use of the uncontracted form may feel awkward and artificial. In formal language, 것 (geot) remains preferred.
In the colloquial language, 거 (geo) changes somewhat based on noun case, which is unusual for Korean:
* The nominative form is almost always 게 (ge), instead of the expected 거가 (geoga)
* The instrumental form is generally 걸로 (geollo) rather than the expected 거로 (georo), although the latter form is also common
* As mentioned, the possessed form is always 꺼 (kkeo).
See also the very common short forms 건 (geon) instead of 거는 (geoneun) and 걸 (geol) instead of 거를 (georeul), although the full forms are also widely found.

#### Derived terms

* 이것 (igeot, “this”)
* 그것 (geugeot, “that”, medial)
* 저것 (jeogeot, “that”, distal)
(verbal forms)
* ᆯ 것 (l geot)
* ᆯ 것 같다 (l geot gatda)
* ᆯ 것이다 (l geosida)
* ᆯ걸 (lgeol)
* ㄴ걸 (n'geol)