Our Company is in Seoul: Talk About Your Stuff Like a K-Culture Insider!

Our Company is in Seoul: Talk About Your Stuff Like a K-Culture Insider!

Hello! This is Maeil Hangeul (Daily Korean), here to upgrade your Korean skills!

Have you ever wanted to tell someone about your favorite K-Pop album, where your school is, or ask a friend if they have that cool item you saw online? Today, we’re going to learn the essentials of “possession” in Korean. It’s super useful for everyday conversations!

And guess what? This is more relevant than ever! Lately, Korea, especially Seoul, is buzzing with trends. Fashion items like the Labubu keychain are selling out, and massive events like the Korea Beauty Festival are drawing crowds. We’ll learn how to say “My company is in Seoul” or “I have that trendy keychain!” so you can talk about all the cool things happening in Korea right now.

Let’s get started!

Key Expressions You Need to Know

Here are the building blocks for talking about what you have and where things are.

• 1. 의 (Possessive Particle)
  • Pronunciation [Romanization]: ui (but often sounds like ‘e’ in conversation)
  • English Meaning: ‘s / of
  • Detailed Explanation: This little particle is how you show ownership! You attach it to a noun (like a person’s name or ‘me’) to show that something belongs to them. For example, “Chris’s bag” becomes “크리스의 가방”. A pro tip: In spoken Korean, 의 is often pronounced just like 에 [e], so “나의” (na-ui, my) often sounds like “나에” (na-e).
• 2. 있어요 (To have / To be at a location)
  • Pronunciation [Romanization]: is-seo-yo
  • English Meaning: I have… / There is… / It is at…
  • Detailed Explanation: This is a magic verb with two main uses!
    1. To show possession: 저는 펜이 있어요. (Jeo-neun pen-i is-seo-yo) -> “I have a pen.”
    2. To show location/existence: 친구가 서울에 있어요. (Chin-gu-ga Seoul-e is-seo-yo) -> “My friend is in Seoul.”
       It’s the polite, standard form you can use with anyone!
• 3. 에 (Location Particle)
  • Pronunciation [Romanization]: e
  • English Meaning: at, in, on
  • Detailed Explanation: When you want to say something is at a place, you attach 에 to the location word. It works perfectly with 있어요.
    • 서울에 있어요 (Seoul-e is-seo-yo) -> Is in Seoul
    • 회사에 있어요 (Hwe-sa-e is-seo-yo) -> Is at the company
• 4. 우리 (We / Our)
  • Pronunciation [Romanization]: u-ri
  • English Meaning: we, our
  • Detailed Explanation: This is a very special word in Korean! While it means “we” or “our,” Koreans often use it to say “my” for things that are part of a shared group, like family, school, company, or country. For example, instead of saying “my company” (제 회사), it’s much more natural to say 우리 회사 (uri hwe-sa). It shows a warm sense of belonging.

Example Conversation

Let’s see how these expressions are used in a real chat about recent Korean trends!

A: Wow, that’s a cute keychain! Is that the famous Labubu keychain?

우와, 키링 귀여워요! 그거 요즘 유행하는 라부부 키링이에요?
(Uwa, kiring gwi-yeo-wo-yo! Geu-geo yo-jeum yu-haeng-ha-neun Labubu kiring-i-e-yo?)

B: Yes! This is my keychain. I have another one at home.

네! 이거 저의 키링이에요. 집에 하나 더 있어요.
(Ne! I-geo jeo-ui kiring-i-e-yo. Jib-e ha-na deo is-seo-yo.)

A: That’s so cool. By the way, our company is in Seoul. I’m going there next week.

정말 멋져요. 그런데 우리 회사는 서울에 있어요. 저 다음 주에 서울 가요.
(Jeong-mal meot-jyeo-yo. Geu-reon-de uri hwe-sa-neun Seoul-e is-seo-yo. Jeo da-eum ju-e Seoul ga-yo.)

B: Really? You should check out the K-Beauty shops. They have amazing products!

진짜요? K-뷰티 매장들 꼭 가보세요. 엄청난 제품들이 있어요!
(Jin-jja-yo? K-byu-ti mae-jang-deul kkok ga-bo-se-yo. Eom-cheong-nan je-pum-deul-i is-seo-yo!)

Culture Tip & Trend Deep-Dive

Why do Koreans say 우리 (uri / our) so much?

As you saw in the dialogue, saying 우리 회사 (our company) instead of “my company” is very common. This reflects the strong sense of community and collective identity in Korean culture. It applies to 우리 집 (my/our home), 우리 학교 (my/our school), and even 우리나라 (my/our country). Using 우리 makes you sound less like an outsider and more like part of the group—instantly making you sound more fluent and natural!

This “we-ness” is deeply connected to modern K-Culture. Think about K-Pop fandoms who passionately support “우리 아이돌” (our idol). Or the immense national pride in the global success of K-Beauty and brands like BAPE that collaborate with Korean artists. It’s all about a shared experience. So next time you talk about your company or school in Korean, try using 우리!

Let’s Wrap It Up & Practice!

Great job today! You learned how to talk about things you have and where they are using 의, 있어요, 에, and the very special word 우리. Now you can tell your friends about your favorite things and where you’re from or where you work.

Practice Time!

1. Fill in the blanks: How would you say “My bag is in the room”?
   • 제 가방__ 방__ _______
   • (Je gabang__ bang__ _______.)
2. Make a sentence: Using what you learned, how would you say “I have a K-Pop album”?

Leave your answers and your own practice sentences in the comments below! We’d love to see what you come up with. Keep up the amazing work