Differences between ‘Wuli’ and ‘Wuli-ui’ in Korean

This study examines the variations that arise from the combination of ‘우리’ and the particle ‘-의’. In everyday conversation, the expression ‘우리의(Wuli-ui)’ appears very rarely. In most cases, it is used in the form of ‘우리(Wuli)’ which is a non-realisational form of the particle ‘의(ui)’. Additionally, among the examples where ‘우리 NP’ was used, a high percentage of 82.19% showed ‘우리’ that excluded the listener. When using ‘우리의’ instead of ‘우리’ with the same following noun, a greater individualization regarding the speaker, listener, and unspecified persons was expressed. The difference between ‘우리’ and ‘우리의’ can be attributed to the fact that speakers are accustomed to using ‘우리’ in cases like ‘우리 집’ and ‘우리 남편’, which show an exclusive meaning and a strong bond with the following noun.