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Passive Verbs (피동사)

Quick Reference

Passive suffixes: -이-, -히-, -리-, -기-

Formation: Active verb stem + suffix

  • 잡다 → 잡히다 (to be caught)
  • 듣다 → 들리다 (to be heard)
  • 보다 → 보이다 (to be seen)
  • 안다 → 안기다 (to be held/hugged)

Detailed Explanation

What is Passive Voice?

Passive voice shifts the focus from who performs an action to what receives the action. In Korean, passive verbs are formed by adding specific suffixes to active verb stems.

Key difference from English: - Korean passive is less common than English passive - Korean often uses active voice where English uses passive - Many Korean "passive" verbs function more like intransitive verbs

Formation Patterns

There is no predictable rule for which suffix to use with which verb. You must memorize each passive verb individually.

-이- Passive Verbs

Active Verb Passive Verb Meaning
보다 보이다 to be seen, to be visible
쌓다 쌓이다 to be piled up
먹다 먹히다 to be eaten
쓰다 (use) 쓰이다 to be used
씹다 씹히다 to be chewed
밟다 밟히다 to be stepped on
뽑다 뽑히다 to be selected, pulled out
섞다 섞이다 to be mixed
꽂다 꽂히다 to be inserted, stuck in
묻다 (bury) 묻히다 to be buried

Examples:

  1. 저 건물이 여기서 잘 보여요. (That building is clearly visible from here.)

  2. 책상 위에 책들이 쌓여 있어요. (Books are piled up on the desk.)

  3. 이 단어는 자주 쓰여요. (This word is used frequently.)

  4. 눈에 무언가 섞였어요. (Something got mixed in my eye.)

  5. 꽃병에 꽃이 꽂혀 있어요. (Flowers are stuck in the vase.)

-히- Passive Verbs

Active Verb Passive Verb Meaning
잡다 잡히다 to be caught
읽다 읽히다 to be read
닫다 닫히다 to be closed
맡다 맡히다 to be entrusted
쫓다 쫓히다 to be chased
좁다 좁히다 to be narrowed
넓다 넓히다 to be widened
낮다 낮히다 to be lowered
막다 막히다 to be blocked
잠그다 잠기다 to be locked

Examples:

  1. 도둑이 경찰한테 잡혔어요. (The thief was caught by the police.)

  2. 이 소설은 전 세계에서 읽혀요. (This novel is read all over the world.)

  3. 문이 닫혔어요. (The door is closed.)

  4. 길이 막혀서 늦었어요. (I was late because the road was blocked.)

  5. 창문이 잠겨 있어요. (The window is locked.)

-리- Passive Verbs

Active Verb Passive Verb Meaning
듣다 들리다 to be heard
열다 열리다 to be opened
울다 울리다 to ring, to sound
알다 알리다 to be known, announced
팔다 팔리다 to be sold
걸다 걸리다 to be hung, to be caught
풀다 풀리다 to be untied, solved
물다 (bite) 물리다 to be bitten
밀다 밀리다 to be pushed
늘다 늘리다 to be increased

Examples:

  1. 멀리서 음악 소리가 들려요. (Music can be heard from far away.)

  2. 가게가 9시에 열려요. (The store opens at 9.)

  3. 전화벨이 울렸어요. (The phone rang.)

  4. 그 소식이 전국에 알려졌어요. (That news was announced nationwide.)

  5. 이 제품이 잘 팔려요. (This product sells well.)

  6. 문제가 풀렸어요. (The problem was solved.)

  7. 개한테 물렸어요. (I was bitten by a dog.)

-기- Passive Verbs

Active Verb Passive Verb Meaning
안다 (hold) 안기다 to be held, hugged
신다 신기다 to have shoes put on
벗다 벗기다 to have removed
쫓다 쫓기다 to be chased
감다 감기다 to be wrapped
담다 담기다 to be contained
품다 품기다 to be embraced

Examples:

  1. 아기가 엄마 품에 안겨 있어요. (The baby is being held in mom's arms.)

  2. 어린이가 신발을 신기고 있어요. (The child is having shoes put on.)

  3. 상자에 선물이 담겨 있어요. (The gift is contained in the box.)

  4. 목에 스카프가 감겨 있어요. (A scarf is wrapped around the neck.)

Usage Context

When to Use Passive Voice

1. Focus on the result or state:

  • 창문이 열려 있어요. (The window is open.)
  • 문이 잠겨 있어요. (The door is locked.)

2. Agent is unknown or unimportant:

  • 지갑을 도둑맞았어요. (My wallet was stolen.)
  • 그 건물은 1950년에 지어졌어요. (That building was built in 1950.)

3. Natural phenomena or spontaneous events:

  • 눈이 쌓였어요. (Snow has accumulated.)
  • 꽃이 피어 있어요. (Flowers are blooming.)

4. Formal or written language:

  • 회의는 내일 열립니다. (The meeting will be held tomorrow.)
  • 결과가 발표됩니다. (Results will be announced.)

Passive vs. Intransitive

Many Korean passive verbs function like English intransitive verbs:

Passive Form English Translation
문이 열렸어요 The door opened (not "was opened")
길이 막혔어요 The road is blocked
문제가 풀렸어요 The problem solved itself

State vs. Action

Passive verbs with -아/어 있다 emphasize the resulting state:

  • 문이 열려 있어요. (The door is in an open state.)
  • 문이 열렸어요. (The door opened / has opened.)

Practice

Change the following active sentences to passive voice:

  1. 경찰이 범인을 잡았어요. (The police caught the criminal.)

  2. 사람들이 이 책을 많이 읽어요. (People read this book a lot.)

  3. 누군가 문을 닫았어요. (Someone closed the door.)

  4. 멀리서 누가 제 이름을 불렀어요. (Someone called my name from far away.)

  5. 어제 가게에서 이 신발을 다 팔았어요. (The store sold all these shoes yesterday.)

Fill in the blanks with the correct passive form:

  1. 길이 차로 __. (막다 - The road is blocked by cars.)

  2. 창문이 ____. (열다 - The window is open.)

  3. 그 소문이 빨리 ____. (알다 - That rumor spread quickly.)

  4. 옷장에 옷이 ____ 있어요. (걸다 - Clothes are hung in the closet.)

  5. 상자 안에 무엇이 ____? (담다 - What is contained in the box?)

Show Answers 1. 범인이 경찰한테 잡혔어요. 2. 이 책이 많이 읽혀요. 3. 문이 닫혔어요. 4. 멀리서 제 이름이 불렸어요. 5. 어제 이 신발이 가게에서 다 팔렸어요. 6. 막혔어요 7. 열려 있어요 8. 알려졌어요 9. 걸려 10. 담겨 있어요