TL;DR
- 피동 (passive verbs) are created by adding 이/히/리/기 to certain verb stems to shift focus from "who does" to "what gets done" 🔄
- Not all verbs can become passive this way—only specific verbs work with these suffixes, and you'll need to memorize which suffix goes with which verb 📚
- Korean uses passive voice much less than English, so when in doubt, stick with active voice! 💪
What Are Passive Verbs? 🤔
In Korean, passive verbs let you flip the focus of a sentence 🔄
Instead of saying "I opened the door" 🚪, you can say "The door was opened"—shifting attention from the doer to the thing being done to ✨
Korean creates these passive verbs by adding special suffixes to certain verb stems: 이, 히, 리, or 기 🎯
The Four Passive Suffixes 🔤
Here's how they work! 💡
-이
→ 문이 닫히다 (the door is closed)
→ 책이 읽히다 (the book is read)
-히
→ 문제가 풀리다 (the problem is solved)
→ 신발이 벗기다 (shoes are taken off)
-리
→ 소리가 들리다 (sound is heard)
→ 모습이 보이다 (a figure is seen)
-기
→ 옷이 벗기다 (clothes are taken off)
→ 밥이 먹히다 (food is eaten)
Common Passive Verb Pairs 👥
Here are some everyday active → passive pairs you'll see all the time! 🌟
Active Verb | Passive Verb | Meaning |
닫다 (close) | 닫히다 | be closed |
열다 (open) | 열리다 | be opened |
듣다 (hear) | 들리다 | be heard |
보다 (see) | 보이다 | be seen |
읽다 (read) | 읽히다 | be read |
먹다 (eat) | 먹히다 | be eaten |
쓰다 (write/use) | 쓰이다 | be used/written |
풀다 (solve) | 풀리다 | be solved |
잡다 (catch) | 잡히다 | be caught |
How to Use Them 📝
Just use the passive verb like any other verb! 🎈
→ 문이 자동으로 열려요 (The door opens automatically)
→ 멀리서 바다가 보여요 (The ocean is visible from far away)
→ 이 책은 쉽게 읽혀요 (This book reads easily)
→ 음악 소리가 들려요 (Music sound is heard)
Important Notes! ⚠️
You can't just add these suffixes to any verb 🚫
Only certain verbs accept passive forms with 이/히/리/기—there's no clear pattern, so you'll need to learn them one by one 📖
→ ❌ 가다 → 가이다 (doesn't exist!)
→ ❌ 오다 → 오이다 (nope!)
Korean uses passive voice WAY less than English 🇰🇷
What sounds natural in English might sound awkward in Korean 😅
When unsure, use active voice instead! 💪
Exceptions 🌈
Some passive verbs have irregular meanings 🎭
→ 먹히다 can mean "be eaten" OR "work/be effective" (as in 말이 안 먹혀 = that won't work)
→ 쓰이다 can mean "be written" OR "be used"
Some verbs use -되다 instead 🔄
Many verbs form passives with -되다 rather than these suffixes (that's a different grammar point!) 🎯
→ 만들다 → 만들어지다 (be made)
→ 사용하다 → 사용되다 (be used)
You've got this! 🎉 Start by learning the most common pairs, and you'll naturally pick up which verbs take which suffix over time 🌱✨
Try the following exercise.
Transform the active sentences into passive sentences using 이/히/리/기. 🔄
- 도둑이 경찰에게 잡았어요. → 도둑이 경찰에게 __.
Answer
잡혔어요
- 문을 닫았습니다. → 문이 __.
Answer
닫혔습니다
- 선생님이 학생들을 모았어요. → 학생들이 __.
Answer
모였어요
- 누군가 내 이름을 불렀어요. → 내 이름이 __.
Answer
불렸어요
- 회사에서 새로운 직원을 뽑았습니다. → 새로운 직원이 __.
Answer
뽑혔습니다
- 어머니가 아이를 안았어요. → 아이가 어머니에게 __.
Answer
안겼어요
- 친구가 비밀을 밝혔어요. → 비밀이 __.
Answer
밝혀졌어요
- 누가 창문을 깼어요. → 창문이 __.
Answer
깨졌어요
- 바람이 나뭇잎을 날렸어요. → 나뭇잎이 바람에 __.
Answer
날렸어요
- 사람들이 그 소문을 퍼뜨렸어요. → 그 소문이 __.
Answer
퍼졌어요
Vocabulary
도둑 - thief
경찰 - police
잡다 - to catch
닫다 - to close
모으다 - to gather
부르다 - to call
뽑다 - to select/hire
안다 - to hold/hug
밝히다 - to reveal
비밀 - secret
창문 - window
깨다 - to break
나뭇잎 - leaf
바람 - wind
날리다 - to blow away
소문 - rumor
퍼뜨리다 - to spread
Common mistakes
- 🚫 Don't forget that not all verbs can become passive with 이/히/리/기—only specific verbs work with this pattern.
- 🚫 Remember that the subject of a passive sentence is what receives the action, so particles change (을/를 → 이/가).
- 🚫 Be careful not to confuse passive verbs with their active counterparts—context matters!
- 🚫 Watch out for irregular sound changes when adding 이/히/리/기 (e.g., ㄹ dropping in some cases).