Korean Passive Voice — How It Works (And Why It's Different)

<h2>Passive Voice: A Minefield for Non-Native Speakers</h2> <p>In English, forming the passive is straightforward: "to be + past participle." The cat eats the mouse → The mouse is eaten by the cat. Simple. In Korean? None of that. After 12 years in Seoul, I can tell you the Korean passive voice is one of the most confusing topics for Westerners.</p> <p>The first thing to understand: <strong>natural Korean prefers the active voice</strong>. Koreans use the passive much less than we do. When you translate a passive English sentence into Korean, the active version often sounds more natural.</p> <h2>Two Ways to Form the Passive</h2> <h3>Method 1: The Suffixes -이/히/리/기</h3> <p>Some verbs have a special passive form, created by adding a suffix to the stem:</p> <table> <tr><th>Suffix</th><th>Active Verb</th><th>Meaning</th><th>Passive Verb</th><th>Meaning</th></tr> <tr><td>-이</td><td>보다 (boda)</td><td>to see</td><td>보이다 (boida)</td><td>to be seen / to be visible</td></tr> <tr><td>-이</td><td>쓰다 (sseuda)</td><td>to write / to use</td><td>쓰이다 (sseuida)</td><td>to be written / to be used</td></tr> <tr><td>-히</td><td>먹다 (meokda)</td><td>to eat</td><td>먹히다 (meokhida)</td><td>to be eaten</td></tr> <tr><td>-히</td><td>잡다 (japda)</td><td>to catch</td><td>잡히다 (japhida)</td><td>to be caught</td></tr> <tr><td>-히</td><td>읽다 (ikda)</td><td>to read</td><td>읽히다 (ilkhida)</td><td>to be read</td></tr> <tr><td>-리</td><td>열다 (yeolda)</td><td>to open</td><td>열리다 (yeollida)</td><td>to be opened</td></tr> <tr><td>-리</td><td>팔다 (palda)</td><td>to sell</td><td>팔리다 (pallida)</td><td>to be sold</td></tr> <tr><td>-기</td><td>안다 (anda)</td><td>to hold / hug</td><td>안기다 (angida)</td><td>to be held</td></tr> <tr><td>-기</td><td>끊다 (kkeunta)</td><td>to cut</td><td>끊기다 (kkeunkida)</td><td>to be cut off</td></tr> </table> <p>The problem? There's <strong>no reliable rule</strong> for which suffix to use. It's case by case. You have to learn them one at a time. Welcome to Korean.</p> <h3>Method 2: -아/어지다</h3> <p>This construction is much more regular and often preferred in modern Korean:</p> <p><strong>Verb stem + -아/어지다</strong></p> <table> <tr><th>Verb / Adjective</th><th>Meaning</th><th>-아/어지다 Form</th><th>Passive / Resultative Meaning</th></tr> <tr><td>크다 (keuda)</td><td>to be big</td><td>커지다 (keojida)</td><td>to become big / to grow</td></tr> <tr><td>좋다 (jota)</td><td>to be good</td><td>좋아지다 (joajida)</td><td>to get better / to improve</td></tr> <tr><td>만들다 (mandeulda)</td><td>to make</td><td>만들어지다 (mandeureojida)</td><td>to be made</td></tr> <tr><td>깨다 (kkaeda)</td><td>to break</td><td>깨지다 (kkaejida)</td><td>to be broken / to break</td></tr> <tr><td>나쁘다 (nappeuda)</td><td>to be bad</td><td>나빠지다 (nappajida)</td><td>to get worse</td></tr> </table> <p>Notice that -아/어지다 often expresses a <strong>change of state</strong> (to become + adjective) in addition to pure passive meaning.</p> <h2>Examples in Context</h2> <h3>With Suffixes -이/히/리/기</h3> <ul> <li>문이 열렸어요. (muni yeollyeosseoyo) — The door opened.</li> <li>이 책은 많이 읽혀요. (i chaek-eun mani ilkhyeoyo) — This book is widely read.</li> <li>별이 보여요. (byeori boyeoyo) — The stars are visible.</li> <li>도둑이 잡혔어요. (doduki japhyeosseoyo) — The thief was caught.</li> </ul> <h3>With -아/어지다</h3> <ul> <li>날씨가 추워졌어요. (nalssiga chuwojyeosseoyo) — The weather got cold.</li> <li>한국어가 좋아졌어요. (hangugeoga joajyeosseoyo) — My Korean improved.</li> <li>유리잔이 깨졌어요. (yurijani kkaejyeosseoyo) — The glass broke.</li> <li>건물이 만들어졌어요. (geonmuri mandeuereojyeosseoyo) — The building was built.</li> </ul> <h2>Why Koreans Prefer Active Voice</h2> <p>In English, we often say "the project was completed." In Korean, they'd rather say "we completed the project" (우리가 프로젝트를 끝냈어요). Passive voice sometimes sounds awkward or overly literary.</p> <p>My advice after 12 years here: when you're unsure between active and passive, choose active. You'll be right 80% of the time.</p> <h2>Common Mistakes to Avoid</h2> <ol> <li><strong>Double passive</strong>: ❌ 보여지다 (boyeojida). 보이다 is already passive — no need to add -지다.</li> <li><strong>Using 되다 everywhere</strong>: 되다 (doeda) means "to become" and forms the passive of some 하다 verbs (e.g., 완성되다 — to be completed), but it's not universal.</li> <li><strong>Translating literally</strong>: "The song was sung by BTS" → In Korean, just say 방탄소년단이 그 노래를 불렀어요 (BTS sang that song).</li> </ol> <h2>Passive with 되다 (for 하다 Verbs)</h2> <p>For 하다 verbs, the passive is often formed with 되다:</p> <table> <tr><th>Active (하다)</th><th>Passive (되다)</th><th>Meaning</th></tr> <tr><td>완성하다 (wanseonghada)</td><td>완성되다 (wanseongdoeda)</td><td>to be completed</td></tr> <tr><td>[결정하다](/en/dictionary/%EA%B2%B0%EC%A0%95%ED%95%98%EB%8B%A4) (gyeoljeonghada)</td><td>[결정되다](/en/dictionary/%EA%B2%B0%EC%A0%95%EB%90%98%EB%8B%A4) (gyeoljeongdoeda)</td><td>to be decided</td></tr> <tr><td>준비하다 (junbihada)</td><td>준비되다 (junbidoeda)</td><td>to be ready / prepared</td></tr> <tr><td>취소하다 (chwisohada)</td><td>취소되다 (chwisodoeda)</td><td>to be canceled</td></tr> </table> <h2>Exercises</h2> <p>Transform these active sentences into passive:</p> <ol> <li>아이가 우유를 먹었어요. (The child drank the milk.) → The milk...</li> <li>선생님이 문을 열었어요. (The teacher opened the door.) → The door...</li> <li>사람들이 이 노래를 많이 들어요. (People listen to this song a lot.) → This song...</li> </ol> <p><strong>Answers:</strong></p> <ol> <li>우유가 먹혔어요. (The milk was drunk.)</li> <li>문이 열렸어요. (The door was opened.)</li> <li>이 노래가 많이 들려요. (This song is heard a lot.)</li> </ol> <h2>Want to Go Further?</h2> <p>The passive voice is a milestone. If you master it, you're already at a solid intermediate level. On <a href="/en/signup">Seonsaengnim</a>, every grammar point is explained with interactive exercises and real-life examples. Join us!</p>