Korean Passive Verbs: Lessons, Rules and Examples

Listen to the simplest passive sentence, which the next section explains.

What Are Korean Passive Verbs?

Korean passive verbs are verbs that describe an action from the point of view of the one who receives it. In an active sentence, the subject does the action: 경찰이 도둑을 잡았어요 (gyeongchari dodugeul jabasseoyo) [경차리 도두글 자바써요], "The police caught the thief." In the passive sentence, the receiver becomes the subject and the doer moves to 에게: 도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요 (dodugi gyeongcharege japyeosseoyo) [도두기 경차레게 자펴써요], "The thief was caught by the police."

A causative verb does the opposite job. It says that the subject makes or lets someone else act. 엄마가 아기에게 우유를 먹여요 (eommaga agiege uyureul meogyeoyo) [엄마가 아기에게 우유를 머겨요] means "Mom feeds the baby milk", or literally "Mom makes the baby eat milk."

Korean has five main ways to build these forms:

1. Suffixes. 이, 히, 리 and 기 make passives, and 이, 히, 리, 기, 우, 구 and 추 make causatives. Which suffix a verb takes must be learned: 잡다 gives 잡히다.
2. -아/어지다. This construction means "become" with adjectives and gives a doer-less passive with action verbs: 불이 꺼졌어요.
3. -되다, -당하다 and -받다. These turn nouns and 하다 verbs into passives, such as 시작되다 and 칭찬을 받다.
4. -게 하다. This construction means "make someone do", and works with almost any verb.
5. -시키다. This replaces 하다 in noun-plus-하다 verbs to mean "cause to do".

The first rule for this whole set is: learn each verb pair as a unit, because the suffix is not predictable from the stem; then use the passive verb with the new subject marked by 이/가. The most common first mistake is passivizing every verb. Many verbs have no suffix passive and use -아/어지다 instead. The next section gives a route through the lessons.

Where Should You Start with Korean Passive Verbs?

Start with the passive suffixes, then the causative suffixes, then the constructions that cover the rest. The comparison lesson comes last, when all forms are familiar. The order below follows that route.

1. Stage 1: suffix passives. Read Passive suffixes 이 히 리 기, then Passive agent 에게 에 의해 to add the doer.
2. Stage 2: other passives. Read -아/어지다 become passive. Then read -되다 passive 하다 verbs and -당하다 -받다 passive.
3. Stage 3: causatives. Read Causative suffixes 이 히 리 기 우 구 추, Causative -게 하다 and -시키다 causative.
4. Stage 4: pairs and comparison. Read Korean transitive and intransitive verb pairs, then causative vs passive in Korean.

Who can skip ahead? A learner who already knows 잡히다 and 먹이다 can start at stage 2. A learner who needs the basics of 이/가 and 을/를 should read Korean grammar and the particle lessons first. The next section describes each lesson.

Browse by Topic

Each lesson below has a short description, one example sentence with Revised Romanization (RR, the official Latin spelling, shown only as an aid) and audio.

Passive Suffixes 이 히 리 기

This lesson teaches the four passive suffixes that turn many active verbs into passive ones. The verb decides the suffix, as in 잡히다 and 열리다. Example: 아이가 개에게 물렸어요. (aiga gaeege mullyeosseoyo.) [아이가 개에게 물려써요] "The child was bitten by a dog."

Causative Suffixes 이 히 리 기 우 구 추

This lesson teaches the suffixes that mean "make someone do" or "let it be done". Several of them are the same as the passive suffixes, so the lesson shows how to tell the two jobs apart. Example: 엄마가 아기에게 우유를 먹였어요. (eommaga agiege uyureul meogyeosseoyo.) [엄마가 아기에게 우유를 머겨써요] "Mom fed the baby milk."

-아/어지다 Become Passive

This lesson teaches the construction that means "become" with adjectives and a doer-less passive with verbs. It covers the stem changes. Example: 불이 꺼졌어요. (buri kkeojyeosseoyo.) [부리 꺼저써요] "The light went out."

-되다 Passive 하다 Verbs

This lesson shows how nouns plus 하다 get a passive by swapping 하다 for 되다. The noun stays in front. Example: 수업이 시작됐어요. (sueobi sijakdwaesseoyo.) [수어비 시작뙈써요] "The class has begun."

-당하다 -받다 Passive

This lesson teaches two ways to say that someone suffers or receives an action. 당하다 usually carries a bad sense, and 받다 usually carries a good or neutral sense. Example: 사기를 당했어요. (sagireul danghaesseoyo.) [사기를 당해써요] "I was scammed." A neighbour is 칭찬을 받았어요 (chingchaneul badasseoyo), "I received praise."

Passive Agent 에게 에 의해

This lesson shows how to name the doer in a passive sentence with 에게, 한테 or 에 의해. The particle depends on the doer: a person or animal, a force or thing, or formal writing. Example: 도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요. (dodugi gyeongcharege japyeosseoyo.) [도두기 경차레게 자펴써요] "The thief was caught by the police."

Causative -게 하다

This lesson teaches the construction for "make or let someone do". It attaches to a verb stem and works with almost any verb. Example: 선생님이 학생들에게 책을 읽게 했어요. (seonsaengnimi haksaengdeurege chaegeul ilge haesseoyo.) [선생니미 학쌩드레게 채글 일께 해써요] "The teacher made the students read a book."

-시키다 Causative

This lesson shows how 하다 verbs make a causative by replacing 하다 with 시키다. Example: 의사가 환자를 입원시켰어요. (uisaga hwanjareul ibwonsikyeosseoyo.) [의사가 환자를 이붠시켜써요] "The doctor had the patient admitted to hospital."

Korean Transitive and Intransitive Verb Pairs

This lesson teaches the matching verbs that swap 을/를 for 이/가, such as 열다 and 열리다. It lists twenty common pairs. Example: 문이 열려요. (muni yeollyeoyo.) [무니 열려요] "The door opens."

Causative vs Passive in Korean

This lesson compares look-alike forms, because the same suffixes make both families. 먹이다 is a causative ("feed") and 먹히다 is a passive ("be eaten"). Example: 쥐가 고양이에게 먹혔어요. (jwiga goyangiege meokyeosseoyo.) [쥐가 고양이에게 머켜써요] "The mouse was eaten by the cat."

The next section helps you choose a lesson for your own sentence.

Which Lesson Fits Your Sentence?

Match your sentence to the first column, then open the lesson in the second. The table covers the most common situations.

A short comparison shows why the last row exists. 먹이다 (causative) means "to feed", and 먹히다 (passive) means "to be eaten". 보이다 is also a pair of meanings: 산이 보여요 means "The mountain is visible", and 사진을 보여 주세요 means "Please show me the photo". The particles around the verb decide which meaning applies. The next section covers practice.

How Do You Practise This Set?

Practise by switching the same sentence between active, passive and causative. Take 경찰이 도둑을 잡았어요 and rebuild it as 도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요. Then change the doer and the receiver in your own sentences. Every lesson in this set ends with a practice set and an answer key.

• Test the whole set in the Grammar Quizzes.
• Build and reorder sentences in the Korean Sentence Builder.
• Move on to more patterns in the Intermediate Grammar list.

This set covers the passive and causative forms only. Speech levels, honorifics, tenses and particles live in other grammar sets, and you will find them from the Korean grammar hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a passive verb in Korean?

Most passives add 이, 히, 리 or 기 to a verb stem, as in 잡다 → 잡히다 (be caught) and 열다 → 열리다 (be opened). Other verbs use -아/어지다 (끄다 → 꺼지다) or, for 하다 verbs, -되다 (시작하다 → 시작되다). The receiver of the action becomes the subject and takes 이/가.

What is the difference between a passive and a causative?

A passive makes the receiver the subject: 도둑이 잡혔어요 means "The thief was caught". A causative makes the subject cause someone else to act: 엄마가 아기에게 우유를 먹였어요 means "Mom fed the baby milk". The same suffixes often serve both jobs, so the particles decide.

Do all Korean verbs have a passive form?

No. Many verbs have no suffix passive. Verbs of feeling or state, such as 좋아하다, have none, and several action verbs use -아/어지다 or -되다 instead. Passivizing every verb is a common first mistake, so check the verb pair in the dictionary before you build a form.

When should I name the doer in a passive sentence?

Name the doer with 에게, 한테 or 에 의해 when it matters, as in 도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요. Leave it out when it is unknown or unimportant, as in 문이 열렸어요. Korean passives often drop the doer, which is one reason -아/어지다 is so common.