Wearing Verbs 입다 신다 쓰다 -고 있다: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Choose 입다, 신다, 쓰다 or 끼다 by the item.
• Add -고 있다 to say "is wearing" and know why it means a state.
• Tell 입고 있다 (wearing) from 입다 (put on, or wear habitually) and 입어 보다 (try on).
• Avoid the one-verb-for-everything mistake, as in 모자를 입어요.

Before you start: you should know the polite ending -아요/어요 and the basic -고 있다 meaning "is doing". Time: about 15 minutes.

What Do the Wearing Verbs 입다 신다 쓰다 -고 있다 Mean?

English uses one verb, "wear", for everything. Korean uses a different verb for each part of the body. The verb you pick tells the listener where the item goes, and -고 있다 tells them it is on right now.

-고 있다 is the progressive ending you may already know from "is eating" (먹고 있어요). With wearing verbs it works a little differently: it names the state after you have put the item on. So 입고 있어요 does not mean "is in the process of pulling on a shirt". It means "has a shirt on".

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 모자를 쓰고 있어요. (mojareul sseugo isseoyo) "He is wearing a hat."

Pronunciation: [모자를 쓰고 이써요]. The object particle 를 follows the item, then the verb stem 쓰, the connector 고 and the helper verb 있어요.

2. 청바지를 입고 있어요. (cheongbajireul ipgo isseoyo) "She is wearing jeans."

Pronunciation: [청바지를 입꼬 이써요]. The final ㅂ of 입 makes the next ㄱ sound tense, so 입고 is said [입꼬].

The two sentences have the same pattern with a different verb for a different item. The next section shows how to choose the verb.

How Do the Wearing Verbs 입다 신다 쓰다 -고 있다 Work?

The rule has two steps. First choose the verb by the item, using the table above. Second, remove 다 from the verb, add 고 있다, and put a polite ending on 있다. Each step is small, but both must be right.

Pattern Table

Three details make the table easy to apply.

1. Attach 고 directly to the stem. Unlike -아요/어요, the connector 고 does not change the stem. 입 + 고 is 입고, 신 + 고 is 신고, 쓰 + 고 is 쓰고 and 끼 + 고 is 끼고. There is no vowel harmony to check.
2. Say the tense sound correctly. After the final ㅂ in 입 and the final ㄴ in 신, the ㄱ of 고 is spoken tense: [입꼬], [신꼬]. The standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법, 국립국어원), Articles 23 and 24, describe these two changes. 쓰고 and 끼고 have no final consonant, so they are said as written.
3. Remember that 쓰다 has other meanings. 쓰다 also means "to write" and "to use". The object tells you which one: 모자를 쓰다 is "to wear a hat", 편지를 쓰다 is "to write a letter". The item always settles which meaning is meant.

Glasses Can Take Two Verbs

Glasses are the item that most often confuses learners. 안경을 쓰고 있어요 is the common textbook form, because glasses sit on the face like a hat. 안경을 끼고 있어요 is also heard, because glasses fit snugly like a ring. Either is understood, and beginners can use 쓰다 first.

A Few More Verbs for Accessories

Korean has still more verbs for items that none of the four main verbs cover well. You do not need them on day one, but you will meet them.

The verb 하다 ("to do") stands in for "wear" with many accessories. This is a very common pattern in speech. The vocabulary list of these verbs is on the page korean verbs for wearing clothes. This lesson explains the grammar behind them. The next section explains why the ending gives the state.

Why Does -고 있다 Mean "Is Wearing" Here?

-고 있다 means "is wearing" with these verbs because putting an item on is a quick action, and what lasts is the result. English works the same way in the phrase "He has a hat on". The quick action is over, and the item stays.

Compare two kinds of verb:

So the same ending has two readings, and the verb decides which one. Most of the time you do not need to worry, because "wearing" is the natural reading for 입고 있어요, 신고 있어요, 쓰고 있어요 and 끼고 있어요.

There is one rare case where the "in progress" reading is possible: someone who is in the middle of dressing, such as a child pulling on a coat. A native speaker would usually say 입는 중이에요 ("is in the middle of putting it on") to make that clear. The ending 는 중이다 is taught in -는 중이다 in the middle of. The next section builds a full sentence.

How Do You Build a Sentence with a Wearing Verb?

To say what someone is wearing, name the item, add 를 or 을, choose the verb, and finish with -고 있어요. Follow these steps with 모자를 쓰고 있어요.

1. Name the item. 모자 ("hat").
2. Add the object particle. 모자 ends in a vowel, so add 를: 모자를. (After a consonant, use 을, as in 셔츠를 versus 양말을.)
3. Choose the verb by body part. A hat goes on the head, so use 쓰다.
4. Remove 다. The stem is 쓰.
5. Add 고 있다. 쓰고 있다, "is wearing".
6. Add the polite ending. Change 있다 to 있어요: 쓰고 있어요.
7. Join the parts. 모자를 쓰고 있어요.

You'll know it worked when the sentence ends in 고 있어요 and the item has a particle before the verb. Common mistake at this step: picking the verb by sound or habit instead of by body part. Always ask "where does it go?" first.

Now vary one part. To add a subject, put a topic before the item: 동생은 모자를 쓰고 있어요 ("My younger sibling is wearing a hat"). To use the past, change 있어요 to 있었어요: 모자를 쓰고 있었어요 ("He was wearing a hat"). To make it negative, put 안 before the verb: 모자를 안 쓰고 있어요 ("He is not wearing a hat").

Pronunciation of the past sentence: [모자를 쓰고 이써써요] (mojareul sseugo isseosseoyo).

With one sentence built, the next section compares three forms of the same verb.

How Is 입고 있다 Different from 입다 and 입어 보다?

입고 있다 describes a state, 입다 describes putting on or a habit, and 입어 보다 means to try something on. They share one verb, but they answer different questions.

Pronunciation: 매일 교복을 입어요 is [매일 교보글 이버요] (maeil gyobogeul ibeoyo), 지금 옷을 입어요 is [지금 오슬 이버요] (jigeum oseul ibeoyo), and 이 바지를 입어 봤어요 is [이 바지를 이버 봐써요] (i bajireul ibeo bwasseoyo).

The first row answers "What is she wearing?". The second answers "What do you usually wear?". The third answers "What are you doing right now?". The fourth answers "Did you check how it fits?".

입어 보다 joins 입어 with 보다 ("to see") to mean "to try wearing something and see". The same pattern works with other verbs: 신어 보세요 ("Please try on [shoes]") and 써 봤어요 ("I tried it on [a hat]"). For the structure itself, see -아/어 보다 try. A typical shop question is below.

Meaning: "May I try on these pants?" Pronunciation: [이 바지를 이버 봐도 돼요] (i bajireul ibeo bwado dwaeyo). The next section covers when a bare 입어요 is the right choice.

When Do You Use -고 있다 with Wearing Verbs, and When Not?

Use 입고 있어요 when you describe what someone has on, and use plain 입어요 when you describe a habit or an act of dressing. The bare form 입어요 can mean "I put it on" or "I usually wear it", so the state needs -고 있어요.

Pronunciation: 저는 보통 청바지를 입어요 is [저는 보통 청바지를 이버요] (jeoneun botong cheongbajireul ibeoyo).

Here are the limits of the pattern.

• Speech and writing. Both use -고 있다 with wearing verbs. In casual talk, 오늘 뭐 입었어요? ("What did you put on today?" or "What are you wearing today?") is also very common, and the past form can describe what someone has on. Beginners can rely on -고 있다, because it is always understood.
• Not -아/어 있다. Korean has a second state ending, -아/어 있다, but it goes with verbs that take no object, such as 앉아 있어요 ("is sitting"). Wearing verbs take an object (the item), so they use -고 있다. The comparison is in -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다.
• Honorific speech. When you talk about an older person, 있다 becomes 계시다: 모자를 쓰고 계세요 ("[Grandfather] is wearing a hat"). The wearing verb stays the same.
• Moving while dressed. The same 고 also links actions: 모자를 쓰고 갔어요 means "I went wearing a hat". The item stays on during the second action.

For the plain -고 있다 meaning "is doing", read progressive -고 있다. The next section lists the most common errors.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Five mistakes cover most wrong wearing sentences.

1. Using one verb for everything. The English word "wear" leads learners to say 모자를 입어요. A hat goes on the head, so the right sentence is 모자를 써요 or 모자를 쓰고 있어요.
2. Using 입다 for shoes and socks. 양말을 입고 있어요 is wrong. Feet take 신다: 양말을 신고 있어요.
3. Using 쓰다 for rings or gloves. 반지를 쓰고 있어요 is wrong. Fingers take 끼다: 반지를 끼고 있어요.
4. Expecting the bare verb to mean a state. 청바지를 입어요 does not tell the listener what you have on now. Say 청바지를 입고 있어요.
5. Using -아/어 있다. 모자를 써 있어요 is wrong, because the verb takes an object. Say 모자를 쓰고 있어요.

A sixth habit is mixing up the sound. Say [입꼬] and [신꼬], not [입고] and [신고]. The spoken form with the tense ㄲ sound is the standard one.

These mistakes also appear in the vocabulary lesson korean verbs for wearing clothes, which gives the full word list. Now test yourself.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio, normal and slow.

1. Choose the form. 양말을 (입고 / 신고) 있어요.
2. Fix the error. 동생은 모자를 입고 있어요. (The speaker wants to say "My younger sibling is wearing a hat.")
3. Translate. "She is wearing a white shirt." (Use 하얀 셔츠 for "white shirt".)
4. Write your own. Write one sentence about what you are wearing now, using 입다, 신다, 쓰다 or 끼다 with -고 있다.

Answer Key

1. 신고 (singo) Pronounced [신꼬]. Socks go on the feet, so the verb is 신다. The full sentence is 양말을 신고 있어요.

2. 동생은 모자를 쓰고 있어요. (dongsaengeun mojareul sseugo isseoyo) Pronounced [동생은 모자를 쓰고 이써요]. A hat goes on the head, so the verb is 쓰다, not 입다.

3. 하얀 셔츠를 입고 있어요. (hayan syeocheureul ipgo isseoyo) Pronounced [하얀 셔츠를 입꼬 이써요]. A shirt covers the body, so the verb is 입다. You can add a subject, such as 그녀는, at the start.

4. Sample answer: 검은 신발을 신고 있어요. (geomeun sinbareul singo isseoyo) "I am wearing black shoes." Pronounced [거믄 신바를 신꼬 이써요]. Any item with the matching verb and -고 있어요 is right.

If you chose the wrong verb, ask where the item goes: body 입다, feet 신다, head 쓰다, fingers and hands 끼다. Then continue with the next lessons.

What Should You Learn Next?

After the wearing verbs 입다 신다 쓰다 -고 있다, the natural next step is progressive -고 있다, which covers the "is doing" meaning of the same ending. To see why wearing verbs avoid the other state ending, read -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다. To learn how to ask for a try-on in a shop, study -아/어 보다 try. The set overview, Korean progressive tense, lists every lesson in order. If you want to type the verbs in different forms, use the Korean verb conjugator.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: choose the verb by body part (입다, 신다, 쓰다, 끼다), then add -고 있다 to say the item is on.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do the Wearing Verbs Mean?

Wearing verbs are the Korean verbs for putting on or having on an item, chosen by body part: 입다 for clothes, 신다 for shoes and socks, 쓰다 for hats and glasses, and 끼다 for rings and gloves. With -고 있다 they say that the item is on now, as in 모자를 쓰고 있어요.

How Do I Form the Wearing Verbs with -고 있다?

Choose the verb by the item, remove 다, add 고 있다, and put a polite ending on 있다. For a hat, 쓰다 becomes 쓰고 있다, and the polite sentence is 모자를 쓰고 있어요. The connector 고 attaches to the stem without any change, so there is no vowel rule to check.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with Wearing Verbs?

The most common mistake is using one verb for everything, as in 모자를 입어요. Hats go on the head, so use 쓰다: 모자를 써요. Shoes and socks take 신다, and rings and gloves take 끼다. A second mistake is using the bare form 입어요 when you mean the state, which needs 입고 있어요.

How Is 입고 있다 Different from 입다 and 입어 보다?

입고 있다 says someone is wearing something now. 입다 alone can mean "to put on" or "to wear habitually", as in 매일 교복을 입어요. 입어 보다 means "to try on", as in 이 바지를 입어 봤어요. The state needs -고 있어요, and a try-on needs -아/어 보다.

Do I Use Wearing Verbs with -고 있다 in Speech, Writing or Both?

Both. -고 있다 with wearing verbs appears in speech and writing with the same spelling, and only the final ending changes: 입고 있어요 in polite speech, 입고 있습니다 in formal speech, 입고 있어 in casual speech. In casual talk, past forms such as 뭐 입었어요? also ask what someone is wearing.