What Are Korean Action Verbs?
Korean action verbs are verbs that name something a person does or something that happens, such as 먹다 (to eat), 입다 (to wear) and 열다 (to open). They contrast with descriptive verbs, which are the adjectives that name states, such as 크다 (to be big). Action verbs take the present-tense modifier -는 (먹는 사람, "a person who eats"), and adjectives do not.
| Group | Question it answers | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action verb | What does the subject do? | 먹다 | to eat |
| Action verb | What happens? | 열리다 | to be opened, to open (by itself) |
| Descriptive verb (adjective) | What is the subject like? | 크다 | to be big |
Because action verbs often need an object, the lists in this section show the particle with the verb: 밥을 먹어요, 문을 열어요. The sections on types of Korean verbs explain the difference between verbs that take an object and verbs that do not. First decide which theme you need.
Which Theme Should You Start With?
Start with daily verbs if you want to describe your own routine, wearing verbs if you travel or shop for clothes, and cooking verbs if you cook or read recipes. A suggested order for most learners is daily, wearing, cooking, opposites and phrases. This order is an editorial suggestion, based on how soon each theme appears in beginner conversations, and not a fixed curriculum.
| Order | Theme | Why this position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daily verbs | You use them in every self-introduction and routine |
| 2 | Wearing verbs | One English verb ("wear") becomes several, so early practice helps |
| 3 | Cooking verbs | Many irregular forms appear, so basic conjugation should come first |
| 4 | Opposite verbs | Pairs double what you learn per session |
| 5 | Verb phrases | Collocations make speech natural once the verbs are known |
If you already know the polite present, you can read the themes in any order. If not, read how Korean conjugation works first, then come back. Now the five lists themselves.
What Does Each Theme List Teach?
Each list below gets one sample verb with its polite present, an example sentence and audio so that you can judge the level before opening it.
| List | Sample verb | Meaning | Polite present | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korean Daily Verbs | 일어나다 | to wake up, to get up | 일어나요 | regular |
| Korean Cooking Verbs | 볶다 | to stir-fry | 볶아요 | regular |
| Korean Verbs for Wearing Clothes | 입다 | to wear (clothes) | 입어요 | regular |
| Korean Opposite Verbs | 열다 | to open | 열어요 | ㄹ-drop |
| Korean Verb Phrases and Collocations | 찍다 | to take (a photo) | 찍어요 | regular |
Daily Verbs
Korean Daily Verbs gives the verbs of a normal day in time order, from waking up to going to bed, with a template for describing your day in ten sentences. It also explains collocations that differ from English, such as 이를 닦다 for brushing teeth and 머리를 감다 for washing hair.
Cooking Verbs
See Korean Cooking Verbs.
Wearing Verbs
Korean Verbs for Wearing Clothes maps each item to a verb: 입다, 신다, 쓰다, 끼다, 차다, 매다 and 메다. It also gives the matching take-off verbs, among them 벗다, 빼다 and 풀다.
Opposite Verbs
Verb Phrases
See Korean Verb Phrases and Collocations.
The lists differ in how many irregular verbs they contain, and the next section shows where each class appears.
Which Irregular Classes Appear in Each Theme?
Cooking contains the most irregular classes, while wearing contains almost none. Knowing this helps you choose a list that practises the class you are studying right now. The forms below were generated with the site's conjugation engine.
| Theme | Sample verbs (polite present, class) |
|---|---|
| Daily verbs | 듣다 (들어요, ㄷ irregular), 살다 (살아요, ㄹ-drop), 만들다 (만들어요, ㄹ-drop), 돕다 (도와요, ㅂ irregular), 씻다 (씻어요, regular) |
| Cooking verbs | 굽다 (구워요, ㅂ irregular), 썰다 (썰어요, ㄹ-drop), 붓다 (부어요, ㅅ irregular), 자르다 (잘라요, 르 irregular), 볶다 (볶아요, regular) |
| Wearing verbs | 쓰다 (써요, ㅡ-drop), 입다 (입어요, regular), 신다 (신어요, regular), 끼다 (껴요, regular) |
| Opposite verbs | 열다 (열어요, ㄹ-drop), 팔다 (팔아요, ㄹ-drop), 끄다 (꺼요, ㅡ-drop), 켜다 (켜요, regular) |
| Class | Rule in one line | Where it appears here |
|---|---|---|
| ㄷ irregular | ㄷ becomes ㄹ before a vowel | daily (듣다 → 들어요) |
| ㄹ-drop | ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ | daily, cooking, opposites (만드는, 썹니다, 엽니다) |
| ㅂ irregular | ㅂ becomes 우 before a vowel | daily and cooking (도와요, 구워요) |
| ㅅ irregular | ㅅ drops before a vowel | cooking (부어요) |
| 르 irregular | 르 becomes ㄹ라 or ㄹ러 | cooking (잘라요) |
| ㅡ-drop | ㅡ drops before 아/어 | wearing and opposites (써요, 꺼요) |
Regular verbs such as 먹다, 입다 and 신다 are the majority, so do not worry about irregulars on your first pass. When you meet one, the Korean irregular verbs pages explain the rule. Some verbs sit outside this section, which is covered next.
Where Are Motion Verbs and 하다 Verbs?
Motion verbs and 하다 verbs have their own subhubs, because each needs its own rules. Go to Motion Verbs for 가다, 오다 and their compounds, and to 하다 Verbs for the noun + 하다 pattern. The core set of 100 verbs is on 100 Korean verbs.
Single verbs from these lists have their own dictionary pages with every form: 먹다, 마시다, 보다, 듣다, 읽다, 쓰다, 자다 and 일어나다. 쓰다 is a ㅡ-drop verb with several meanings (to write, to use, to wear a hat, to spend money), which is why it appears in more than one theme.
One more skill ties the lists together: collocations. A learner who knows 찍다 and 사진 separately still has to learn that 사진을 찍다 is the natural pair. Verb phrases are the path from word lists to natural speech, so treat every verb in these lists as part of a chunk with its object.
This section teaches themed vocabulary only. It does not cover the grammar of tenses, which is in the conjugation section, and it does not list honorific verb forms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Korean action verbs? Korean action verbs name something a person does or something that happens, such as 먹다 (eat), 입다 (wear), 열다 (open) and 가다 (go). They differ from adjectives, which name states, such as 크다 (be big). Action verbs can take the modifier -는, as in 먹는 사람 (a person who eats), while adjectives take -(으)ㄴ.
Which list should I start with? Start with daily verbs, because they describe your own routine and appear in every self-introduction. Then do wearing verbs, cooking verbs, opposite verbs and verb phrases. That order is an editorial suggestion, so if you cook often, go to cooking first. Read how conjugation works before you begin.
Are action verbs different from descriptive verbs? Yes. Action verbs describe doing or happening and can take -는 as a modifier, while descriptive verbs (adjectives) describe a state and take -(으)ㄴ. Both conjugate with the same endings, so 먹어요 and 커요 are formed the same way. The section on verbs and adjectives explains the distinction.
Where can I practise? Each list in this section has audio for its verbs and example sentences, and the 100 Korean verbs page embeds a flashcard deck. You can also check forms in the conjugation charts. Saying each sentence aloud after the audio, then writing it from memory, works better than reading the lists silently.