Key Facts
- Hangul: 붙이다 (buchida)
- Meaning: to attach
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Pronounced: [부치다]
- Stem: 붙이
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: What is attached takes 을/를 and the place takes 에 (벽에 포스터를 붙여요).
- Usage: Also used for adding something: 이름을 붙이다 (to give a name).
What Does 붙이다 Mean?
What is attached takes 을/를 and the place takes 에: 벽에 포스터를 붙이다 is to stick a poster on the wall. The verb is also used for adding something, as in 이름을 붙이다, to give a name.
붙이다 is the transitive partner of 붙다, which describes a thing sticking rather than someone attaching it.
How Do You Pronounce 붙이다?
The dictionary form is read [부치다]: the ㅌ followed by 이 turns into [치]. This is the sound change that RR follows, so the romanization is buchida.
How Do You Use 붙이다 in a Sentence?
벽에 포스터를 붙여요.
I stick a poster on the wall.
벽에 means on the wall, and 포스터를 is the object; the speaker does the sticking.
편지에 우표를 붙였어요.
I put a stamp on the letter.
편지에 우표를 shows a stamp on a letter, and 붙였어요 is the past.
스티커를 붙이면 예뻐요.
If you put a sticker on, it looks pretty.
붙이면 is the conditional, and the second clause gives the result: it looks pretty.
How Does Buchida Conjugation Work?
The stem 붙이 ends in ㅣ, so 어 endings contract to 여: 붙여요, 붙였어요, 붙여서. Consonant endings leave the stem alone (붙이면, 붙이고).
붙이다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 붙여요 | ||
| Polite past | 붙였어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 붙일 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 붙이겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 붙입니다 | ||
| Formal past | 붙였습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 붙일 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 붙여 | ||
| Casual past | 붙였어 | ||
| Casual future | 붙일 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 붙이고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 붙이세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 붙여서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 붙이면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 붙이는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 붙인 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 붙일 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 붙여요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 붙이지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 붙여요 | [부처요] |
| Polite past | 붙였어요 | [부처써요] |
| Polite future | 붙일 거예요 | [부칠꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 붙이겠어요 | [부치게써요] |
| Formal present | 붙입니다 | [부침니다] |
| Formal past | 붙였습니다 | [부첟씀니다] |
| Formal future | 붙일 것입니다 | [부칠꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 붙여 | [부처] |
| Casual past | 붙였어 | [부처써] |
| Casual future | 붙일 거야 | [부칠꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 붙이고 싶어요 | [부치고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 붙이세요 | [부치세요] |
| Because / and then | 붙여서 | [부처서] |
| If (conditional) | 붙이면 | [부치면] |
| Present modifier | 붙이는 | [부치는] |
| Past modifier | 붙인 | [부친] |
| Future modifier | 붙일 | [부칠] |
| Short negative | 안 붙여요 | [안 부처요] |
| Long negative | 붙이지 않아요 | [부치지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 우표를 붙어요
Correct: ✓ 우표를 붙여요
Why: 붙다 is intransitive: it describes a thing sticking and takes no direct object. When a person does the sticking, 붙이다 is needed, so 우표를 붙여요 is correct.
What Do You Usually Stick with 붙이다?
Ordinary flat things: 포스터, 우표, 스티커. The place takes 에, as in 벽에 and 편지에. A second use is naming, 이름을 붙이다, where a name is attached to something.
In craft work it sits beside 자르다 (to cut), 접다 (to fold) and 묶다 (to tie): you cut, fold, then stick.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 붙이다?
| Word | How to tell it from 붙이다 |
|---|---|
| 붙다 | 붙다 is intransitive: the thing that sticks is the subject. |
| 달다 | 달다 (to hang or attach) is for things that hang or are fixed on, such as a button or a sign; 붙이다 often describes sticking things to a surface, but also has broader uses. |
| 접다 | 접다 means to fold. |
Putting up a Classroom Poster
Two classmates are decorating a classroom wall. One has already put up the poster; the other is adding the stickers.
Jisu
포스터를 붙였어요?
Poseuteoreul bucheosseoyo?
Did you put up the poster?
Minho
네. 이제 스티커를 붙여요.
Ne. Ije seutikeoreul bucheoyo.
Yes. Now I’m putting on the stickers.
Jisu
저는 이름표를 붙일 거예요.
Jeoneun ireumpyoreul buchil geoyeyo.
I’m going to attach the name tags.
The past checks the finished poster, the present describes the current step, and 붙일 거예요 gives the next plan. Each object takes 를. The wall need not be repeated once both speakers know which surface they mean.
Which 붙이다 Phrases Go beyond Stickers?
우표를 붙이다 is to put a stamp on something, usually an envelope. 이름표를 붙이다 is to attach a name tag. In both phrases the object is physically fixed to a surface. A classroom, a parcel desk, or a craft activity gives you a concrete reason to use this verb.
이름을 붙이다 means to give something a name. The name is treated like a label even when there is no physical sticker. 제목을 붙이다 means to give something a title, for example a piece of writing or a photograph. The English translation changes to “give” or “name,” but the Korean keeps the idea of adding a label.
불을 붙이다 means to light something: literally, to attach fire. You can use it for lighting a candle. 말을 붙이다 means to start talking to someone, especially when you approach them first. It is about opening a conversation, rather than physically attaching spoken words.
The Korean Learners’ Dictionary entry for 붙이다 includes uses beyond flat objects. Buttons, labels, fire, names, and added conditions help explain why the verb cannot be limited to “glue a sticker.”
Where Will You Hear Instructions with 붙이다?
A teacher demonstrating a craft may use 붙여요 to explain the step or 붙이세요 to ask learners to do it. The instruction keeps the full 붙이 stem before 세요. 붙여요 has the contracted 여 because it takes an 어 ending instead.
You may also see the verb in document or computer instructions. 복사해서 붙여 넣기 is “copy and paste”: the pasted content is added to a new location. The computer action has its own familiar wording, so knowing the physical meaning of 붙이다 helps you recognize it without translating each syllable separately.
| Related word | Meaning | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| 풀 | glue | The adhesive used for paper crafts. |
| 테이프 | tape | Another way to fix a poster in place. |
| 스티커 | sticker | Something you attach with 붙이다. |
| 이름표 | name tag | A label that identifies a person or object. |
The stationery vocabulary lesson teaches the paper, glue, and cutting tools used in these tasks.
Why Do 붙이다 and 붙여요 Sound Different from Their Spelling?
The ㅌ plus 이 combination in 붙이다 becomes a ㅊ sound. This change is called palatalization: the sound moves toward the front of the mouth before 이. It also remains in forms such as 붙이면 and 붙이는. Keep the original spelling even though you hear a sound like 치.
In the contracted form 붙여, the standard pronunciation is [부처], and 붙여요 is [부처요]. The written 여 does not keep a separate y sound after this consonant. The National Institute of Korean Language explains this in its answer about the pronunciation of 붙여. This is a pronunciation change, not a different verb.
부치다 is another dictionary word with the same dictionary-form pronunciation. 편지를 부치다 means to mail a letter; 편지에 우표를 붙이다 means to put a stamp on it. Use the meaning to choose the spelling. Mailing the letter and attaching the stamp are two separate actions, even though the verbs sound alike.
Mini Drill: Attach, Stick, or Mail
- Give the polite past of 붙이다.
- Make the conditional: “if you attach.”
- Choose the verb for attaching a stamp: 붙이다 or 붙다.
- Choose the spelling for mailing a letter: 붙이다 or 부치다.
Show drill answers
- 붙였어요.
- 붙이면. The 붙이 stem stays before 면.
- 붙이다: 우표를 붙여요.
- 부치다: 편지를 부치다.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 이름을 붙이다 mean?
- Does 말을 붙이다 describe glue?
- Which particle marks the surface, as in “on the wall”?
Show answers
- To give something a name.
- No. It means to start talking to someone.
- 에, as in 벽에.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say Stick a Poster on the Wall?
벽에 포스터를 붙여요. The wall takes 에 and the poster takes 를.
Can 붙이다 Mean Give a Name?
Yes. 이름을 붙이다 means to give something a name, as if attaching a label to it.
How Is 붙이다 (to attach) Different from 붙다?
붙다 describes the thing sticking and takes no direct object. 붙이다 describes someone attaching it, so 우표를 붙여요 needs 붙이다.
What Is the past Tense?
붙였어요 in the polite style; the formal past is 붙였습니다.
Which Words Are Related to 붙이다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Study 붙다 next to see the intransitive partner, then 묶다. polite present recipe explains the contraction to 붙여요, the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest.