Key Facts
- Hangul: 불다 (bulda)
- Meaning: to blow
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 불
- Conjugation class: ㄹ
- Grammar: Intransitive with wind (바람이 불어요); transitive with 을/를 for what is blown (풍선을 불어요).
- Usage: ㄹ drops before ㅂ, ㄴ, ㅅ: 붑니다, 부는, 분. Also used for wind instruments.
What Does 불다 Mean?
With wind it is intransitive: 바람이 불다. With an object it is transitive: 풍선을 불다 is to blow up a balloon. The verb is also used for wind instruments.
Be careful with the noun 불, fire, which has the same stem spelling but a different meaning.
Senses:
- to blow (wind): The wind blows: 바람이 불다.
- to blow (something): Blow into something: 풍선을 불다.
How Do You Pronounce 불다?
The dictionary form is read as written. Before ㅂ, ㄴ and ㅅ the ㄹ drops, so 붑니다 is [붐니다] and the modifier is 부는. Before vowels it stays, giving 불어요 [부러요].
How Do You Use 불다 in a Sentence?
오늘은 바람이 불어요.
The wind is blowing today.
오늘은 means today, 바람이 is the wind as the subject, and 불어요 keeps its ㄹ before 어.
아이가 풍선을 불었어요.
The child blew up a balloon.
아이가 풍선을 shows an object, and 불었어요 is the past.
바람이 불면 추워요.
When the wind blows, it is cold.
불면 is the conditional, here meaning when the wind blows, followed by 추워요.
How Does Bulda Conjugation Work?
불다 drops its final ㄹ before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ: 붑니다, 부는, 분. Before 아/어 and endings that start with ㄱ, ㅈ or ㅁ, the ㄹ stays: 불어요, 불었어요, 불면. That is the ordinary ㄹ-drop rule.
불다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 불어요 | ||
| Polite past | 불었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 불 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 불겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 붑니다 | ||
| Formal past | 불었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 불 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 불어 | ||
| Casual past | 불었어 | ||
| Casual future | 불 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 불고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 부세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 불어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 불면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 부는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 분 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 불 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 불어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 불지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 불어요 | [부러요] |
| Polite past | 불었어요 | [부러써요] |
| Polite future | 불 거예요 | [불꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 불겠어요 | [불게써요] |
| Formal present | 붑니다 | [붐니다] |
| Formal past | 불었습니다 | [부럳씀니다] |
| Formal future | 불 것입니다 | [불꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 불어 | [부러] |
| Casual past | 불었어 | [부러써] |
| Casual future | 불 거야 | [불꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 불고 싶어요 | [불고 시퍼요] |
| Because / and then | 불어서 | [부러서] |
| Short negative | 안 불어요 | [안 부러요] |
| Long negative | 불지 않아요 | [불지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 바람이 불러요
Correct: ✓ 바람이 불어요
Why: 불러요 belongs to 부르다, to call or sing, whose stem ends in 르. 불다 gives 불어요, so 바람이 불어요 is the correct sentence.
Where Does 불다 Turn up in Practice?
Weather talk is the most common setting: 바람이 불면 추워요. Related weather words are 춥다 (to be cold) and 시원하다 (to be cool). The object use, 풍선을 불다, covers balloons and also wind instruments.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 불다?
| Word | How to tell it from 불다 |
|---|---|
| 부르다 | 부르다 is to call or sing, and 불러요 is its polite form. |
| 날다 | 날다 is to fly. |
| 불 | 불 is the noun for fire, spelled like the stem. |
Blowing up Balloons for a Party
Jisu and Minho are getting a room ready for a birthday party. They are dividing up the remaining balloons.
Jisu
풍선을 불었어요?
Pungseoneul bureosseoyo?
Did you blow up the balloons?
Minho
네. 지금도 불어요.
Ne. Jigeumdo bureoyo.
Yes. I’m still blowing them up.
Jisu
저도 불 거예요.
Jeodo bul geoyeyo.
I’m going to blow some up too.
풍선을 makes this the object use of 불다. In a weather scene, 바람이 would instead be the subject. The final 불 거예요 uses the existing ㄹ without adding another syllable before 거예요.
Which Things Can You 불다?
풍선을 불다 means to blow up a balloon. 피리를 불다 means to play a pipe or flute. 휘파람을 불다 means to whistle. These expressions share the action of sending air out through your mouth. The English translation may be “blow,” “play,” or “whistle,” depending on the object.
촛불을 불다 is to blow at a candle flame. Blowing and extinguishing are not quite the same action: the verb 불다 alone does not guarantee that the flame goes out. At a birthday party, the cake and candles make the intended result obvious.
For instruments, 불다 fits those played with the breath. It does not extend to every musical instrument. A piano is not something you blow into. Learn the instrument’s usual verb together with its name, rather than treating 불다 as a general translation of English “play.”
How Does 불다 Work in Weather Language?
바람이 세게 불다 means that the wind blows strongly. 찬 바람이 불다 means that a cold wind blows. 세게 tells you the strength; 찬 describes the wind’s temperature. The sentence still treats 바람 as the thing doing the blowing, so it takes 이.
봄바람이 불다 describes a spring breeze blowing. In a literal weather sentence, 봄 identifies the season. News and headlines can also use a “wind” image for a new trend spreading through society. In that figurative setting, English may need “a wave of” or “a trend toward,” rather than a weather translation.
Weather forecasts often use 붑니다. The form may look unlike the familiar 불어요, but both come from 불다. Listen for the same noun 바람 with each ending. A conversation about going outside is more likely to use 불어요 or the conditional 불면.
| Related word | Meaning | How it connects to 불다 |
|---|---|---|
| 바람 | wind | The subject in the weather use. |
| 풍선 | balloon | An object you inflate by blowing. |
| 휘파람 | whistle / whistling | Used in 휘파람을 불다. |
| 피리 | pipe / flute | An instrument played by blowing. |
For weather descriptions around this verb, see Korean weather vocabulary.
Why Is It 불면 but 부는?
The ㄹ-drop pattern depends on the ending, rather than the length of the word. The present modifier ending 는 starts with ㄴ, so ㄹ disappears: 부는. The formal ending ㅂ니다 also removes ㄹ: 붑니다. Before 면, the ㄹ remains, giving 불면.
The conditional is not built by adding an extra 으 syllable to 불. A ㄹ-ending stem takes 면 directly here. Likewise, the future 불 거예요 keeps one ㄹ and a space before 거예요. The ending system treats ㄹ stems differently from stems such as 먹, which give 먹으면 and 먹을 거예요.
The honorific or request form 부세요 also drops ㄹ before ㅅ. In a music lesson, this can ask someone to blow or play. With the wind as the subject, an honorific ending is normally unnecessary because you are not honoring the weather.
How Can You Keep 불다 and 부르다 Apart?
Start with the meaning and dictionary form. A singer 부르다 sings, while a flute player 불다 blows into the instrument. The two verbs are not different spellings of the same action. Their familiar polite forms, 불러요 and 불어요, preserve that distinction.
Keep the number of syllables in view when reading: 불어요 has 불 plus 어요, with no added ㄹ in the next syllable’s spelling. 불러요 belongs to the longer 르 stem of 부르다. The subject and object usually make the intended verb clear before you reach the ending.
Mini Drill: Keep or Drop ㄹ
- Give the formal present of 불다.
- Complete “wind that blows”: ___ 바람.
- Give the conditional of 불다.
- Choose the polite present for blowing up a balloon: 불어요 or 불러요.
Show drill answers
- 붑니다. ㄹ drops before ㅂ.
- 부는 바람. ㄹ drops before ㄴ.
- 불면, with no extra 으.
- 불어요. 불러요 comes from 부르다.
Quick Self-Test
- Which particle does 바람 take in 바람이 불어요?
- What does 휘파람을 불다 mean?
- Can 불다 describe playing a piano?
Show answers
- 이, the subject marker.
- To whistle.
- No. The instrument use concerns blowing into an instrument.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say the Wind Is Blowing?
바람이 불어요. The wind is the subject with 이, and there is no object.
Why Is the Modifier 부는?
The ㄹ of the stem drops before ㄴ, so 불 + 는 becomes 부는. The same rule gives the formal 붑니다.
Is 불러요 Correct for Wind?
No. 불러요 comes from 부르다; wind is 불어요.
Can 불다 Take an Object?
Yes. 풍선을 불다 is to blow up a balloon.
Which Words Are Related to 불다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Look at 날다 and 부르다 next to keep similar sounds apart. The ㄹ rule is in ㄹ-drop verbs and adjectives, the Korean verb conjugator tests more stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists related entries.