Key Facts
- Hangul: 부르다 (bureuda)
- Meaning: to call/sing
- Level: A2
- Stem: 부르
- Conjugation class: 르-irregular
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 부르다 Mean?
- to call; to summon. Used for calling someone by voice or name: 이름을 부르다, 택시를 부르다.
- to sing. With 노래, it means to sing: 노래를 부르다.
부르다 is a very common verb, and in both senses the object takes 을/를: 사람을 부르다 (to call a person), 노래를 부르다 (to sing a song). You can tell the senses apart by the object. If it is a person, a name or a vehicle, the verb means to call. If it is 노래, it means to sing. Both senses share one set of forms, so you only need to learn one conjugation.
Don't confuse it with the adjective 배부르다 (to be full). It is a separate word and does not take an object.
How Do You Pronounce 부르다?
부르다 is read as written. In the irregular forms the two ㄹ sounds join into one long l, so 불러요 sounds like bul-leo-yo. In the formal 부릅니다 [부름니다], the ㅂ before ㄴ is pronounced [ㅁ].
How Do You Use 부르다 in a Sentence?
엄마가 저를 불러요.
Mom is calling me.
In 엄마가 저를 불러요, the person called, 저 (me), is the object and takes 를.
친구가 노래를 불렀어요.
My friend sang a song.
With the object 노래를, 불렀어요 has the singing sense.
노래를 부르는 사람이 제 동생이에요.
The person singing is my younger sibling.
부르는 before 사람 describes the person: 노래를 부르는 사람 is 'the person who is singing'.
How Does Bureuda Conjugation Work?
부르다 is 르-irregular. Before 아/어 the ㅡ of 르 drops and ㄹ doubles, so the polite present is 불러요 and the past is 불렀어요. Before endings that start with a consonant, the stem stays 부르: 부릅니다, 부르세요, 부르는.
부르다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 불러요 | ||
| Polite past | 불렀어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 부를 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 부르겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 부릅니다 | ||
| Formal past | 불렀습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 부를 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 불러 | ||
| Casual past | 불렀어 | ||
| Casual future | 부를 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 부르고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 부르세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 불러서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 부르면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 부르는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 부른 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 부를 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 불러요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 부르지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 불렀어요 | [불러써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 부를 거예요 | [부를꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 부르겠어요 | [부르게써요] |
| Formal present | 부릅니다 | [부름니다] |
| Formal past | 불렀습니다 | [불럳씀니다] |
| Formal future | 부를 것입니다 | [부를꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 불렀어 | [불러써] |
| Casual future | 부를 거야 | [부를꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 부르고 싶어요 | [부르고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 부르지 않아요 | [부르지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 부러요 / 부러서
Correct: ✓ 불러요 / 불러서
Why: 부러요 treats 부르다 as a regular verb. It is a 르-irregular verb, so before -아/-어 endings 르 becomes ㄹㄹ: 불러요, 불러서.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 부르다 |
|---|---|
| 노래하다 | 노래하다 is to sing as a general activity; 부르다 takes 노래 as its object (노래를 부르다). |
| 전화하다 | 전화하다 is to phone someone; 부르다 is to call out to someone or summon them. |
Leaving a Restaurant in the Rain
Two coworkers have finished dinner and need a taxi. They use the same object throughout, so the changes in the verb show a request, a completed action and a future plan.
Jisu
택시를 불러요?
Taeksireul bulleoyo?
Shall we call a taxi?
Alex
네. 저는 어제도 택시를 불렀어요.
Ne. Jeoneun eojedo taeksireul bulleosseoyo.
Yes. I called a taxi yesterday too.
Jisu
그럼 제가 부를 거예요.
Geureom jega bureul geoyeyo.
Then I’ll call one.
Alex
네, 고마워요.
Ne, gomawoyo.
Okay, thank you.
불러요 has a rising question tone here: Jisu is checking whether to arrange a ride. Alex’s 불렀어요 refers to yesterday’s completed call. 부를 거예요 keeps the first syllable 부, unlike 불러요. The taxi itself can be left out of the third line because both speakers know what they mean.
Which Phrases Go with 부르다?
이름을 부르다 means to call someone’s name aloud. A teacher taking attendance, a clinic calling the next patient and a friend trying to get your attention can all do this. The object is the name being spoken, rather than the person receiving a phone call.
큰 소리로 부르다 means to call out loudly. 큰 소리로 describes the volume; it does not turn the verb into a telephone expression. In a drama, someone looking for a missing friend may shout their name. For an actual phone call, use 전화하다.
노래를 부르다 means to sing a song, and 같이 부르다 means to sing together when a song is already understood. At a karaoke room, the song title can replace 노래 as the object. A title plus 을/를 names exactly what someone sings; 부르다 alone leaves the listener to recover it from context.
배가 부르다 means to be full after eating. Here 부르다 is the separate adjective mentioned above. The subject marker 가 in 배가 is a useful clue: the stomach is full, rather than someone calling or singing something. The polite surface form can still be 불러요, so the surrounding nouns matter.
Where Will You Hear 부르다?
Listen for 부르다 in school attendance, hospital waiting rooms, karaoke conversations and scenes where someone calls another person over. 택시를 부르다 describes arranging for a taxi to come, including through an app. It does not require shouting at a taxi in the street.
The relationship between speakers affects the ending. 불러 is suitable between close friends; 불러요 is polite everyday speech. 부르세요 can respectfully tell someone to call or sing. It honours the person doing the action, so it does not automatically make a blunt demand to a stranger sound gentle.
A useful distinction is who acts versus who is called. In 엄마가 저를 불러요, Mom does the calling and I receive it. The existing honorific form 부르세요 changes how the caller is treated. It does not replace the object marker 를 on the person called.
What Makes the 르 Forms Tricky?
The ㄹ added in 불러요 belongs to the syllable before 러. Keep both syllables: 불-러. The conditional 부르면 and noun modifier 부르는 retain 르, while the future modifier 부를 has its own ㄹ ending. Learning only the sound “bulleo” makes it easy to overextend that shape into every form.
Spacing also distinguishes the verb from its neighbours. Write 노래를 부르다 as two words and 부를 거예요 with a space before 거예요. 노래하다 is a different single-word verb. You can use either 노래하다 or 노래를 부르다 for singing, but the latter makes room for a specific song object.
Words for Calling and Singing
| Word | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 이름 | name | The object when you say someone’s name aloud. |
| 목소리 | voice | The sound you recognise when someone calls. |
| 노래 | song | The object that gives 부르다 its singing meaning. |
| 노래방 | karaoke room | A setting where song requests and singing overlap. |
| 가수 | singer | A person whose work involves singing songs. |
The music vocabulary lesson develops the song and performance words in this set.
Mini Drill: Choose the Right Stem Shape
Keep the taxi or song as the object. Fill each blank with the requested form of 부르다.
- 택시를 ___ — polite present.
- 친구가 노래를 ___ — polite past.
- 노래를 ___ 사람 — “a person who sings”.
- 내일 택시를 ___ — a future plan.
Show the forms
- 불러요. The 아/어 ending triggers the 르 change.
- 불렀어요. The past uses the same 불러 base.
- 부르는. The modifier retains 르 before 는.
- 부를 거예요. The future does not use the 불러 shape.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb makes a phone call: 부르다 or 전화하다?
- What does 노래를 부르다 mean?
- In 엄마가 저를 불러요, who does the calling?
Show answers
- 전화하다. 부르다 calls out or summons someone.
- To sing a song.
- Mom. 엄마가 marks the caller; 저를 marks the person called.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'I Called a Taxi'?
Use 택시를 부르다 in the past: 택시를 불렀어요. Calling a taxi belongs to the first sense, to call or summon.
How Do I Say 'to Sing a Song'?
Use 노래를 부르다, as in 친구가 노래를 불렀어요 (My friend sang a song).
Is 배부르다 the Same Word?
No. 배부르다 is a separate adjective meaning to be full after eating.
What Is the 르 Rule?
Before -아/-어 endings, the ㅡ of 르 drops and an extra ㄹ is added, so 부르 + 어요 becomes 불러요.
Which Words Are Related to 부르다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Study 모르다, 다르다 and 빠르다, which share the same 르 pattern. The rule is explained in 르-irregular verbs and adjectives, any form can be checked in the Korean verb conjugator, and the full list is in the Korean verb dictionary.