Key Facts
- Hangul: 붙다 (butda)
- Meaning: to stick
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Pronounced: [붇따]
- Stem: 붙
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: The thing that sticks takes 이/가 and the surface takes 에 (껌이 신발에 붙어요).
- Usage: Pronounced [붇따]. Opposite for exams is 떨어지다.
What Does 붙다 Mean?
There are three uses. Something sticks: 껌이 신발에 붙다. Someone passes: 시험에 붙다. Something is added on: 이름이 붙다. The thing that sticks takes 이/가 and the surface or exam takes 에.
The verb is intransitive. When a person does the sticking, switch to 붙이다.
Senses:
- to stick: Something sticks to a surface: 껌이 신발에 붙다.
- to pass an exam: Succeed in an entrance exam: 시험에 붙다.
- to be attached: Be fixed or added on: 이름이 붙다.
How Do You Pronounce 붙다?
The dictionary form is read [붇따]. Before a vowel the ㅌ links across as a full ㅌ, so 붙어요 is [부터요]. Only before 이 does it turn into [ㅊ], as in the related verb 붙이다.
How Do You Use 붙다 in a Sentence?
껌이 신발에 붙어요.
Gum sticks to my shoe.
껌이 is the gum, 신발에 is the shoe, and 붙어요 states the sticking.
동생이 시험에 붙었어요.
My younger sibling passed the exam.
동생이 시험에 붙었어요 uses 에 with the exam and puts the pass in the past.
풀이 손에 붙어서 씻었어요.
Glue stuck to my hands, so I washed them.
붙어서 is the reason in the sentence about glue, and the second half says what the speaker did next.
How Does Butda Conjugation Work?
붙다 is regular. The stem 붙 ends in a consonant, so endings with 으 insert it (붙으면) and 어 endings add directly (붙어요, 붙었어요).
붙다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 붙어요 | ||
| Polite past | 붙었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 붙을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 붙겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 붙습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 붙었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 붙을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 붙어 | ||
| Casual past | 붙었어 | ||
| Casual future | 붙을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 붙고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 붙으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 붙어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 붙으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 붙는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 붙은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 붙을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 붙어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 붙지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 붙어요 | [부터요] |
| Polite past | 붙었어요 | [부터써요] |
| Polite future | 붙을 거예요 | [부틀꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 붙겠어요 | [붇께써요] |
| Formal present | 붙습니다 | [붇씀니다] |
| Formal past | 붙었습니다 | [부턷씀니다] |
| Formal future | 붙을 것입니다 | [부틀꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 붙어 | [부터] |
| Casual past | 붙었어 | [부터써] |
| Casual future | 붙을 거야 | [부틀꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 붙고 싶어요 | [붇꼬 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 붙으세요 | [부트세요] |
| Because / and then | 붙어서 | [부터서] |
| If (conditional) | 붙으면 | [부트면] |
| Present modifier | 붙는 | [분는] |
| Past modifier | 붙은 | [부튼] |
| Future modifier | 붙을 | [부틀] |
| Short negative | 안 붙어요 | [안 부터요] |
| Long negative | 붙지 않아요 | [붇찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 시험을 붙었어요
Correct: ✓ 시험에 붙었어요
Why: Because 붙다 has no object, the exam takes 에 and not 을/를. The correct phrase is 시험에 붙었어요.
Where Does 붙다 Turn up in Practice?
Three settings: everyday objects (껌이 신발에 붙다), exams (시험에 붙다) and names (이름이 붙다). For exams, the opposite is 떨어지다, and the formal, written word for passing is 합격하다.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 붙다?
| Word | How to tell it from 붙다 |
|---|---|
| 붙이다 | 붙이다 is the transitive partner: to stick something on. |
| 합격하다 | 합격하다 is the formal word for passing an exam. |
| 떨어지다 | 떨어지다 is the opposite for exams: to fail; it also means to fall. |
Comparing Exam Results
Two classmates are talking after their exam results come out. Jisu has passed, and Minho hopes for the same result next time.
Minho
시험에 붙었어요?
Siheome buteosseoyo?
Did you pass the exam?
Jisu
네. 붙었어요.
Ne. Buteosseoyo.
Yes, I passed.
Minho
저도 다음에는 붙고 싶어요.
Jeodo daeumeneun butgo sipeoyo.
I want to pass next time too.
시험에 names the exam with 에. 붙고 싶어요 expresses a wish; it does not claim a result. The last line leaves out 시험에 because the exam is already the shared topic. The same past form 붙었어요 could describe a sticker in another situation.
Which 붙다 Phrases Occur in Everyday Conversation?
시험에 붙다 means to pass an exam. 대학에 붙다 means to get into a university. In the university phrase, the result is successful admission, rather than physically arriving at the campus. The institution takes 에, just as the exam does.
정이 붙다 means to grow attached or fond. The literal image is affection sticking. People can grow attached to a place after living there or to someone they spend time with. The phrase concerns a developing bond, rather than glue or another physical adhesive.
붙어 다니다 describes staying together as people go around, often said of close friends who are always together. 붙어 connects the state of being close to 다니다, going around. Keep a space between the two verbs. The phrase does not mean that the people are literally stuck and unable to move apart.
불이 붙다 means to catch fire. Compare it with 불을 붙이다, to light something. In the first phrase, fire is the subject and the focus is what happens. In the second, someone causes the fire to start. The small difference in the particle matches the difference between the verbs.
Where Do the Physical and Exam Uses Appear?
At home or in a classroom, 붙다 describes glue, stickers, tape, and things that cling to clothes or shoes. 안 붙어요 is useful when an adhesive will not stick. The negative can describe a failed attempt rather than a habit of never sticking.
In conversations about school or job applications, 붙었어요 can announce success. It is everyday language and fits a text to a friend. 합격하다 is useful for formal result notices or official reporting. Passing does not become a different achievement when the register changes; the wording changes with the setting.
떨어지다 can mean that a sticker comes off, and it can also mean failing an exam. These are two useful oppositions to remember together: something stays attached versus comes off, and someone succeeds versus fails. Context determines the meaning rather than the ending.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 껌 | chewing gum | The subject in the shoe example. |
| 풀 | glue | Something that can stick to your hands. |
| 시험 | exam | Takes 에 when paired with 붙다. |
| 합격 | passing / acceptance | The noun found in result announcements. |
For the school and result words, see Korean exams and grades vocabulary.
How Can You Choose 붙다 or 붙이다 Quickly?
Ask which participant you are describing. If you describe a sticker that remains on a surface, the sticker is the subject of 붙다. If you describe a person putting it there, that person uses 붙이다 and the sticker becomes the object. Both sentences can describe parts of the same event.
붙다 does not require the sticking to happen without any human involvement. A person may have put the sticker there earlier. “Intransitive” simply means that the verb itself does not take a direct object. This is why a useful correction is about the particle and verb, rather than whether a human is present.
The formal 붙습니다 keeps the stem-final ㅌ in writing. Before a vowel, 붙어요 and 붙으면 still keep ㅌ in spelling, but it links into the next syllable in pronunciation. There is no ㅅ deletion, unlike 붓다, to pour. Both dictionary forms sound alike, so inspect the Hangul when learning them.
For the present modifier, 붙는 describes something that sticks or is sticking. 붙은 points to something already attached or someone who has passed. The difference helps when reading descriptions of objects and successful applicants: the noun after the modifier tells you which sense is active.
Mini Drill: Match the Participant to the Verb
- Fill the particle: 시험___ 붙었어요.
- Give the conditional of 붙다.
- Write the polite short negative of 붙다.
- Choose the verb for putting a sticker on a notebook: 붙다 or 붙이다.
Show drill answers
- 시험에 붙었어요.
- 붙으면. The stem keeps its ㅌ.
- 안 붙어요.
- 붙이다; the sticker is the object of the attaching action.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 대학에 붙다 mean?
- Does 정이 붙다 describe physical glue?
- Must 붙다 describe an event with no human involvement?
Show answers
- To get into a university.
- No. It means to grow attached or fond.
- No. 붙다 focuses on the thing sticking and takes no direct object.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say I Passed the Exam?
시험에 붙었어요. The exam takes 에, and 붙다 is the everyday word for passing.
Does 붙다 Take 을/를?
No. It is intransitive: the thing that sticks takes 이/가 and the surface or exam takes 에 (껌이 신발에 붙어요).
What Is the Opposite for Exams?
떨어지다, to fail (literally to fall). The formal word for passing is 합격하다.
How Is It Pronounced?
The dictionary form is read [붇따]: the final ㅌ is a plain [ㄷ] stop and makes the next ㄷ tense.
Which Words Are Related to 붙다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Study 붙이다 next, then 합격하다 and 떨어지다. polite present recipe explains the polite present, the Korean verb conjugator tests more stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists related entries.