Key Facts
- Hangul: 굽다 (gupda, 2 syllables)
- Meaning: to grill, roast or bake
- Level: A2
- Stem: 굽
- Conjugation class: ㅂ-irregular
- What it takes: What is cooked takes 을/를 (고기를 구워요).
What Does 굽다 Mean?
굽다 covers grilling, roasting and baking: 고기를 굽다 for meat, 빵을 굽다 for bread and 고구마를 굽다 for sweet potatoes. The food takes 을/를.
A separate, regular 굽다 means 'to be bent or curved', and its polite form is 굽어요. Every form on this page belongs to the cooking verb.
- to grill: Cook meat, fish or bread over heat: 고기를 굽다.
- to roast or bake: Roast or bake food: 빵을 굽다, 고구마를 굽다.
How Do You Pronounce 굽다?
The dictionary form is said [굽따], with the final consonant of 굽 tensing the ㄷ of 다. The formal 굽습니다 is [굽씀니다] and 구웠어요 is [구워써요]. Revised Romanization is gupda.
How Do You Use 굽다 in a Sentence?
저녁에 고기를 구워요.
I grill meat in the evening.
An evening habit, with 구워요 showing the ㅂ-to-우 change before 어.
엄마가 빵을 구웠어요.
Mom baked bread.
Past tense: bread baked at home.
생선을 구우면 냄새가 나요.
If you grill fish, it smells.
The -면 ending, again with a 우 form, states the smell as a consequence.
How Does Gupda Conjugation Work?
굽다 is ㅂ-irregular: before a vowel-initial ending the ㅂ becomes 우, giving 구워요, 구웠어요 and 구우면. Before a consonant it stays as ㅂ: 굽습니다 and 굽는. The honorific is 구우세요.
The pattern behind 굽다 is taught step by step in ㅂ-irregular verbs and adjectives.
굽다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 구워요 | ||
| Polite past | 구웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 구울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 굽겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 굽습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 구웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 구울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 구워 | ||
| Casual past | 구웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 구울 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 굽고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 구우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 구워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 구우면 | ||
| Present modifier | 굽는 | ||
| Past modifier | 구운 | ||
| Future modifier | 구울 | ||
| Short negative | 안 구워요 | ||
| Long negative | 굽지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 구워요 | as written |
| Polite past | 구웠어요 | [구워써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 구울 거예요 | [구울꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 굽겠어요 | [굽께써요] |
| Formal present | 굽습니다 | [굽씀니다] |
| Formal past | 구웠습니다 | [구웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 구울 것입니다 | [구울꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 구워 | as written |
| Casual past | 구웠어 | [구워써] |
| Casual future | 구울 거야 | [구울꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 굽고 싶어요 | [굽꼬 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 구우세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 구워서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 구우면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 굽는 | [굼는] |
| Past modifier | 구운 | as written |
| Future modifier | 구울 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 구워요 | as written |
| Long negative | 굽지 않아요 | [굽찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 고기를 굽어요
Correct: ✓ 고기를 구워요
Why: This 굽다 is ㅂ-irregular: ㅂ becomes 우 before 어, giving 구워요.
How Does 굽다 Differ from Similar Words?
Cooking Together at a Barbecue Restaurant
Two friends share a tabletop grill. One volunteers to cook the meat while the other asks what is already ready.
Jisu
제가 고기를 구울 거예요.
Jega gogireul guul geoyeyo.
I’m going to grill the meat.
Alex
이 버섯도 구워요?
I beoseotdo guwoyo?
Are we grilling these mushrooms too?
Jisu
네. 저쪽 고기는 벌써 구웠어요.
Ne. Jeojjok gogineun beolsseo guwosseoyo.
Yes. I’ve already grilled the meat over there.
Alex
그럼 저는 채소를 준비할게요.
Geureom jeoneun chaesoreul junbihalgeyo.
Then I’ll get the vegetables ready.
구울 거예요 states the plan, 구워요 asks about another ingredient, and 구웠어요 reports completed cooking. 벌써 means “already”. 저쪽, “over there”, helps the listener identify which portion the speaker means. The verb tells you the cooking method; the surrounding words identify the food and stage of preparation.
Food Combinations You Will Actually Use
고기를 굽다 means to grill or roast meat. 생선을 굽다 means to grill or bake fish. 빵을 굽다 means to bake bread, and 고구마를 굽다 means to roast sweet potatoes. These are literal cooking combinations. English chooses a more specific method word according to the food and equipment.
잘 굽다 means to cook something well by grilling, roasting or baking. 바싹 굽다 means to cook it thoroughly or until crisp, depending on the food. The adverb describes the result or degree of cooking, so it adds information that 굽다 alone leaves open.
The noun 구이 names grilled or roasted food. 생선구이 is grilled fish, while 소금구이 names a salt-seasoned grilled preparation. A menu may use a 구이 name without a complete sentence containing 굽다. Recognizing the noun helps you connect the dish name to the action verb.
Where Will You Hear or See 굽다?
At a barbecue restaurant, 굽다 concerns cooking the food on the grill. It does not say who handles the grill: customers or staff may do that, depending on the restaurant. The subject, a gesture or a direct offer tells you who is taking responsibility for the cooking.
In baking videos and recipes, 빵을 굽다 uses exactly the same verb. 굽다 does not require an open flame. Bread cooked in an oven and meat cooked over charcoal share the idea of cooking by heat without boiling the food in water.
Menus use cooked-food descriptions such as 구운 고기, “grilled meat”. 구운 is the completed-action modifier from the table. 굽는 describes the cooking action as ongoing or habitual. 구울 points ahead to food that will be grilled, so these noun forms carry different time relationships.
Two Stem Shapes, Not One Shortened Spelling
Pair 구워요 with 구우면. Both have lost ㅂ, but only the first combines 우 with 어 to make 워. 구우면 keeps two 우 syllables because the conditional ending does not supply 어. This is why copying 구워 into every form gives the wrong result.
The same contrast appears in 구운 and 구울: neither contains 워. Before consonant endings, retain the written ㅂ in 굽습니다, 굽고 싶어요 and 굽는. The last form is pronounced [굼는], but the spelling still shows 굽. A change in sound before ㄴ does not change the written stem.
The cooking verb uses 우, unlike 돕다, whose familiar polite present is 도와요. Being in the same broad irregular class does not make every vowel identical. For 굽다, keep the practical pair 구워요 and 구우면 as your model.
굽다 describes cooking something, while 익다 describes becoming cooked. 구운 고기 names meat that has been grilled; it is a description of preparation, not a detailed statement of doneness or temperature. Use the surrounding recipe or conversation for those details.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 구이 | grilled / roasted dish | Common in menu names. |
| 불판 | grill plate | The cooking surface at a tabletop barbecue. |
| 오븐 | oven | The appliance often used when baking bread. |
| 익다 | to become cooked | Focuses on the food's change of state. |
The cooking vocabulary lesson compares preparation methods and kitchen words.
기름 means oil and 물 means water. Neither is a required object of 굽다: the food is the object. A recipe can mention oil for the pan while still describing the cooking as 굽다 rather than deep-frying.
Mini Drill: Follow the Ending
- Give the polite present of the cooking verb 굽다.
- Give the conditional “if you grill”.
- Put the completed-action modifier before 고기.
- Give the formal present without dropping ㅂ.
Show drill answers
- 구워요.
- 구우면.
- 구운 고기.
- 굽습니다.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 굽다 require an open flame?
- What does 구이 usually name on a menu?
- Does the spelling of 굽는 change to match its pronunciation?
Show answers
- No. Oven baking also uses 굽다.
- A grilled or roasted dish.
- No. It stays 굽는.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 굽다?
It is 구워요, with ㅂ becoming 우 before 어.
Why Is 굽어요 Wrong for Grilling?
굽어요 belongs to the regular homograph meaning 'to be bent'. The grilling verb is ㅂ-irregular.
What Stays Unchanged?
Endings that start with a consonant keep the ㅂ: 굽습니다 and 굽는.
Which Verbs Describe Other Cooking?
볶다 is stir-frying, 튀기다 is deep-frying and 찌다 is steaming.
Which Words Are Related to 굽다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare it with 볶다, 튀기다 and 찌다 to learn Korean cooking verbs, and 돕다 for another ㅂ-irregular verb. To test another form of 굽다 ('to grill, to roast'), open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.