Kkeuda conjugation follows the ㅡ-drop pattern: the stem's ㅡ disappears before 아 or 어.
Key Facts
- Hangul: 끄다 (kkeuda)
- Meaning: to turn off
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 끄
- Class: ㅡ-drop
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 끄다 Mean?
- to turn off. Switch off a light or device, as in 불을 끄다; also to put out a fire (불을 끄다).
불 means both 'light' and 'fire', so 불을 끄다 covers switching off the light and putting out a fire. Other typical objects are 휴대폰 (mobile phone) and 에어컨 (air conditioner), and the honorific polite form is 끄세요.
It is transitive, so the thing switched off takes 을/를, as in 불을 꺼요. The opposite is 켜다. For doors and windows use 닫다 instead.
How Do You Pronounce 끄다?
The past 껐어요 is read [꺼써요], the formal present 끕니다 is [끔니다], and the future plan is [끌꺼예요].
How Do You Use 끄다 in a Sentence?
잠자기 전에 불을 꺼요.
I turn off the light before sleeping.
A bedtime routine: 잠자기 전에 (before sleeping) 불을 꺼요.
어제 텔레비전을 껐어요.
I turned off the TV yesterday.
Yesterday's TV: 어제 텔레비전을 and the past 껐어요.
불을 끄면 어두워요.
If you turn off the light, it gets dark.
A conditional: 불을 끄면 어두워요 (if you turn off the light, it gets dark). The condition uses 끄면.
How Does Kkeuda Conjugation Work?
The stem 끄 ends in ㅡ. Before 아/어 endings this ㅡ drops and the previous consonant takes the vowel ㅓ, giving 꺼요, 껐어요, 꺼서 and 꺼. Before consonant endings nothing drops, so you see 끕니다, 끄면 and 끄는.
끄다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 꺼요 | ||
| Polite past | 껐어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 끌 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 끄겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 끕니다 | ||
| Formal past | 껐습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 끌 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 꺼 | ||
| Casual past | 껐어 | ||
| Casual future | 끌 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 끄고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 끄세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 꺼서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 끄면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 끄는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 끈 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 끌 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 꺼요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 끄지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 꺼요 | as written |
| Polite past | 껐어요 | [꺼써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 끌 거예요 | [끌꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 끄겠어요 | [끄게써요] |
| Formal present | 끕니다 | [끔니다] |
| Formal past | 껐습니다 | [껃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 끌 것입니다 | [끌꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 꺼 | as written |
| Casual past | 껐어 | [꺼써] |
| Casual future | 끌 거야 | [끌꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 끄고 싶어요 | [끄고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 끄세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 꺼서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 끄면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 끄는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 끈 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 끌 | as written |
| Negative, short | 안 꺼요 | as written |
| Negative, long | 끄지 않아요 | [끄지 아나요] |
The rule behind 끄다 (ㅡ-drop) is taught in ㅡ-drop verbs and adjectives.
Common Mistake with 끄다
Wrong: ✗ 불을 끄어요
Correct: ✓ 불을 꺼요
Why: 끄다 is a ㅡ-irregular verb: the ㅡ drops before 어, so it is 꺼요, 껐어요, not 끄어요.
Because the ㅡ drops before 어, the polite present is 불을 꺼요 and the past is 껐어요. The same pattern runs through every ㅡ-drop verb, so learning 끄다 well pays off.
끄다 Versus Similar Verbs
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 켜다 | 끄다 is to turn off; 켜다 is to turn on. |
| 닫다 | 끄다 is for switching off lights, devices, or fire; 닫다 is for shutting doors and windows. |
Switching off the Office Equipment
Two coworkers are leaving the office. One checks the air conditioner while the other takes care of the lights.
Jisu
에어컨을 껐어요?
Eeokeoneul kkeosseoyo?
Did you turn off the air conditioner?
Alex
네. 불도 꺼요?
Ne. Buldo kkeoyo?
Yes. Shall I turn off the lights too?
Jisu
네. 저는 컴퓨터를 끌 거예요.
Ne. Jeoneun keompyuteoreul kkeul geoyeyo.
Yes. I will turn off the computer.
껐어요 checks a completed action. In this situation, 불도 꺼요? offers to do the next action; 도 adds the lights to the equipment already discussed. 끌 거예요 states the other coworker’s plan. None of these forms describes an appliance turning itself off: the coworkers are doing the switching.
What Can You Turn off with 끄다?
전원을 끄다 means to switch off the power. You may see 전원 on a device’s power button or in instructions. 컴퓨터를 끄다 means to shut down or turn off a computer, while 에어컨을 끄다 means to switch off an air conditioner. The device is the object in each phrase.
불을 끄다 can mean to turn off a light or put out a fire. A bedtime conversation normally points to lighting. A report about firefighters points to extinguishing flames. 불 carries both meanings, so the same phrase can describe an ordinary household action or a serious emergency.
담뱃불을 끄다 means to extinguish a cigarette. This is another literal extinguishing use: the burning tip is put out. It helps connect the two main senses of 끄다 without treating every example as an electrical switch.
Where Will You Hear or See 끄다?
Household reminders use 끄다 with lights, televisions and heating or cooling equipment. A classroom instruction may use 휴대폰을 끄세요, asking people to turn their phones off. Turning the phone off is different from merely lowering its volume; the object 휴대폰 refers to the device itself.
Public notices may instead use 전원 OFF, combining the Korean word for power with English. Fire news often uses 진화, a noun meaning fire extinguishing. Those labels help you recognize the same practical action when a notice or headline does not contain the everyday verb 끄다.
The short command 꺼 can sound abrupt with someone you do not know well. 끄세요 is a polite instruction, suitable in a classroom or an announcement. Politeness does not change which action is requested: both still concern turning something off. The relationship and setting determine how direct the instruction feels.
The Spelling Trap: 꺼, 끄 and 끈
Only endings beginning with 아 or 어 make the stem’s ㅡ drop. That gives 꺼요, 껐어요 and 꺼서. In 끄면 and 끄세요, the ㅡ remains. The contrast is visible in the dialogue: the past has 껐, while the future 끌 거예요 is built from 끄 plus ㄹ.
The past modifier 끈 can appear before a noun to identify something that someone turned off. It is not the dictionary stem of 끄다. The verb is still 끄다, and its present modifier is 끄는. Keeping the dictionary form beside these short forms helps avoid confusing an ending with part of the stem.
For a door, use 닫다. A door is closed, while a light or device is switched off. If you stop an activity or halt a movement, 멈추다 may be the needed verb. Translating the English word “stop” as 끄다 in every situation loses these distinctions.
| Related word | Meaning | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 전원 | power | Names the supply or power setting of a device. |
| 스위치 | switch | The control you operate. |
| 리모컨 | remote control | Used to turn a television or air conditioner off. |
| 켜다 | to turn on | The everyday opposite of switching off. |
See home appliance vocabulary for devices commonly used with 끄다 and 켜다.
Mini Drill: When Does ㅡ Disappear?
- Give the polite present of 끄다.
- Give the polite past.
- Give the conditional, “if I turn it off.”
- Give the formal present.
Show drill answers
- 꺼요: ㅡ drops before 어.
- 껐어요.
- 끄면: the ㅡ remains.
- 끕니다.
Quick Self-Test
- What are the two possible meanings of 불을 끄다?
- Does 휴대폰을 끄세요 only ask you to lower the volume?
- Which verb closes a window: 끄다 or 닫다?
Show answers
- To turn off a light or put out a fire.
- No. It asks you to turn the phone off.
- 닫다.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is It 꺼요 and Not 끄어요?
The ㅡ in the stem drops before 어.
What Is the past of 끄다?
It is 껐어요, read [꺼써요]. The example 어제 텔레비전을 껐어요 uses it.
What Is the Formal Present?
끕니다, read [끔니다].
Can 끄다 Be Used for Fire?
Yes, it also means to put out a fire.
Which Particle Goes with the Object?
The thing switched off takes 을/를.
Which Words Are Related to 끄다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Practise with 켜다 and compare door verbs in 닫다. When 끄다 feels familiar, compare it with other entries in the verb dictionary or check a form in the conjugator.