Key Facts
- Hangul: 눕다 (nupda)
- Meaning: to lie down
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 눕
- Conjugation class: ㅂ-irregular
- Dictionary form sounds like: [눕따]
- Grammar: Takes 에 for where (침대에 눕다) and the subject takes 이/가; there is no 을/를 object.
- Usage: Present state is often 누워 있어요 (I am lying). The present modifier is 눕는 and past 누운.
What Does 눕다 Mean?
눕다 means to lie down. 침대에 누워요 says that I lie on the bed. It takes 에 for the place, as in 침대에 눕다, and the subject takes 이/가. There is no 을/를 object. It names the lying position only, so it does not have to involve sleep.
How Do You Pronounce 눕다?
The dictionary form is [눕따]: the ㅂ stays and the 다 is tensed. Before a vowel ending the ㅂ turns into 워, so 누워요 is read as written and 누웠어요 is [누워써요]. The formal 눕습니다 is [눕씀니다], and the present modifier 눕는 is [눔는].
How Do You Use 눕다 in a Sentence?
저는 침대에 누워요.
I lie on the bed.
저는 is the topic, and 침대에 marks the bed as the place.
피곤해서 바로 누웠어요.
I was tired, so I lay down right away.
피곤해서 gives the reason, and 바로 누웠어요 says the speaker lay down right away.
누워서 책을 읽어요.
I read a book lying down.
누워서 describes the posture in which the reading happens: the person reads while lying down.
The set shows the polite present 누워요, the polite past 누웠어요 and the connecting form 누워서.
How Does Nupda Conjugation Work?
눕다 is a ㅂ-irregular verb. Before a vowel ending the ㅂ turns into 우, and 우 + 어 becomes 워: 누워요, 누웠어요, 누워서. Before a consonant the ㅂ stays: 눕습니다 and 눕지 않아요. The present modifier is 눕는 and the past modifier is 누운. The rule behind this class is in the lesson on ㅂ-irregular verbs and adjectives.
눕다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 누워요 | ||
| Polite past | 누웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 누울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 눕겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 눕습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 누웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 누울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 누워 | ||
| Casual past | 누웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 누울 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 눕고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 누우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 누워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 누우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 눕는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 누운 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 누울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 누워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 눕지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 누웠어요 | [누워써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 누울 거예요 | [누울꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 눕겠어요 | [눕께써요] |
| Formal present | 눕습니다 | [눕씀니다] |
| Formal past | 누웠습니다 | [누웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 누울 것입니다 | [누울꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 누웠어 | [누워써] |
| Casual future | 누울 거야 | [누울꺼야] |
| Want to | 눕고 싶어요 | [눕꼬 시퍼요] |
| Present modifier | 눕는 | [눔는] |
| Long negative | 눕지 않아요 | [눕찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 눕다
Wrong: ✗ 눕어요
Correct: ✓ 누워요
Why: This is a ㅂ-irregular verb: the ㅂ turns into 워 before 어, so the polite present is 누워요. The formal form 눕습니다 keeps the ㅂ.
Lying down and Being in Bed
To say that you are lying there, Korean uses 누워 있어요, which describes the present state. 눕다 is only the position, so it can be lying awake: 누워서 책을 읽어요. 자다 is to sleep, and 앉다 is to sit, so the three sit in a row of body positions.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 눕다?
| Word | How to tell it from 눕다 |
|---|---|
| 자다 | 자다 is to sleep; 눕다 is only the lying position and may not involve sleep. |
| 앉다 | 앉다 is to sit; 눕다 is to lie flat. |
자다 is to sleep and 눕다 is only the lying position. 앉다 is to sit, while 눕다 is to lie flat.
At the Clinic: Lie down for an Examination
A doctor asks a patient to lie on the examination bed. The patient asks about the position before following the instruction.
Doctor
여기에 누우세요.
Yeogie nuuseyo.
Please lie down here.
Patient
옆으로 누워요?
Yeopeuro nuwoyo?
Should I lie on my side?
Doctor
아니요. 똑바로 누우세요.
Aniyo. Ttokbaro nuuseyo.
No. Please lie on your back.
Patient
네, 누웠어요.
Ne, nuwosseoyo.
Okay, I’m lying down now.
누우세요 is the respectful instruction, 누워요 asks about the action, and 누웠어요 reports that the patient has done it. Here 똑바로 means straight, facing upward on the bed. The final past form reports a completed movement whose result is visible now.
Which Phrases Describe the Lying Position?
옆으로 눕다 means to lie on your side. 옆 means side, and 으로 marks the orientation of the body. 똑바로 눕다 asks for a straight position; on a bed, it commonly means lying on your back. These phrases describe posture rather than how sleepy someone feels.
드러눕다 is a related verb for lying down or flopping down. It can suggest a more deliberate or sprawled movement than plain 눕다. 눕히다 means to lay someone down, such as a caregiver putting a baby on a bed. With 눕다, the person lies down themselves; with 눕히다, someone causes another person to take that position.
The place and the direction answer different questions. 침대에 identifies the bed where you lie down; 옆으로 tells the listener which way your body faces. Both pieces can appear in one description because they do different jobs. A mattress, a floor and a sofa can all be places for 눕다.
Where Will You Hear 눕다?
At a clinic or during a physical examination, 누우세요 is a practical request. The ending respects the patient; the root itself has no separate everyday honorific replacement. A clinician can use this form even with a younger adult patient. In a home conversation, 누워 is the casual form used with a close friend or family member when casual speech is already appropriate.
In everyday talk after work, 눕고 싶어요 expresses wanting to lie down. It may mean wanting a brief rest rather than going to bed for the night. A drama character can lie on a sofa and keep talking, so seeing 눕다 in subtitles does not tell you the character falls asleep.
What Makes the State Expression Tricky?
누워 있어요 describes remaining in the position after lying down. Write a space between 누워 and 있어요. The first word comes from 눕다, and 있어요 supplies the continuing state. By contrast, 누웠어요 reports that the movement happened; in the clinic dialogue it naturally means the patient is now in position.
The modifier also depends on what you describe. 눕는 describes the action, while 누운 can describe someone already lying down. The label “past modifier” in a conjugation table does not mean the person must have got up again. A completed change of posture can leave a state that continues now.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 침대 | bed | The place takes 에 with 눕다. |
| 베개 | pillow | An object associated with lying down, rather than a posture. |
| 눕히다 | to lay someone down | Use when another person causes the movement. |
| 엎드리다 | to lie face down | Specifies a position that 눕다 alone does not. |
The body vocabulary lesson helps you name the back, shoulders and other body parts when explaining a position.
Mini Drill: Action, State and Instructions
- Give the polite past of 눕다.
- Ask a patient to lie down using the respectful form in the table.
- Complete the state expression: 누워 ____.
- Give the modifier used for someone already lying down.
Show drill answers
- 누웠어요.
- 누우세요.
- 있어요: 누워 있어요, with a space.
- 누운. The lying position may still continue.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 눕다 necessarily mean sleeping?
- Which phrase means lying on your side?
- Which verb means laying another person down?
Show answers
- No. A person can lie down while reading or talking.
- 옆으로 눕다.
- 눕히다.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'I Lie on the Bed'?
저는 침대에 누워요.
Is 눕어요 Correct?
No. It is ㅂ-irregular, so use 누워요.
How Do You Say 'I Am Lying down' as a State?
누워 있어요.
What Is the Present Modifier?
눕는, spoken [눔는], and the past modifier is 누운.
What Is the Difference between 눕다 and 자다?
눕다 is only lying down; 자다 is to sleep.
Which Words Are Related to 눕다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 자다 and 앉다 as neighbours, then 일어나다 for the move back up. Once you know how to say "to lie down", put another word through the Korean verb conjugator to compare the pattern, or browse more entries in the Korean verb dictionary.