Key Facts
- Hangul: 푸다 (puda)
- Meaning: to scoop; to ladle
- Level: B2
- Stem: 푸
- Conjugation class: 우-irregular
- Grammar: transitive
What Does 푸다 Mean?
푸다 is a kitchen verb. You scoop rice, ladle soup or draw water: 밥을 푸다, 국을 푸다. What you scoop takes 을/를, and the container can follow with 에, as in 국을 그릇에 펐어요.
푸다 matters in serving instructions because it names the scooping action. The food is already cooked in 밥을 푸다; the verb says that someone dishes it out, rather than preparing it from raw rice.
How Do You Pronounce 푸다?
푸다 has two syllables, pu-da, and the vowel ㅜ is rounded. In the irregular forms 퍼 and 펐 the ㅜ vanishes and the vowel becomes ㅓ, which is spoken with unrounded lips. 펐어요 is said [퍼써요], and 풉니다 is said [품니다] because ㅂ turns into ㅁ before ㄴ.
How Do You Use 푸다 in a Sentence?
엄마가 밥을 퍼요.
Mom scoops out the rice.
퍼요 with 엄마가 and 밥을: mom is scooping out the rice at the table.
국을 그릇에 펐어요.
I ladled the soup into a bowl.
펐어요 with 그릇에 shows the soup going into a bowl. 펐 is the past stem.
밥을 퍼서 드세요.
Scoop out some rice and eat.
퍼서 links two actions: scoop it, then eat. It ends with the verb 드세요, so it is a polite invitation.
How Does Puda Conjugation Work?
In the 우 pattern, the ㅜ is deleted before 어, so 푸 + 어요 = 퍼요 and 푸 plus the past marker = 펐어요. The contraction also gives 퍼서 and 퍼. Everything else is regular: 풉니다, 푸세요, 푸면, 푸는. The future 풀 거예요 looks identical to the future of 풀다.
푸다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 퍼요 | ||
| Polite past | 펐어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 풀 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 푸겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 풉니다 | ||
| Formal past | 펐습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 풀 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 퍼 | ||
| Casual past | 펐어 | ||
| Casual future | 풀 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 푸고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 푸세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 퍼서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 푸면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 푸는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 푼 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 풀 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 퍼요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 푸지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 펐어요 | [퍼써요] |
| Future plan | 풀 거예요 | [풀꺼예요] |
| Future guess | 푸겠어요 | [푸게써요] |
| Formal now | 풉니다 | [품니다] |
| Formal past | 펐습니다 | [펃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 풀 것입니다 | [풀꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 펐어 | [퍼써] |
| Casual future | 풀 거야 | [풀꺼야] |
| Want to | 푸고 싶어요 | [푸고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 푸지 않아요 | [푸지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 푸어요 / 푸요
Correct: ✓ 퍼요
Why: 푸다 is the one 우 irregular verb: the ㅜ drops before 어, so 푸 + 어요 becomes 퍼요. Do not try to merge 어 into the ㅜ, as happens in many other ㅜ verbs. For 푸다 the ㅜ disappears instead.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 푸다 |
|---|---|
| 담다 | 담다 is to put something into a container; 푸다 is the scooping action that fills it. |
| 붓다 | 붓다 is to pour liquid; 푸다 is to scoop out with a spoon or ladle. |
Serving Rice and Soup at Home
Two family members are preparing dinner. One has finished serving the rice and offers to ladle the soup next.
Jisu
밥은 제가 펐어요.
Babeun jega peosseoyo.
I’ve served the rice.
Minho
고마워요. 국도 퍼요?
Gomawoyo. Gukdo peoyo?
Thanks. Are you serving the soup too?
Jisu
네, 국을 퍼서 가져갈게요.
Ne, gugeul peoseo gajyeogalgeyo.
Yes, I’ll ladle the soup and bring it over.
펐어요 reports the rice is served, 퍼요 asks about the next serving action, and 퍼서 connects ladling to bringing the food over. 밥은 sets rice as the topic; 국도 adds soup with 도, “too”. The same verb works for both foods even though the serving utensils differ.
What Exactly Does 푸다 Describe?
밥을 푸다 means to scoop out cooked rice, commonly from a rice cooker into bowls. 국을 푸다 means to ladle soup. In each case, the action takes food or liquid from a larger supply in portions. The verb focuses on scooping rather than cooking the food.
물을 푸다 can describe scooping or drawing water out of a container or another place where it has collected. Water is not always poured: taking it out a scoop at a time fits 푸다. When a jug is tilted so that water flows out, a pouring verb such as 붓다 or 따르다 describes the action more directly.
국자로 푸다 means to scoop with a ladle. 국자로 identifies the tool, while 그릇에 identifies the receiving container. The food can take 을/를 as the object. Naming the tool and container makes a kitchen instruction more precise without changing the main verb.
Where Will You Hear 푸다?
At home, 푸다 often appears when people divide up serving tasks before a meal. In a canteen or a buffet with soup in a large pot, the same verb describes taking a portion with a ladle. It tells you how the food moves, rather than whether it is free, self-service or a fixed portion.
A host saying 밥을 퍼서 드세요 invites someone to serve themselves rice and eat. The serving verb is 푸다; 드세요 is the respectful eating verb. Respect in the second part does not turn 푸다 into a different lexical verb. A direct polite instruction to do the scooping can use 푸세요.
In a recipe, a verb about transferring soup may appear beside 담다. The two can describe different aspects of one event: 푸다 focuses on taking a scoop, while 담다 focuses on putting food into the bowl. A shallow spoonful and a full bowl are different amounts; 푸다 by itself does not specify either one.
Why Does 퍼요 Look so Different from 푸다?
The 우-irregular change removes ㅜ before 어, producing 퍼. The National Institute of Korean Language’s explanation of 푸다 confirms the vowel deletion. The result does not contain a hidden extra syllable: 퍼요 has two syllables, and 펐어요 has three. Before 고, 면 or 세요, the stem remains 푸, giving 푸고 싶어요, 푸면 and 푸세요.
The future 풀 거예요 needs context because 풀다, “to untie / solve”, has the same written future. A mention of rice or soup points toward scooping. A knot or a problem points toward 풀다. Identical surface forms do not make the dictionary verbs interchangeable.
The noun modifier 푸는 describes the serving action in progress or as a habit. 푼 can describe food that has already been scooped. Keep the stem 푸 in 푸는, even though the polite sentence form is 퍼요; the irregular change does not apply before every ending.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 국자 | ladle | A tool used for serving soup. |
| 주걱 | rice paddle | A tool associated with scooping cooked rice. |
| 그릇 | bowl / dish | The receiving container can take 에. |
| 밥솥 | rice cooker / rice pot | A place from which rice is scooped. |
The cooking vocabulary lesson teaches utensils and nearby preparation verbs.
Mini Drill: Scoop and Serve
- Give the polite present of 푸다.
- Give its polite past.
- Give the respectful instruction form in the table.
- Complete the sequence “scoop, then…” with the 서 form.
Show drill answers
- 퍼요.
- 펐어요.
- 푸세요.
- 퍼서.
Quick Self-Test
- Which tool is a 국자?
- Does 푸다 necessarily mean pouring by tilting a jug?
- Why can 풀 거예요 need extra context?
Show answers
- A ladle.
- No. It describes scooping or ladling; a pouring verb fits the tilted jug.
- It can come from either 푸다 or 풀다.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 푸다?
It is 퍼요, because the ㅜ drops before 어.
Is 푸다 Really the Only 우-Irregular Verb?
Yes. 푸다 is the standard example of the 우-irregular class: its ㅜ disappears before 어, giving 퍼요. Other verbs ending in ㅜ normally keep the vowel through a contraction.
Why Does 풀 거예요 Look Like Another Verb?
The future of 푸다 and the future of 풀다 spell the same, so the context has to tell you which one is meant.
Which Objects Go with 푸다?
Rice, soup and water: 밥을 푸다, 국을 푸다.
Which Words Are Related to 푸다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Look at 담다 for putting food in a container, 붓다 for pouring, 따르다 for pouring a drink, and 풀다 for the verb whose future form matches.
The reo and u irregular lesson explains the pattern behind 퍼요, and the conjugator checks any other form. The dictionary lists the rest.