Key Facts
- Hangul: 풀다 (pulda)
- Meaning: to untie/solve
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 풀
- Conjugation class: ㄹ
- Grammar: What is untied or solved takes 을/를 (문제를 풀어요).
- Usage: ㄹ drops: 풉니다, 푸는, 푼. Very common with 문제 (problem) and 스트레스.
What Does 풀다 Mean?
You untie a knot (매듭을 풀다), solve a problem (문제를 풀다) and release stress (스트레스를 풀다). The thing worked on takes 을/를. 문제 and 스트레스 are its most common objects.
Senses:
- to untie: Undo a knot or loosen something: 매듭을 풀다.
- to solve: Solve a problem or question: 문제를 풀다.
- to relieve: Release stress or anger: 스트레스를 풀다.
How Do You Pronounce 풀다?
풀다 is read as written. The ㄹ drops before ㅂ, so the formal present 풉니다 is [품니다], with ㅂ then turning into [ㅁ] before ㄴ. Before a vowel the ㄹ links over: 풀어요 is [푸러요] and 풀었어요 is [푸러써요].
How Do You Use 풀다 in a Sentence?
수학 문제를 풀어요.
I solve a math problem.
수학 문제를 풀어요 is the problem-solving sense.
매듭을 풀었어요.
I untied the knot.
매듭을 풀었어요 is the untying sense in the past, [푸러써요].
운동으로 스트레스를 풀면 기분이 좋아요.
If you relieve stress with exercise, you feel good.
운동으로 스트레스를 풀면 기분이 좋아요 shows the relieving sense with a conditional.
How Does Pulda Conjugation Work?
풀다 is an ㄹ verb. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ, giving 풉니다, 푸세요 and 푸는. It stays elsewhere, as in 풀어요, 풀었어요 and 풀면. The past modifier is 푼.
풀다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 풀어요 | ||
| Polite past | 풀었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 풀 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 풀겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 풉니다 | ||
| Formal past | 풀었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 풀 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 풀어 | ||
| Casual past | 풀었어 | ||
| Casual future | 풀 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 풀고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 푸세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 풀어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 풀면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 푸는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 푼 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 풀 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 풀어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 풀지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 풀어요 | [푸러요] |
| Polite past | 풀었어요 | [푸러써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 풀 거예요 | [풀꺼예요] |
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 풀겠어요 | [풀게써요] |
| Formal present | 풉니다 | [품니다] |
| Formal past | 풀었습니다 | [푸럳씀니다] |
| Formal future | 풀 것입니다 | [풀꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 풀어 | [푸러] |
| Casual past | 풀었어 | [푸러써] |
| Casual future | 풀 거야 | [풀꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 풀고 싶어요 | [풀고 시퍼요] |
| Because / and then | 풀어서 | [푸러서] |
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 풀어요 | [안 푸러요] |
| Negative (long form) | 풀지 않아요 | [풀지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 풀습니다
Correct: ✓ 풉니다
Why: ㄹ drops before ㅂ, so the formal polite form is 풉니다. Learners expect an ordinary 습니다 ending after a consonant, but ㄹ-stems drop their ㄹ first.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 풀다?
| Word | How to tell it from 풀다 |
|---|---|
| 묶다 | The opposite: to tie. |
| 열다 | To open. |
| 해결하다 | To resolve a problem; broader than solving a quiz question. |
묶다 is the opposite and means to tie. 열다 is to open. 해결하다 is to resolve a problem, which is broader than solving a quiz question.
Where Does 풀다 Turn Up?
Study, daily stress and knots are the three scenes. 섞다 and 붙이다 sit near it in the same family of hand actions. The three ㄹ-less forms to know are 풉니다, 푸세요 and 푸는; 풀어요 and 풀면 keep the ㄹ.
Working through Math Homework Together
Alex is stuck on an exercise. Jisu has already solved it and suggests trying together. The dialogue moves from an ongoing action to a completed answer and then an invitation.
Alex
지금 이 문제를 풀어요?
Jigeum i munjereul pureoyo?
Are you working on this problem now?
Jisu
저는 벌써 풀었어요.
Jeoneun beolsseo pureosseoyo.
I have already solved it.
Alex
저는 너무 어려워요.
Jeoneun neomu eoryeowoyo.
It is too hard for me.
Jisu
그럼 같이 풀어요.
Geureom gachi pureoyo.
Then let’s solve it together.
풀어요 can describe doing the exercise or suggest that people do it together. 같이 makes the invitation clear. 풀었어요 reports a completed attempt, and 벌써 adds “already.” The object disappears after the first line because both speakers know which problem they mean.
The Object Tells You Which Meaning to Choose
매듭을 풀다 means to untie a knot: a physical fastening is undone. 문제를 풀다 means to solve or work through a problem: the difficulty is something to figure out. 스트레스를 풀다 means to relieve stress: built-up tension is released. The English translation changes, but each phrase involves undoing something tied, difficult or tense.
짐을 풀다 means “unpack.” You may hear it after someone arrives at a hotel or moves into a room. The luggage is being opened and its contents taken out; it does not mean that every bag was tied with a knot. Learning this as a whole phrase is more useful than translating 풀다 as “untie” every time.
오해를 풀다 means to clear up a misunderstanding. The object is a mistaken impression between people, so the action involves explaining or talking things through. 화를 풀다 means to let go of anger. In a reconciliation scene, those phrases describe different parts of the process: clarifying what happened and easing the emotional reaction.
Study Instructions and Everyday Requests
A teacher’s 푸세요 can mean “solve it” or “work through it.” The worksheet or exercise number supplies the object. A present modifier such as 푸는 문제 describes a problem someone is working on, while 푼 문제 is one they have already worked through. The ㄹ disappears in both modifiers because their endings begin with ㄴ.
A sentence about exercise and 스트레스 uses 풀다 in its relieving sense. An invitation to play a game or take a walk may have the same goal. The phrase describes what someone does to release tension; it does not promise that the activity resolves every cause of the stress.
For a closed door, choose 열다. For a tied shoelace or knot, choose 풀다. Both can be translated with an English phrase about opening something, but Korean distinguishes opening an entrance from undoing a fastening. Look at the object before choosing the verb.
풀다 and 풀리다: Acting Versus Changing
풀다 usually names an action by someone: they solve the problem or untie the knot. 풀리다 describes something becoming untied, being resolved or easing. In a phrase such as 문제가 풀리다, the problem is the subject and the focus is on it becoming clear or resolved.
This is a vocabulary distinction as well as a particle distinction. With 풀다, 문제를 marks what someone works on. With 풀리다, 문제가 marks what changes. Keep the dictionary forms separate; adding 리 is not a general shortcut for changing every Korean verb in the same way.
| Related word | Meaning | A useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 매듭 | knot | The physical object in an untying action. |
| 풀이 | explanation / working out | Seen with a worked solution to an exercise. |
| 정답 | correct answer | The answer can be shown separately from the working. |
| 풀리다 | to come untied / be resolved | Focuses on what changes rather than the person acting. |
The exams and grades lesson teaches the school words around 문제, 풀이 and 정답. A solution page labeled 풀이 may show the steps, while 정답 supplies the correct result. That distinction helps when navigating Korean practice materials.
Why 풀면 Keeps Its ㄹ
풀면 attaches 면 directly to the ㄹ stem. It does not add an extra 으. 풀어요 also keeps ㄹ, although the consonant links into the next syllable when spoken. In 풉니다, 푸세요 and 푸는, the stem ㄹ is actually removed in writing. A sound linking across syllables and a stem consonant disappearing are different changes.
The table’s 풀 거예요 keeps a space before 거예요. Its final ㄹ belongs to the future modifier 풀, while the present modifier is 푸는. Matching each form to its job is safer than assuming that every form beginning 푸 has lost the same amount of the stem.
Mini Drill: Keep or Drop ㄹ
- Give the formal present of 풀다.
- Complete “the problem I solved”: ____ 문제.
- Give the conditional form “if someone solves it.”
- Give the polite request form used by a teacher.
Show drill answers
- 풉니다.
- 푼 문제.
- 풀면.
- 푸세요.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 짐을 풀다 mean at a hotel?
- Which form keeps ㄹ: 풀면 or 푸는?
- Is 풀이 necessarily just the final correct answer?
Show answers
- To unpack.
- 풀면.
- No. It can show the explanation or working; 정답 names the correct answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say Solve a Problem?
문제를 풀다, for example 수학 문제를 풀어요.
What Is the Formal Polite Form?
풉니다.
How Do I Say Relieve Stress?
스트레스를 풀다, as in 운동으로 스트레스를 풀면 기분이 좋아요.
What Is the Opposite of 풀다?
묶다, which means to tie.
Which Words Are Related to 풀다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 묶다 and 열다, then 해결하다. The rule behind 풀어요 (to untie/solve) is in ㄹ-drop verbs and adjectives, and the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems. 풀다 (to untie/solve) sits beside 묶다 and 열다 in the Korean verb dictionary.