Key Facts
- Hangul: 울다 (ulda)
- Meaning: to cry
- Level: A1
- Stem: 울
- Class: ㄹ-drop
- Polite present / past: 울어요 / 울었어요
- Honorific polite: 우세요
What Does 울다 Mean?
- to cry. Used for crying: 아이가 울다 (a child cries).
울다 is a very common verb with no object: the person crying is the subject and takes 이/가. Two related expressions are useful: 엉엉 울다 (to sob loudly) and 눈물이 나다 (tears come).
How Do You Pronounce 울다?
In Revised Romanization 울다 is written ulda, and the dictionary form is read as spelled. Three patterns cover the forms that sound different:
- Before a vowel, the ㄹ moves into the next syllable and sounds like a light, flapped r: 울어요 [우러요], 울었어요 [우러써요].
- In the formal 웁니다, the ㅂ before ㄴ is pronounced [ㅁ]: [움니다].
- After the future ending -ㄹ, a following ㄱ becomes tense: 울 거예요 [울꺼예요].
Fourteen of the 19 forms in the table below sound different from their spelling.
How Do You Use 울다 in a Sentence?
아이가 방에서 울어요.
The child cries in the room.
아이가 (the child) is the subject, and 방에서 (in the room) gives the place. There is no object.
우는 아이를 안아요.
I hold the crying child.
The modifier 우는 (crying) has dropped its ㄹ before ㄴ. 안아요 means 'I hug' or 'I hold in my arms'.
저는 영화를 보고 울지 않아요.
I don't cry when I watch movies.
The long negative 울지 않아요 keeps the ㄹ, because ㅈ does not trigger the drop.
How Does Ulda Conjugation Work? (19 forms)
울다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 울어요 | ||
| Polite past | 울었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 울겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 웁니다 | ||
| Formal past | 울었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 울어 | ||
| Casual past | 울었어 | ||
| Casual future | 울 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 울고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 울어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 울면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 우는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 운 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 울어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 울지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 울어요 | [우러요] |
| Polite past | 울었어요 | [우러써요] |
| Polite future | 울 거예요 | [울꺼예요] |
| Formal present | 웁니다 | [움니다] |
| Casual present | 울어 | [우러] |
| Honorific | 우세요 | as written |
| Because | 울어서 | [우러서] |
| If | 울면 | as written |
| Modifier now | 우는 | as written |
| Long negative | 울지 않아요 | [울지 아나요] |
Is 울다 Regular or Irregular?
울다 is a ㄹ-drop verb (also called ㄹ-irregular). The ㄹ at the end of a stem drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ, and stays elsewhere; 살다 works the same way (삽니다, 사세요, 사는). For 울다, that gives 우는, 웁니다 and 우세요, but 울어요 and 울지 않아요. To see the rule in full, read the lesson on ㄹ-drop verbs and adjectives.
What Is the Most Common Mistake with 울다?
Wrong: ✗ 울는 아이
Correct: ✓ 우는 아이
Why: Verbs whose stem ends in ㄹ drop the ㄹ before ㄴ, so 울 + 는 becomes 우는 (a crying child).
How Is 울다 Different from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 웃다 | 웃다 is the opposite: to laugh. |
| 슬프다 | 슬프다 is the feeling of being sad; 울다 is the action of crying, which can come from sadness or joy. |
After a Sad Film
Two friends have just watched a film. They use casual speech because they know each other well. The scene moves from noticing tears to talking about a past reaction.
Jisu
왜 울어?
Wae ureo?
Why are you crying?
Minho
영화가 너무 슬퍼서 울었어.
Yeonghwaga neomu seulpeoseo ureosseo.
I cried because the film was so sad.
Jisu
나도 울었어. 지금은 괜찮아?
Nado ureosseo. Jigeumeun gwaenchana?
I cried too. Are you okay now?
Minho
응, 이제 안 울어.
Eung, ije an ureo.
Yes. I’m not crying anymore.
왜 울어? uses the present to ask about tears visible now. 울었어 describes the reaction to the film, and 안 울어 reports that the crying has stopped. The friends leave out “you” and “I” where the situation already identifies the person.
How Can You Describe Different Kinds of Crying?
엉엉 울다 means to sob loudly. 엉엉 imitates the sound of sobbing and gives the listener a noisy scene. 펑펑 울다 describes crying hard, with many tears. These are expressive everyday combinations; they describe how someone cries rather than changing the verb's basic meaning.
울음을 참다 means to hold back tears. 울음 is the noun “crying”, so the phrase describes trying to suppress it. 눈물이 나다 focuses on tears coming to your eyes. Someone can have tears in their eyes without the loud sobbing suggested by 엉엉 울다. 눈물을 흘리다, literally “shed tears”, is another useful expression in descriptions of emotional scenes.
울고 싶어요 means “I want to cry”. In an upsetting situation, English may translate it as “I feel like crying”. It expresses the urge; it does not say the person has started crying. That distinction matters when responding to someone's feelings.
Where Will You Hear 울다?
Family conversations use 울다 for children and adults, and film reviews use it for viewers' reactions. A happy ending can make someone cry too, so 울었어요 alone does not identify sadness as the cause. The reason may be relief, happiness, pain, or something else supplied by the scene.
In dramas, 울지 마 is a familiar “don't cry” addressed to someone close. It can sound comforting or impatient depending on the voice and relationship. 울지 마세요 is the polite version, but politeness alone does not make a command comforting. Asking whether someone is okay leaves them more room to explain.
The dictionary form also occurs with animals: 새가 울다 means that a bird sings or calls. In that setting, English “cry” can be misleading. The subject tells you whether 울다 describes a person's tears or an animal's call.
Why Do 울어요 and 우는 Look so Different?
울어요 keeps the stem's ㄹ, while 우는 loses it before ㄴ. That is a spelling change required by the ending. By contrast, the light r sound in 울어요 is a pronunciation change: the spelling still contains ㄹ. Learning these as two separate processes helps explain why you hear a new sound in one form and see a missing letter in another.
The future 울 거예요 contains just one ㄹ at the end of 울. The conditional is 울면, without an extra 으. Both forms are already in the table; the ㄹ-ending stem does not behave like a stem ending in a different consonant. The ㄹ-drop lesson compares these choices across verbs.
Words around Tears and Feelings
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 눈물 | tears | Use 눈물이 나다 for tears coming to your eyes. |
| 울음 | crying | The noun in 울음을 참다, holding back tears. |
| 슬프다 | to be sad | Describes the feeling; 울다 describes the reaction. |
| 위로하다 | to comfort | Names what someone may do for a crying friend. |
Find more words for the feeling behind the reaction in emotion vocabulary.
Mini Drill: Keep or Drop ㄹ?
- Complete “a crying child”: ____ 아이.
- Make 울다 formal present.
- Give the conditional “if someone cries”.
- Make the polite short negative.
Show drill answers
- 우는 아이. ㄴ triggers the drop.
- 웁니다. The ㅂ ending triggers the drop.
- 울면. Keep ㄹ and attach 면.
- 안 울어요. Write 안 separately.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 울었어요 always mean someone was sad?
- Which expression means holding back tears?
- What can 새가 울다 describe?
Show answers
- No. People can cry from happiness, relief, or pain too.
- 울음을 참다.
- A bird singing or calling; the bird is not necessarily shedding tears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 울다 a Regular or Irregular Verb?
울다 is a ㄹ-drop verb. The final ㄹ of the stem drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ, as in 우는, 웁니다 and 우세요, and stays before other sounds, as in 울어요.
What Is the Polite Present Form of 울다?
It is 울어요, as in 아이가 방에서 울어요 (The child cries in the room). The past is 울었어요, the future is 울 거예요, and the honorific polite form is 우세요.
Does 울다 Take an Object?
No. The person who cries is the subject and takes 이/가: 아이가 울어요.
Which Forms Drop the ㄹ?
Forms whose ending starts with ㄴ, ㅂ or ㅅ: 우는, 운, 웁니다 and 우세요. Forms such as 울어요 and 울지 않아요 keep it.
Which Expressions Go with 울다?
엉엉 울다 means to sob loudly, and 눈물이 나다 (tears come) describes the tears themselves.
Which Words Are Related to 울다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Once 울다 feels settled, continue with the related entries above; 놀다 and 살다 follow the same ㄹ-drop rule. To compare 울어요 with other verbs, use the Korean verb conjugator or browse the verb dictionary.