Key Facts
- Hangul: 웃다 (utda)
- Meaning: to laugh/smile
- Level: A1
- Stem: 웃
- Class: regular
- Polite present / past: 웃어요 / 웃었어요
- Honorific polite: 웃으세요
What Does 웃다 Mean?
- to laugh; to smile. Used for laughing or smiling: 크게 웃다 (to laugh loudly), 웃으며 말하다 (to speak with a smile).
웃다 is a very common verb and usually has no object. The thing that makes you laugh takes 에 or 때문에. Two related words are worth learning with it: the noun 웃음 (laughter) and the verb 웃기다 (to be funny, to make someone laugh).
How Do You Pronounce 웃다?
In Revised Romanization 웃다 is written utda, and it is pronounced [욷따] under the 국립국어원 standard pronunciation rules. The final ㅅ has three sounds, depending on what follows:
- With a vowel ending, the ㅅ is carried over and sounds like s: 웃어요 [우서요], 웃으면 [우스면].
- With an ending that starts with ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅅ or ㅈ, it sounds like [ㄷ] and tenses that consonant: 웃겠어요 [욷께써요], 웃지 않아요 [욷찌 아나요].
- With ㄴ, it becomes [ㄴ]: 웃는 [운는].
Every one of the 19 forms in the table below has a reading that differs from its spelling.
How Do You Use 웃다 in a Sentence?
아이가 크게 웃어요.
The child laughs loudly.
The adverb 크게 (loudly, big) shows that this is a laugh, not a quiet smile.
웃는 얼굴이 예뻐요.
A smiling face is pretty.
웃는 is the present modifier, so 웃는 얼굴 means 'a smiling face'. Here the smile sense fits best.
자주 웃으면 기분이 좋아요.
If you laugh often, you feel good.
자주 웃으면 (if you laugh often) is the conditional, and the clause after it gives the result: you feel good.
How Does Utda Conjugation Work? (19 forms)
웃다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 웃어요 | ||
| Polite past | 웃었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 웃을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 웃겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 웃습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 웃었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 웃을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 웃어 | ||
| Casual past | 웃었어 | ||
| Casual future | 웃을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 웃고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 웃으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 웃어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 웃으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 웃는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 웃은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 웃을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 웃어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 웃지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 웃어요 | [우서요] |
| Polite past | 웃었어요 | [우서써요] |
| Polite future | 웃을 거예요 | [우슬꺼예요] |
| Formal present | 웃습니다 | [욷씀니다] |
| Casual present | 웃어 | [우서] |
| Honorific | 웃으세요 | [우스세요] |
| Because | 웃어서 | [우서서] |
| If | 웃으면 | [우스면] |
| Modifier now | 웃는 | [운는] |
| Long negative | 웃지 않아요 | [욷찌 아나요] |
Is 웃다 Regular or Irregular?
웃다 is regular, even though some verbs ending in ㅅ (such as 'to build' or 'to heal') lose it before a vowel. The stem 웃 keeps its ㅅ in every form: 웃어요 in the polite present and 웃었어요 in the past. The rule is taught in polite present recipe.
What Is the Most Common Mistake with 웃다?
Wrong: ✗ 웃이에요
Correct: ✓ 웃어요
Why: 이에요 (to be) only follows nouns. A verb takes its own ending, so the polite present of 웃다 is 웃어요.
How Is 웃다 Different from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 울다 | 울다 is the opposite: to cry. |
| 미소 짓다 | 미소 짓다 is a gentle smile; 웃다 covers both laughing and smiling. |
After Watching a Funny Video
Two friends are watching a comedy clip on a phone. Their casual conversation uses present, past, and negative forms of 웃다.
Jisu
왜 웃어?
Wae useo?
Why are you laughing?
Minho
이 영상 때문에 웃었어. 같이 볼래?
I yeongsang ttaemune useosseo. Gachi bollae?
This video made me laugh. Want to watch it together?
Jisu
응. 그런데 넌 또 웃어?
Eung. Geureonde neon tto useo?
Yes. But you’re laughing again?
Minho
이제 안 웃어.
Ije an useo.
I’m not laughing now.
The cause is 이 영상 때문에, “because of this video”. Minho's 웃었어 reports the earlier laugh, while Jisu's 웃어 asks about the reaction she can see now. Neither friend needs to insert a separate verb meaning “smile”; the scene makes audible laughter the natural English translation.
What Do Common 웃다 Expressions Mean?
활짝 웃다 means to smile broadly or beam. 활짝 suggests an open, bright smile, so this phrase fits a greeting or a happy photograph. 소리 내어 웃다 explicitly means to laugh aloud. These combinations help English speakers choose between “smile” and “laugh” without looking for two different Korean base verbs.
웃음을 참다 means to hold back laughter. The noun 웃음 is the thing being suppressed, so it takes 을. 웃음을 터뜨리다 means to burst out laughing: the image is laughter suddenly bursting out. In a story, the second expression tells you that the effort to remain serious has ended.
웃어넘기다 means to laugh something off. It describes responding lightly to an awkward comment or a small problem rather than taking it seriously. Unlike 웃었어요 alone, it also tells you how someone handles the situation. It is written as one word, so it is useful to recognize as a related verb.
Where Will You Hear 웃다?
A photographer may use 웃으세요 to ask people to smile. The polite present 웃어요 can also become an invitation or gentle instruction in context. A film review or conversation about a comedian may use 크게 웃다 for a loud reaction, while 웃는 얼굴 describes a smiling face in a photo.
In messages, ㅋㅋ often represents laughter, and ㅎㅎ can suggest a softer laugh or chuckle. These are written conversation cues, rather than conjugations of 웃다. Their tone depends on the relationship and the surrounding message; a string of laughter after an awkward remark can feel teasing.
웃기다 also appears often in comedy talk. It can describe something funny or someone making another person laugh. 웃다 names the person's reaction. If your sentence needs to say who causes that reaction, switching to 웃기다 changes the structure as well as the meaning.
What Makes Regular 웃다 Sound Irregular?
웃어요 has an audible s sound, while 웃는 is pronounced with a nasal sound as shown above. The written stem 웃 stays the same in both. That is why a large pronunciation difference does not make this a ㅅ-irregular verb. Look at the spelling before deciding which conjugation pattern to use.
The future modifier is 웃을, with 으 after the consonant-ending stem. Contrast 울다, whose future modifier is 울. A one-letter difference in the dictionary forms therefore changes the ending you attach. The present modifiers also contrast: 웃는 keeps ㅅ, while 우는 loses ㄹ. These two verbs are useful study partners because their spellings reveal different rules.
Related Words for Reactions
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 웃음 | laughter | The noun in expressions about holding back laughter. |
| 미소 | a smile | Focuses on the facial expression. |
| 웃기다 | to be funny / make someone laugh | Describes the cause of laughter. |
| 농담 | a joke | Something that may make a listener 웃다. |
The emotion vocabulary lesson connects these reactions with feelings. A smile alone does not tell you whether someone feels pleased, embarrassed, or simply polite.
Mini Drill: Keep the ㅅ
- Make 웃다 polite present.
- Complete “a smiling face”: ____ 얼굴.
- Give the conditional “if someone laughs”.
- Give the respectful request a photographer can use.
Show drill answers
- 웃어요, keeping ㅅ.
- 웃는 얼굴.
- 웃으면. The ㅅ stays before the vowel ending.
- 웃으세요, “please smile” in this situation.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase describes a broad smile: 활짝 웃다 or 소리 내어 웃다?
- Does the sound change in 웃는 remove ㅅ from the spelling?
- What does 웃어넘기다 add to the idea of laughing?
Show answers
- 활짝 웃다; 소리 내어 웃다 means laughing aloud.
- No. It is still written 웃는.
- It means laughing something off or treating it lightly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 웃다 a Regular or Irregular Verb?
웃다 is regular. Some verbs ending in ㅅ drop it before a vowel, but 웃다 keeps it: 웃어요, 웃었어요, 웃으면.
What Is the Polite Present Form of 웃다?
It is 웃어요, as in 아이가 크게 웃어요 (The child laughs loudly). The past is 웃었어요, the future is 웃을 거예요, and the honorific polite form is 웃으세요.
Does 웃다 Take an Object?
Usually not. 웃다 normally stands alone, and the thing that makes you laugh takes 에 or 때문에.
Which Words Are Formed from 웃다?
The noun 웃음 means laughter, and the verb 웃기다 means to be funny or to make someone laugh.
Is 웃다 'Laugh' or 'Smile'?
Both. Context and adverbs decide: 크게 웃다 is to laugh loudly, while 웃는 얼굴 is a smiling face. For a gentle smile only, Korean also has 미소 짓다.
Which Words Are Related to 웃다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Once 웃다 feels settled, continue with the other emotion verbs above. Its opposite, 울다, is a good next step because it shows the ㄹ-drop pattern. You can also try any form of 웃다 in the Korean verb conjugator or look up more emotion verbs in the verb dictionary.