기
Description
Verb + 기 : This nominalizes any verb. In English, we have the gerund which works by adding -ing. For example, we can turn eat to eating. This allows us to use the verb eat as a noun. In a sentence we use the construction I like [noun] or I like [infinitive]. So, it is acceptable to say both, I like eating and I like to eat. This works for every verb, try it! Korean does something extremely similar. Some constructions in Korean ONLY take nouns, so you can nominalize the verb simply by adding 기 to the end of it. For example, 먹다 turns to 먹기. To say I like to eat or I like eating, you can say, 먹기를 좋아합니다. Notice how you can now put 를 at the end of 먹기 as if it were a noun. This is now acceptable because you've turned 먹다 into a noun.
Example of constructions that require the verb to be converted to a noun via 기:
- 기 때문에
- 기 위해서
- 기 좋다/기 좋아하다
- 기 싫다/기 싫어하다
- 기 (any adjective to describe an action) for example: Reading Korean is easy... 한국말 읽기 쉬운데요...
Notes
- Note that the ending ㅁ/음 also nominalizes verbs (자다 to sleep becomes 잠 sleep, 싸우다 to fight becomes 싸움 a fight). They are both acceptable ways of creating nouns from a verbs. Some verbs prefer using ㅁ/음 to 기 like 자다 and 싸우다 but Koreans are not particular about what you do as long as the construction works.
Sentence Examples
| Korean | English | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 여름에는 음식이 상하기 쉬워요. | Foods spoil easily in summer. | Polite informal form | ||
| 철수는 놀기도 잘하고 공부도 잘 합니다. | Chul Su is good at both playing and studying. | Polite informal form | ||
| 돈은 쓰기보다 벌기가 어려워요. | It's more difficult to earn money than to spend it. | Polite informal form | ||
| 맵지 않아서 먹기가 좋아요. | These are good to eat because they're not spicy. | Polite informal form | ||
| 감기가 빨리 낫기를 바라요. | I hope your cold gets better soon. | Polite informal form | ||
| 철수는 공부하기를 좋아해요. | Chul Su likes studying. | Polite informal form | ||
| 이 신발은 걷기가 아주 편해요.→ | This shoes are really comfortable to walk. | Polite informal form | ||
| 떡볶이는 요리하기가 쉬워. | Ddeokboki is easy to cook. | Low form | ||
| 우리 개는 목욕하기를 싫어해요. | My dog doesn't like to take a bath.
|
Polite informal form | ||
| 일하러 가기 싫어. | I don't want to go to work. | Low form |
Pronunciation
- Due to consonant assimilation rules, sometimes 기 gets pronounced as 끼.
- 먹기 → 먹끼
- 듣기 → 듣끼
See Also
