Passive forms

The passive voice is a grammatical voice in which the subject receives the action of a transitive verb. Passive voice emphasizes the process rather than who is performing the action. In Korean this form is called 피동. There are few patterns to help distinguish between active and passive voices in Korean verbs. This makes this more difficult to learn than a regular Korean grammar rule.

Passive verbs are often formed by adding 이/히/리/기 to a regular verb.

이 Passive Verbs (Most verbs in this category end in ㅎ or a vowel)

Active verb	Passive verb	Comment
놓다	놓이다
바꾸다	바뀌다
보다	보이다
쓰다	쓰이다
쌓다	쌓이다

히 Passive Verbs (Most verbs in this category end in a ㅂ,ㅈ,ㄷ or ㄱ)

Active verb	Passive verb	Comment
꽂다	꽂히다
닫다	닫히다
읽다	읽히다
막다	막히다
먹다	먹히다
뽑다	뽑히다
잡다	잡히다

리 Passive Verbs (Most verbs in this category are irregular ㄷ verbs or end with ㄹ)

Active verb	Passive verb	Comment
걸다	걸리다
듣다	들리다
열다	열리다
팔다	팔리다
풀다	풀리다

기 Passive Verbs (Most verbs in this category end with ㄴ (ㄶ), ㅅ and ㅁ)

Active verb	Passive verb	Comment
끊다	끊기다
빼앗다	빼앗기다
안다	안기다
쫓다	쫓기다
잠그다	잠기다

See also

• Causative form