Passive Suffixes
Korean Grammar 3
Course 3 · Chapter 2 · Passive Verbs: -이/히/리/기-
🔁 Passive Verbs: -이/히/리/기- — 피동사
Korean Grammar 3 1 (The Voice Map) showed that a passive makes the object of an active sentence the subject. This chapter covers the first and most common way to build one: adding a short suffix to a transitive verb. The result is a new verb with its own dictionary form, so you can treat 잡히다 as a separate word from 잡다.
The four suffixes and their verbs
| Suffix | Active verb | Passive verb | Meaning of the passive |
|---|---|---|---|
| -이- | 보다 | 보이다 | be seen, be visible |
| 쓰다 | 쓰이다 | be written; be used | |
| 놓다 | 놓이다 | be placed | |
| 쌓다 | 쌓이다 | be piled up | |
| 섞다 | 섞이다 | be mixed | |
| -히- | 잡다 | 잡히다 | be caught |
| 읽다 | 읽히다 | be read (be readable) | |
| 닫다 | 닫히다 | be closed | |
| 막다 | 막히다 | be blocked | |
| 먹다 | 먹히다 | be eaten | |
| -리- | 열다 | 열리다 | be opened |
| 걸다 | 걸리다 | be hung; be caught (as in a cold) | |
| 팔다 | 팔리다 | be sold | |
| 풀다 | 풀리다 | be untied, be solved | |
| 듣다 | 들리다 | be heard (note ㄷ → ㄹ) | |
| -기- | 안다 | 안기다 | be held in arms |
| 끊다 | 끊기다 | be cut off | |
| 쫓다 | 쫓기다 | be chased | |
| 찢다 | 찢기다 | be torn | |
| 빼앗다 | 빼앗기다 | be taken away |
Conjugating a passive verb
Once built, a passive verb conjugates like any other verb. The suffix vowel (이, 히, 리, 기) combines with -아/어 in the usual way.
| Passive verb | Present (해요체) | Past (해요체) | -고 있다 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 보이다 | 보여요 | 보였어요 | 보이고 있어요 |
| 잡히다 | 잡혀요 | 잡혔어요 | 잡히고 있어요 |
| 열리다 | 열려요 | 열렸어요 | 열리고 있어요 |
| 안기다 | 안겨요 | 안겼어요 | 안기고 있어요 |
Marking the agent
| Agent | Particle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| person or animal | 에게 / 한테 (honorific: 께) | 쥐가 고양이에게 잡혔어요. The mouse was caught by the cat. |
| a thing or a force | 에 | 바람에 문이 닫혔어요. The door was shut by the wind. |
| formal writing, institution | 에 의해(서) | 이 책은 많은 사람에 의해 읽혔다. This book was read by many people. |
Most passive sentences in everyday speech leave the agent out: 문이 열렸어요, 길이 막혀요. Name the agent only when it matters.
Passive against intransitive
Several "passive" verbs are really just the intransitive partner of a transitive verb, and Korean uses them where English would say "be done" or "get done". The transitive verb takes an object with 을/를; the passive or intransitive partner takes none.
| Transitive (active) | Passive / intransitive |
|---|---|
| 제가 문을 열었어요. I opened the door. | 문이 열렸어요. The door opened / was opened. |
| 경찰이 도둑을 잡았어요. The police caught the thief. | 도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요. The thief was caught by the police. |
| 사람들이 길을 막았어요. People blocked the road. | 길이 막혔어요. The road is blocked. |
보이다 and 들리다: "can see" and "can hear"
Two passives do a special job: they express what is visible or audible without your effort. 보이다 and 들리다 are used instead of "can see" and "can hear".
| Active (you look or listen on purpose) | Passive (it comes to you) |
|---|---|
| 저는 산을 봐요. I look at the mountain. | 산이 보여요. The mountain can be seen. |
| 저는 음악을 들어요. I listen to music. | 음악이 들려요. I can hear music. |
Verbs with no suffix passive
Not every transitive verb has a passive suffix. Many verbs simply lack one, and for these Korean uses another route:
| Verb | No suffix passive. Use instead: |
|---|---|
| 사랑하다 / 칭찬하다 love, praise | -받다 (사랑받다, 칭찬받다), Chapter 3 |
| 사용하다 / 이용하다 use | -되다 (사용되다, 이용되다), Chapter 3 |
| intransitive verbs (가다, 오다, 자다) | cannot be made passive at all: there is no object to promote |
🗣️ In Use — 실제 예문
Three exchanges with passive verbs.
① A traffic jam
② A view
③ A news story
📋 Quick Reference — 요약표
| Pattern | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| suffix passive | stem + 이 / 히 / 리 / 기 + 다 | 보이다, 잡히다, 열리다, 안기다 |
| agent (animate) | 에게 / 한테 / 께 | 고양이에게 잡혔다 |
| agent (thing, force) | 에 | 바람에 닫혔다 |
| agent (formal) | 에 의해(서) | 많은 사람에 의해 읽혔다 |
| no passive | intransitive verbs; many 하다 verbs | 가다; use -되다 / -받다 for 하다 verbs |
✏️ Try It Yourself — 연습
Work out the answer first, then click to check.
1. Give the passive of 열다, 닫다, 팔다, 안다.
Show answer
열리다 · 닫히다 · 팔리다 · 안기다
2. Turn into the passive: 경찰이 도둑을 잡았어요.
Show answer
도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요.
3. Put 막히다 into the past 해요체 and make a sentence about a road.
Show answer
막혔어요: 길이 막혔어요.
4. Say "I can hear the rain."
Show answer
빗소리가 들려요. (들리다, with 이/가 on what is heard.)
5. Which particle marks the agent in: 바람___ 문이 닫혔어요?
Show answer
에 (the wind is a force, not a person).
6. Why can't you make 가다 passive?
Show answer
It is intransitive: there is no object to become the subject.
7. What is the difference between 먹히다 and 먹이다?
Show answer
먹히다 is passive ("be eaten"); 먹이다 is causative ("feed", make someone eat).
8. Rewrite more simply: 산이 보여져요.
Show answer
산이 보여요. 보이다 is already passive; adding -아/어지다 doubles it.
9. Give the English for 길이 막혀요 and 전화가 끊겼어요.
Show answer
The road is blocked / traffic is jammed · The phone call was cut off.