Causative and Passive Verbs in Korean

In Brief

Korean derived causatives express causing or allowing an action: 먹다 “eat” becomes 먹이다 “feed.” Derived passives present the person or thing receiving an action as the subject: 읽다 “read” becomes 읽히다 “be read.” Because -이-, -히-, -리-, -기- occur in both systems and the choice of suffix is not fully predictable, learn each derived verb with its meaning and a model sentence.

Overview

A causative describes a situation in which one participant causes another person or thing to act or change. English often uses “make,” “have,” “let,” or a separate verb such as “feed.” Korean can use a short derived verb instead: 엄마가 아이에게 밥을 먹였어요 means “The mother fed the child.” It can also use the longer pattern -게 하다, roughly “cause/allow to do.”

A passive presents the receiver of an action, rather than its doer, as the grammatical subject (the person or thing marked as the main participant, often with 이/가). Thus 사람들이 이 책을 많이 읽어요 “People read this book a lot” can become 이 책은 많이 읽혀요 “This book is widely read.” Korean also has the longer passive-like pattern -아/어지다.

At B2, the important step is not merely recognizing suffixes. You need to tell causatives and passives apart in complete sentences, choose natural particles, and recognize that many derived verbs are lexicalized—stored and used as individual vocabulary with meanings that may extend beyond a literal “make” or “be” translation.

How It Works

Start with the change in roles

A normal active clause has a doer and, with a transitive verb, an object (the person or thing directly affected):

• 아이가 밥을 먹어요. — “The child eats rice.”
• 사람들이 책을 읽어요. — “People read the book.”

A causative adds a causer, the participant responsible for making or allowing the event happen. The original doer becomes the causee, the participant caused to act:

• 엄마가 아이에게 밥을 먹여요. — “The mother feeds the child.”

A passive removes the original doer from the center and promotes the original object:

• 책이 사람들에게 읽혀요. — “The book is read by people.”

Korean often leaves the doer unmentioned when it is unknown, obvious, or unimportant: 책이 많이 읽혀요 sounds more natural than naming a vague agent.

Derived causative suffixes

The causative suffixes traditionally listed are -이-, -히-, -리-, -기-, -우-, -구-, -추-. They attach before the dictionary ending -다, but there is no dependable rule that lets you create every form from sight. These are useful families, not a free conjugation chart.

Base	Derived causative	Core meaning
먹다	먹이다	feed; make/let eat
입다	입히다	dress someone; make wear
알다	알리다	inform; make known
웃다	웃기다	make laugh; be funny
자다	재우다	put to sleep
타다	태우다	give a ride; put on/in; burn something
서다	세우다	make stand; erect; stop/park
돋다	돋우다	stimulate; raise
낮다	낮추다	lower
맞다	맞추다	match, adjust, or get right

Once formed, these verbs conjugate as ordinary verbs: 먹이다 → 먹여요 → 먹였어요 → 먹일 거예요. Do not keep the suffix visually separate when conjugating.

With a causative of a transitive action, a common pattern is:

causer이/가 + causee에게/한테 + object을/를 + causative verb

• 선생님이 학생들에게 글을 읽혔어요. — “The teacher made the students read the text.”

에게 is neutral and 한테 is more conversational. In formal writing, 에게 is usually the safer choice. With an originally intransitive action—one that has no direct object—the causee often takes 을/를:

• 코치가 선수들을 뛰게 했어요. — “The coach made the athletes run.”
• 엄마가 아기를 재웠어요. — “The mother put the baby to sleep.”

Actual particle choice interacts with the verb and intended meaning, so learn common phrases as complete units rather than applying one formula blindly.

The productive causative: -게 하다

Attach -게 하다 to a verb stem when no common short causative exists, when you want the underlying action to remain clear, or when the longer form sounds more natural:

• 학생들에게 문장을 쓰게 했어요. — “I had the students write sentences.”
• 아이를 밖에서 놀게 했어요. — “I let the child play outside.”

Context decides whether -게 하다 means force, arrange, permit, or simply cause. Korean does not automatically distinguish English “make” from “let.” Words such as 억지로 “by force” or 마음껏 “as much as one likes” can make the intended force clearer.

Short causatives often describe direct, conventional, or tightly connected causation. Compare 아이에게 밥을 먹였어요 “I fed the child” with 아이에게 밥을 먹게 했어요 “I made/let the child eat.” The second highlights causing or permitting the child’s own act of eating; it does not simply name the everyday act of feeding.

Derived passive suffixes

Derived passives mainly use -이-, -히-, -리-, -기-. Again, the form must be learned verb by verb.

Active verb	Derived passive	Common meaning
보다	보이다	be visible; be seen; look/appear
쓰다	쓰이다	be written; be used
놓다	놓이다	be placed
닫다	닫히다	be closed; close
읽다	읽히다	be read
잡다	잡히다	be caught; be held
열다	열리다	be opened; open
팔다	팔리다	be sold; sell
듣다	들리다	be heard; sound audible
끊다	끊기다	be cut off; become disconnected

A basic passive pattern is:

receiver이/가 + (agent에게/한테) + passive verb

• 도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요. — “The thief was caught by the police.”

For impersonal forces or causes, 에 may occur: 바람에 문이 닫혔어요 “The door was closed by the wind.” Do not translate English “by” with one fixed Korean particle in every sentence.

Many Korean passive forms naturally describe a resulting state or an event without emphasizing an outside agent. 문이 닫혔어요 can be rendered “The door closed” or “The door was closed,” depending on context. English requires you to choose a translation, but Korean need not make the distinction explicit.

The productive pattern -아/어지다

The pattern -아/어지다 can make a passive from some action verbs, particularly in formal or process-focused language:

• 이 제품은 여러 나라에서 만들어져요. — “This product is made in several countries.”
• 결과가 곧 발표될 거예요. — “The results will be announced soon.” Here Korean instead uses the established derived passive 발표되다.

Do not assume that every verb accepts -아/어지다 naturally. With descriptive verbs, the same shape usually means “become”: 날씨가 추워졌어요 “The weather became cold.” That is a change of state, not a passive merely because English may use “get.”

Why identical suffixes can mean opposite things

The sets overlap. -이-, -히-, -리-, -기- can mark either causative or passive derivation, so the suffix alone does not settle the meaning. 읽히다 is the classic example:

• 이 책은 초등학생들에게도 많이 읽혀요. — passive: “This book is widely read even by elementary school students.”
• 선생님이 학생들에게 이 책을 읽혔어요. — causative: “The teacher made the students read this book.”

Use the case markers and semantic roles. If the book is the subject and receives the reading, the form is passive. If a teacher is the subject, students are causees, and the book remains the object, it is causative.

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
아이에게 밥을 먹였어요.	I fed the child.	Short causative of 먹다
아버지가 아기에게 외투를 입혔어요.	The father put a coat on the baby.	Causee with 에게; clothing with 을
이 소식은 모두에게 알려 주세요.	Please let everyone know this news.	알리다 has lexicalized as “inform”
그 영화가 관객들을 웃겼어요.	The movie made the audience laugh.	Causee marked with 을/를
여행 전에 차를 정비소에 세웠어요.	Before the trip, I left/parked the car at the repair shop.	Lexicalized use of 세우다
선생님이 학생들에게 문장을 쓰게 했어요.	The teacher had the students write sentences.	Productive causative with -게 하다
부모님은 아이가 직접 선택하게 했어요.	The parents let the child choose for themself.	Context gives a permissive reading
이 책은 많이 읽힙니다.	This book is read a lot.	Passive; formal polite style
회의실 문이 아직 닫혀 있어요.	The meeting-room door is still closed.	Passive/resulting state plus -어 있다
밖에서 음악 소리가 들려요.	I can hear music outside.	Literally, the sound “is audible”
인기 상품이라서 금방 팔렸어요.	Because it was a popular product, it sold quickly.	팔리다 focuses on the item and result
용의자가 경찰에게 잡혔어요.	The suspect was caught by the police.	Human agent with 에게
이 제품은 재활용 플라스틱으로 만들어졌어요.	This product was made from recycled plastic.	Productive passive pattern
선생님이 학생들에게 짧은 글을 읽혔어요.	The teacher made the students read a short text.	Causative reading of 읽히다

Common Mistakes

Choosing the meaning from the suffix alone

• Wrong analysis: 읽히다 always means “be read.”
• Right analysis: In 선생님이 학생들에게 책을 읽혔어요, it means “made the students read the book.”
• Why: The overlapping suffix is ambiguous. Identify the subject, causee or agent, and object before choosing a translation.

Treating the suffix list as a productive formula

• Wrong: creating an unattested short form whenever you want to say “make someone do.”
• Right: Use a known derived verb, or choose -게 하다: 학생들을 공부하게 했어요.
• Why: Short causatives and passives are largely lexical. A theoretically possible-looking form may be absent, rare, or have another established meaning.

Losing the original object

• Wrong: 선생님이 학생들을 책을 읽혔어요.
• Right: 선생님이 학생들에게 책을 읽혔어요.
• Why: In this causative of the transitive verb 읽다, 책을 remains the direct object, while the students are commonly marked with 에게. Two adjacent 을/를 phrases are difficult here and do not express the intended roles naturally.

Translating every English passive literally

• Awkward: forcing a passive solely because the English sentence has “be + past participle.”
• Natural: choose Korean according to focus; for example, 회사에서 내일 결과를 발표해요 “The company announces the results tomorrow” may be preferable to a passive when the doer matters.
• Why: Korean often prefers an active sentence, an omitted subject, or a state expression where English favors a passive.

Stacking passive markers unnecessarily

• Often avoid: 사용되어지다, 보여지다 when simple 사용되다, 보이다, or 보여지다's context-specific lexical use is not intended.
• Prefer: 이 기능은 자주 사용됩니다. — “This feature is used often.”
• Why: Combining 되다 or a derived passive with another passive-like element can be redundant. Some doubled forms occur in real usage, but they are often criticized or heavier than the simple alternative.

Usage Notes

Derived verbs frequently develop meanings that deserve their own dictionary entry. 보이다 can mean “be visible,” “look/seem,” or, in another derivation, “show.” 들리다 can mean “be heard,” while 들르다—a different verb—means “stop by.” 웃기다 commonly means “be funny,” not only the compositional “make someone laugh.” Context and collocations matter more than suffix labels.

Causation also varies in strength. 약을 먹였어요 usually describes directly administering medicine. 약을 먹게 했어요 foregrounds arranging, requiring, or allowing the person to take it. Neither construction by itself tells you whether persuasion or force was involved.

In formal prose, passives can keep attention on a procedure, product, or finding: 자료가 수집되었다 “The data were collected.” Conversation often favors a more direct active clause when the actor is relevant. Overusing passives can therefore make ordinary Korean sound bureaucratic, just as it sometimes does in English.

Honorific and speech-level endings are added after the derived verb in the normal way: 읽히십니다, 먹이셨어요. The suffix changes the verb’s meaning; it does not replace politeness or honorific marking.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Direct and indirect causation

Traditional descriptions sometimes contrast a short causative with -게 하다 as direct versus indirect causation. This is a useful tendency, not an absolute law. 재우다 usually suggests direct involvement in putting someone to sleep, whereas 자게 하다 can mean arranging or allowing them to sleep. Lexical convention, animacy, context, and speaker intention can outweigh the simple distinction.

Passive, spontaneous event, and potential meaning

Some derived forms sit between passive, spontaneous change, and ability:

• 문이 열렸어요. — “The door opened / was opened.”
• 글씨가 잘 보여요. — “The writing is easy to see / clearly visible.”
• 이 책은 쉽게 읽혀요. — “This book reads easily / is easy to read.”

The last two are often called potential readings because they describe how readily something can be perceived or read. Translating them mechanically as “is seen” or “is read” misses their natural force.

Resulting states with -아/어 있다

A passive event and its continuing result can be separated:

• 문이 닫혔어요. — “The door closed/was closed.” (event or resulting situation)
• 문이 닫혀 있어요. — “The door is closed.” (state continues)

This contrast is especially useful when describing rooms, arrangements, posted notices, or connected equipment. It also explains why an English adjective-like passive may correspond to a Korean verb plus -아/어 있다.

Agent phrases are selective

Human agents commonly take 에게/한테, but official or impersonal passive writing may use 에 의해 “by, through the agency of”: 이 법안은 국회에 의해 승인되었다. This is formal and often translation-like in everyday contexts. If the agent is obvious, omit it; if the agent is important, an active sentence is frequently clearer.

Practice Tips

1. Learn in three-part sets. Record the base verb, derived verb, and one whole sentence: 먹다 → 먹이다 → 아이에게 밥을 먹였어요. Include the particles, because they reveal who causes and who receives the action.
2. Reverse the focus. Turn an active sentence into a passive where natural, then explain what changed: 사람들이 그 노래를 자주 불러요 → 그 노래는 자주 불려요. If the passive feels forced, keep the active and note why.
3. Disambiguate before translating. For every example with 읽히다, 보이다, or another overlapping form, circle 이/가, 에게, and 을/를. Label causer, causee, receiver, and object before deciding on the English wording.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Passive Voice — review basic passive focus, agent marking, and the contrast between derived passives and -아/어지다.