Passive Voice in Korean

In Brief

Korean passive expressions put the person or thing affected by an action in focus: 경찰이 도둑을 잡았어요 “The police caught the thief” becomes 도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요 “The thief was caught by the police.” Common passive verbs use -이/히/리/기, while -아/어지다 and 되다 often describe a change, result, or completed process. Unlike English, Korean does not let you turn every verb into a passive by applying one automatic rule.

Overview

The passive voice presents an event from the affected participant’s point of view. That participant becomes the grammatical subject (the person or thing marked by 이/가), while the person performing the action may be omitted or expressed separately. Korean calls this 피동. At B1, the main goal is to recognize common passive verbs and use them in situations where the result matters more than who caused it.

This differs from English in an important way. English freely forms passives with be + past participle: “was opened,” “was read,” and “was solved.” Korean has no single equivalent of English be. Some verbs have a conventional passive partner, such as 열다 → 열리다 “open something → open/be opened,” but the exact suffix is not reliably predictable. Other meanings use -아/어지다, 되다, or simply a natural active sentence.

Korean also often leaves out information that is clear from context. A sign may say 문이 닫힙니다 “The door is closing/will be closed” without naming anyone who closes it. This result-focused style is common in conversation, notices, news, and descriptions of processes.

How It Works

1. Change the viewpoint and the particles

Compare an active sentence with its passive counterpart:

Korean	English	Note
경찰이 도둑을 잡았어요.	The police caught the thief.	경찰이 is the doer; 도둑을 is affected.
도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요.	The thief was caught by the police.	도둑이 becomes the subject; 경찰에게 is the agent.

The active object marked by 을/를 normally becomes the passive subject marked by 이/가. The agent (the person or force that performs the action) is often omitted. When it is stated, Korean can mark it in several ways:

Marker	Typical use	Example meaning
에게	a person or animate agent; neutral	선생님에게 칭찬을 받았어요 — received praise from the teacher
한테	a person or animate agent; conversational	친구한테 초대받았어요 — was invited by a friend
에	a thing, force, or circumstance	바람에 문이 닫혔어요 — the door closed because of/by the wind
에 의해(서)	explicit “by,” especially formal, technical, or written language	법에 의해 보호돼요 — is protected by law

Do not assume that every English “by” must become 에 의해. In ordinary speech it often sounds heavy. Korean usually omits the agent, uses 에게/한테, or rewrites the sentence.

2. Lexical passives with -이/히/리/기

Many common transitive verbs (verbs that act on an object) have a passive counterpart made with one of four suffixes. These are often taught together as -이/히/리/기, but there is no dependable rule that lets you choose the suffix for every new verb. Learn the active and passive forms as a pair.

Suffix	Active verb	Passive verb	Basic contrast
-이-	보다 (see)	보이다	see → be visible/be seen
-이-	쓰다 (write/use)	쓰이다	write/use → be written/be used
-히-	닫다 (close something)	닫히다	close → close/be closed
-히-	읽다 (read)	읽히다	read → be read
-히-	잡다 (catch)	잡히다	catch → be caught
-리-	열다 (open something)	열리다	open → open/be opened
-리-	팔다 (sell something)	팔리다	sell → be sold
-리-	풀다 (untie/solve)	풀리다	untie/solve → come undone/be solved
-기-	안다 (hold in one’s arms)	안기다	hold → be held
-기-	끊다 (cut/disconnect)	끊기다	cut → be cut off/disconnected

Once formed, a passive verb conjugates like any other Korean verb. Attach the tense and speech-level ending to the passive stem:

Form	Example with 열리다	Meaning
present/polite	열려요	opens/is open; is being opened
past/polite	열렸어요	opened/was opened
future or prediction	열릴 거예요	will open/will be opened
formal statement	열립니다	opens/is opened

The familiar polite ending -아/어요 still applies: 잡히다 → 잡혀요, 읽히다 → 읽혀요, and 닫히다 → 닫혀요.

Some suffix forms have additional meanings. 보이다, for example, can mean “be visible,” “look/seem,” or “show,” depending on its construction. Context matters more than a one-word English label.

3. Result or change with -아/어지다

The pattern verb stem + -아/어지다 can present an action as happening to something or as a change that comes about. It is especially useful when the speaker focuses on the resulting condition rather than an intentional agent.

Base	Result-focused form	Meaning
만들다	만들어지다	be made; come to be created
정하다	정해지다	be decided; become fixed
깨다	깨지다	break/be broken
지우다	지워지다	be erased; come off

The vowel follows the normal -아/어 pattern, and 하다 becomes 해지다: 정하다 → 정해지다. However, do not attach -아/어지다 mechanically to every verb. A conventional lexical passive may be more natural: 문이 열렸어요 is normally preferred to a made-up form based directly on 열다.

Also note that English may translate these sentences either actively or passively. 창문이 깨졌어요 can be “The window broke” or “The window was broken.” Korean leaves the cause unexpressed and highlights the resulting event.

4. Process and completion with 되다

With many 하다 expressions, especially Sino-Korean vocabulary used in administration, work, technology, and news, the noun combines with 되다 instead of 하다:

Active	Result/passive expression	English
계획을 변경하다	계획이 변경되다	the plan is changed
회의를 취소하다	회의가 취소되다	the meeting is cancelled
문제를 해결하다	문제가 해결되다	the problem is resolved
신청을 접수하다	신청이 접수되다	the application is received/registered

This construction often reports that a process has been carried out without emphasizing the person responsible. It is highly productive, but not every 하다 verb has a natural 되다 counterpart. Check how native speakers use the particular noun.

5. A passive form is not always an English passive

Pairs such as 열다/열리다, 닫다/닫히다, and 깨다/깨지다 often resemble the English contrast between “open/break something” and “something opens/breaks.” English may use an intransitive active verb where Korean uses a form traditionally classified as passive. Therefore, translate the event naturally rather than forcing “be + past participle” into every English gloss.

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
문이 자동으로 열렸어요.	The door opened automatically.	열리다; no agent is needed.
책이 여러 나라에서 읽혔어요.	The book was read in many countries.	읽히다 focuses on the book.
도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요.	The thief was caught by the police.	An animate agent takes 에게.
이 제품은 온라인에서 잘 팔려요.	This product sells well online.	팔리다 is natural where English uses “sells.”
인터넷 연결이 갑자기 끊겼어요.	The internet connection was suddenly cut off.	끊기다 describes an interruption.
어려운 문제가 드디어 풀렸어요.	The difficult problem was finally solved.	풀리다 emphasizes the result.
창문이 공에 맞아 깨졌어요.	The window was hit by a ball and broke.	깨지다 describes the resulting event.
제 이름이 명단에서 지워졌어요.	My name was erased from the list.	지워지다 uses -어지다.
다음 주 일정이 아직 정해지지 않았어요.	Next week’s schedule has not been decided yet.	Negative result with 정해지다.
이 다리는 1990년에 만들어졌어요.	This bridge was built in 1990.	만들어지다; time is more relevant than builder.
회의가 갑자기 취소됐어요.	The meeting was suddenly cancelled.	취소되다 is common in announcements.
개인정보는 법에 의해 보호됩니다.	Personal information is protected by law.	Formal written 에 의해.
친구한테 파티에 초대받았어요.	I was invited to a party by a friend.	Korean often prefers 초대받다, literally “receive an invitation.”

Common Mistakes

1. Treating the suffixes as a fully predictable formula

• Wrong: 열히다 for “be opened”
• Right: 열리다
• Why: The choice among -이/히/리/기 is lexical: it belongs to the individual verb. Memorize 열다–열리다, not just a suffix chart.

2. Keeping the active object particle

• Wrong: 책을 많이 읽혔어요. when you mean “The book was widely read.”
• Right: 책이 많이 읽혔어요.
• Why: The affected item is now the subject, so it normally takes 이/가, not 을/를. The wrong sentence can suggest a different causative reading in some contexts.

3. Using 에 의해 in every passive sentence

• Unnatural in casual speech: 저는 친구에 의해 초대됐어요.
• Natural: 저는 친구한테 초대받았어요.
• Why: 에 의해 is common in formal descriptions but often sounds bureaucratic with an ordinary personal agent. Conversational Korean prefers 에게/한테, -에게서, a 받다 construction, or no agent at all.

4. Copying an English passive when Korean prefers active wording

• Awkward: 그 실수는 저에 의해 만들어졌어요. for “The mistake was made by me.”
• Natural: 제가 그 실수를 했어요. “I made that mistake.”
• Why: Korean readily uses active sentences when the doer is known and important. Passive grammar is not automatically more formal or objective.

5. Confusing a completed event with the current state

• Potentially unclear: 문이 닫혔어요.
• Clear event: 문이 방금 닫혔어요. “The door just closed.”
• Clear state: 문이 닫혀 있어요. “The door is closed.”
• Why: The past form can report an event and may imply its result, but -아/어 있다 explicitly presents the continuing state.

Usage Notes

Korean passive sentences usually omit the agent when it is unknown, obvious, unimportant, or deliberately backgrounded. 회의가 취소됐어요 is complete by itself. Adding who cancelled it may shift attention away from the practical news—that the meeting will not happen.

In speech, lexical passive verbs are very common, especially for everyday changes: 문이 열리다, 전화가 끊기다, 문제가 풀리다, and 물건이 팔리다. -되다 forms are especially frequent in notices and institutional language: 결정되었습니다, 변경되었습니다, 접수가 완료되었습니다. The polite formal ending -ㅂ니다/습니다 contributes to the official tone; 되다 itself is not limited to formal contexts.

English speakers often overproduce passives because English uses them to avoid naming a doer. Korean can achieve the same effect simply by omitting the subject in an active sentence. For example, depending on context, 내일 결과를 발표해요 can mean “They announce the results tomorrow” without saying who “they” are. Choose the construction Koreans normally use, not the one that mirrors English word for word.

Be cautious with action verbs involving people. A grammatically imaginable passive may sound unnatural, comic, or have an established meaning you did not expect. A dictionary that labels forms as 피동사 (passive verb), plus real example sentences, is more reliable than guessing.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Passive, spontaneous event, and state

Korean often leaves the boundary between “was acted upon” and “underwent a change” less explicit than English does. 문이 열렸어요 does not tell you whether a person opened the door, a sensor activated it, or it opened for some other reason. If causation matters, state it separately: 직원이 문을 열었어요 “A staff member opened the door.”

To describe a continuing result, use a passive or change verb with -아/어 있다:

Korean	English	Note
문이 닫혔어요.	The door closed/was closed.	Event or achieved result
문이 닫혀 있어요.	The door is closed.	Continuing state
이름이 종이에 쓰였어요.	The name was written on the paper.	Writing event
이름이 종이에 쓰여 있어요.	The name is written on the paper.	Visible resulting state

Passive-looking alternatives

Korean often uses other constructions where English uses a passive:

• N에게/한테 N을 받다: 선생님에게 칭찬을 받았어요 — “I was praised by the teacher,” literally “I received praise.”
• N에게서 연락이 오다: 회사에서 연락이 왔어요 — “I was contacted by the company,” literally “Contact came from the company.”
• An active sentence with an omitted doer: 곧 결과를 알려 드리겠습니다 — “You will be informed of the result soon,” literally “We will let you know the result soon.”

These are not second-best substitutes. They are often the most idiomatic Korean choices.

Overlap with causatives

Some suffixes appear in both passive and causative formation, and a few forms can be ambiguous without context. The particles and overall meaning help identify the role of each participant. At the next stage, study passive and causative verbs as paired lexical systems rather than assuming that the suffix alone determines the meaning.

Practice Tips

1. Build verb pairs, not isolated lists. Make cards such as 열다–열리다, 닫다–닫히다, 팔다–팔리다, and 끊다–끊기다. Add one natural sentence to each pair.
2. Retell events from two viewpoints. Change 경찰이 도둑을 잡았어요 into 도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요, then ask which version better fits the information you want to emphasize.
3. Collect real result expressions. In notices or apps, look for 취소되다, 변경되다, 저장되다, and 연결되다. Note whether the agent is stated—it usually is not.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Polite Ending -아/어요 — needed to conjugate passive verbs naturally in everyday polite speech.
• Next step: Causative Voice — contrasts undergoing an action with causing someone or something to act.
• Advanced comparison: Causative and Passive Verbs — examines suffix overlap, lexical pairs, and more complex contrasts.