If you are studying Korean passive voice, this lesson is the one to keep. You will learn how Passive 이/히/리/기 works in real conversation, when to use it, and the mistakes English speakers make first. This is a Korean advanced grammar guide with examples, romanization, and a five-minute speaking drill.
By the end you should be able to hear Passive 이/히/리/기 in dramas and K-talk, then reuse it in your own sentences. Read once. Say the examples out loud. Then drill the same lines on Practice.
What Passive 이/히/리/기 means
Korean passive voice shifts the spotlight to the thing affected. 문이 열렸어요: the door opened / got opened. Advanced learners need it for news Korean, complaints, and “I can see/hear” pairs like 보이다 and 들리다.
How to form it
- Common pairs: 보다→보이다, 듣다→들리다, 열다→열리다, 닫다→닫히다, 잡다→잡히다
- 놓다→놓이다, 쌓다→쌓이다, 먹다→먹히다
- Particle: 이/가 on the affected thing; 에게/한테 on the agent if mentioned
- 어 있다 often shows the resulting state: 열려 있어요
Passive 이/히/리/기 examples
Use these Korean passive voice example sentences as a speaking list. Korean first, then pronunciation, then English.
| Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 문이 안 열려요. | muni an yeollyeoyo. | The door won’t open. |
| 저기서 바다가 보여요. | jeogiseo badaga boyeoyo. | You can see the sea from there. |
| 이름이 안 들려요. 다시 말해 주세요. | ireumi an deullyeoyo. dasi malhae juseyo. | I can’t hear the name. Please say it again. |
| 범인이 경찰에게 잡혔어요. | beomini gyeongcharege japhyeosseoyo. | The suspect was caught by the police. |
| 책상 위에 서류가 놓여 있어요. | chaeksang wie seoryuga noyeo isseoyo. | Documents are lying on the desk. |
| 이 고기는 잘 안 씹혀요. | i gogineun jal an ssipyeoyo. | This meat is hard to chew. |
When to use it
- The agent is unknown or unimportant.
- Perception: 보여요 / 들려요.
- News headlines and written Korean.
Common mistakes
These are the traps English speakers hit when they translate word-for-word. Fix the pattern, not just the vocabulary.
Watch-out
❌ 문을 열렸어요
✅ 문이 열렸어요 / 문을 열었어요
Passive takes 이/가. Active 열다 takes 을/를.
Watch-out
❌ 보이다 vs 보다
✅ 보다 = look; 보이다 = be visible
나를 봐요 vs 저기 보여요.
Watch-out
❌ Inventing 이/히 on every verb
✅ Many verbs use 아/어지다 or 게 되다 instead
Not every English passive has a 이/히/리/기 twin.
Mini dialogue
Read it twice. Second time, cover the English.
| Speaker | Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 창문 좀 열어 줄래요? | changmun jom yeoreo jullaeyo? | Can you open the window? |
| B | 열려고 했는데 안 열려요. 고장난 것 같아요. | yeollyeogo haenneunde an yeollyeoyo. gojangnan geot gatayo. | I tried, but it won’t open. I think it’s broken. |
| A | 그럼 문은 열려 있죠? | geureom muneun yeollyeo itjo? | Then the door is open, right? |
Don’t mix these up
어지다 can be a softer passive/change. 게 되다 is “end up.” Morphological passives (열리다) are the core set to memorize.
Five-minute Korean speaking practice
Korean speaking practice beats extra grammar notes. Do this once today, then again tomorrow without looking.
- Read each example slowly, Korean only.
- Say it at natural speed. Record yourself if you can.
- Cover the Korean and rebuild the sentence from English.
- Swap in your own details: your job, your city, your weekend.
Starter lines for today:
- 전화가 안 받혀요? → better: 전화를 안 받아요 / 연결이 안 돼요
- 소리가 잘 안 들려요.
- 가방이 어디에 놓여 있었어요?
Lesson summary
- Pattern: Passive 이/히/리/기
- Search topic: Korean passive voice
- Passive puts 이/가 on the affected thing. Learn the common 이/히/리/기 list; don’t invent forms.
- Say it out loud on Practice, then come back to Guides if a particle still feels sticky.
Homework
- Memorize ten common passive pairs.
- Write three 보여요/들려요 perception sentences.
- Write three 이/가 + passive event sentences.
Korean passive voice: quick answers
열려요 vs 열어져요?
열려요 is the standard passive. 열어지다 is heard but 열리다 is the one to produce.
Honorific passive?
드시다 is not a passive of 먹다. Don’t hunt passives on honorific verbs first.
Keep going
Want a path, not a single grammar point? Open Learn or browse the rest of this series in Korean advanced.