Master Korean Passive Voice: Transform Your Speaking from Beginner to Natural

If your Korean sounds "off" at the intermediate level, passive voice (피동형) is probably the missing piece. Korean uses it heavily in news, formal writing, and polite conversation. Unlike English, where passive voice is often a style problem, in Korean it's required for natural expression.

Most intermediate learners avoid it because the suffixes are irregular and hard to memorize. This guide breaks them into patterns that actually make sense.

Understanding Korean Passive Voice Fundamentals

Korean passive voice transforms the object of an active sentence into the subject, shifting focus from the doer to the receiver of the action. This construction is formed by adding specific suffixes to verb stems, making it a grammatical pattern you absolutely need to master.

The most common passive voice endings are:

• -이- (for stems ending in consonants except ㄹ)
• -히- (for stems ending in certain consonants)
• -리- (for stems ending in ㄹ)
• -기- (for specific verbs)

Let's examine how these work with concrete examples:

The Four Main Passive Voice Patterns

1. The -이- Pattern

This pattern applies to verbs whose stems end in consonants (except ㄹ). The consonant must be followed by -이- before adding tense endings.

Examples:

• 잡다 (japda, to catch) → 잡히다 (japhida, to be caught)
• 막다 (makda, to block) → 막히다 (makhida, to be blocked)
• 읽다 (ikda, to read) → 읽히다 (ikhida, to be read)

In sentences:

• 교통이 막혔어요. (gyotong-i makheosseoyo) - Traffic is blocked.
• 그 소설이 많이 읽혔어요. (geu soseol-i mani ikheosseoyo) - That novel was read a lot.

2. The -히- Pattern

This pattern is used with specific verb stems, often those ending in ㄷ, ㅂ, or ㅊ sounds.

Examples:

• 닫다 (datda, to close) → 닫히다 (dathida, to be closed)
• 쫓다 (jjotda, to chase) → 쫓기다 (jjotgida, to be chased)
• 숨다 (sumda, to hide) → 숨기다 (sumgida, to be hidden)

In sentences:

• 가게가 일찍 닫혔어요. (gage-ga iljjik datheosseoyo) - The store closed early.
• 그는 경찰에게 쫓겼어요. (geuneun gyeongchal-ege jjotgyeosseoyo) - He was chased by the police.

3. The -리- Pattern

This pattern applies to verb stems ending in ㄹ.

Examples:

• 팔다 (palda, to sell) → 팔리다 (pallida, to be sold)
• 물다 (mulda, to bite) → 물리다 (mullida, to be bitten)
• 울다 (ulda, to cry) → 울리다 (ullida, to make cry/ring)

In sentences:

• 그 책이 잘 팔려요. (geu chaek-i jal pallyeoyo) - That book sells well.
• 개에게 물렸어요. (gae-ege mullyeosseoyo) - I was bitten by a dog.

4. The -기- Pattern

This is used with a limited number of specific verbs.

Examples:

• 쫓다 (jjotda, to chase) → 쫓기다 (jjotgida, to be chased)
• 끌다 (kkeulda, to pull) → 끌리다 (kkeullida, to be attracted/pulled)

Irregular Passive Voice Constructions

Some verbs have irregular passive forms that don't follow the standard patterns. These must be memorized:

Example sentences:

• 저기 산이 보여요. (jeogi san-i boyeoyo) - The mountain is visible over there.
• 음악이 잘 들려요. (eumak-i jal deullyeoyo) - The music can be heard well.
• 이 제품은 한국에서 만들어져요. (i jepum-eun hanguk-eseo mandeureojyeoyo) - This product is made in Korea.

Using Passive Voice with Agents

When you want to express who performed the action in a passive sentence, use the particles -에게 (ege), -한테 (hante), or -에 의해 (e uihae):

• -에게/-한테: Used with people (informal)
• -에 의해: Used in formal contexts, with people or things

Examples:

• 학생이 선생님에게 칭찬받았어요. (haksaeng-i seonsaengnim-ege chingchan-badasseoyo) - The student was praised by the teacher.
• 이 건물은 유명한 건축가에 의해 설계되었어요. (i geonmul-eun yumyeonghan geonchukga-e uihae seolgyedoeeosseoyo) - This building was designed by a famous architect.

When to Use Passive Voice in Korean

1. Formal Writing and News

Passive voice is extremely common in news reports and formal documents:

• 새로운 법안이 통과되었습니다. (saeroun beop-an-i tonggwadoeeosseumnida) - A new bill was passed.

2. Describing States or Results

Focus on the result rather than who did the action:

• 창문이 열려 있어요. (changmun-i yeollyeo isseoyo) - The window is open.

3. Polite or Indirect Expression

Sometimes passive voice sounds more polite:

• 회의가 연기되었어요. (hoeui-ga yeon-gidoeeosseoyo) - The meeting was postponed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overusing passive voice: Don't use passive voice when active voice is more natural
2. Wrong suffix choice: Each verb has a specific passive pattern - memorize them
3. Forgetting tense agreement: Passive verbs must agree with the sentence tense
4. Mixing formal and informal: Keep consistency in speech levels

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Transform to Passive Voice

Convert these active sentences to passive voice:

1. 누군가가 이 편지를 썼어요. (Someone wrote this letter.)
2. 학생들이 숙제를 끝냈어요. (The students finished their homework.)
3. 요리사가 맛있는 음식을 만들었어요. (The chef made delicious food.)

Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Passive Form

Select the appropriate passive form for each verb:

1. 보다 (to see) → a) 보이다 b) 보히다 c) 보리다
2. 잡다 (to catch) → a) 잡이다 b) 잡히다 c) 잡리다
3. 팔다 (to sell) → a) 팔이다 b) 팔히다 c) 팔리다

Exercise 3: Complete the Sentences

Fill in the blanks with appropriate passive forms:

1. 그 가게는 일요일에 _______ 있어요. (닫다 - to close)
2. 이 소설은 많은 사람들에게 _______. (읽다 - to read)
3. 새로운 규칙이 _______. (만들다 - to make)

Exercise 4: Translation Practice

Translate these sentences using passive voice:

1. The book was written by a famous author.
2. The door is locked.
3. This song is loved by many people.

Answer Key: Exercise 1: 1) 이 편지가 쓰여졌어요, 2) 숙제가 끝나졌어요, 3) 맛있는 음식이 만들어졌어요 Exercise 2: 1) a, 2) b, 3) c Exercise 3: 1) 닫혀, 2) 읽혔어요, 3) 만들어졌어요 Exercise 4: 1) 그 책은 유명한 작가에 의해 쓰여졌어요, 2) 문이 잠겨 있어요, 3) 이 노래는 많은 사람들에게 사랑받아요

Passive voice is one of those things where memorizing 10-15 common forms gets you most of the way there. Don't try to translate English passives into Korean. Instead, learn which Korean verbs have passive forms and when they sound more natural than the active version.