passive

Passive verbs describe situations where the subject receives the action rather than performs it, such as 'to be caught' or 'to be written'. In Korean, they are formed with suffixes like -이, -히, -리, -기 (ex. 열다 to open → 열리다 to be opened, 닫다 to close → 닫히다 to be closed).

제가 문을 열어요.

→ I open the door. ('door' is the object.)

문이 열려요.

→ The door is opened. ('door' is the subject.)

Examples of commonly used passive verbs are shown in the following table;

Suffix 이, 히, 리, 기

하다 verb → 되다,받다,당하다

However, not all active verbs have their own paired passive form. In these cases, you can use the '-아/어지다' form to create the passive voice (ex. 만들다 to make → 만들어지다 to be made). In fact, verbs can also appear with -어 지다, even when they already have a passive form (ex. 나누다 to divide → 나뉘다 , 나눠지다 to be divided ). For some verbs, both sound natural, while for others it feels awkward, and there is no clear rule about that. Sometimes Koreans even combine a passive verb with -어지다 (ex. 나뉘어지다 (나뉘다 + -어 지다)). Although scholars recommend avoiding this so-called “double passive”, such forms still occur in everyday speech. The passive voice in Korean is so tricky that even Korean students study it extensively and are tested on it in exams. But since we are learning practical Korean as a foreign language, you don’t need to stress over strict rules. Instead, focus on how Koreans actually use these forms.✨

👉 Still, for your convenience, I’ve summarized the main points as follows:

If you know the passive form, use it. Otherwise, use -어지다.

-어지다 can imply the nuance of “something happening or turning out that way on its own.”