Passives: -i/hi/ri/gi and -doeda / -batda / -danghada

Passive expressions show that the subject 'receives' or 'undergoes' an action. Use the suffixes '-i/hi/ri/gi', the pattern '-a/eojida', or '-doeda/-batda/-danghada' for Sino-Korean nouns.

Suffix passives

문이 바람에 닫혔어요.

Mun-i baram-e dachyeosseoyo.

The door got closed by the wind.

멀리서 종소리가 들렸어요.

Meolliseo jongsori-ga deullyeosseoyo.

The sound of a bell was heard from far away.

도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요.

Dodug-i gyeongchal-ege japhyeosseoyo.

The thief was caught by the police.

Passive with -a/eojida

'-a/eojida' expresses that something becomes a certain state, often on its own.

글씨가 잘 안 써져요.

Geulssi-ga jal an sseojyeoyo.

The writing doesn't come out well (the pen won't write).

약속이 갑자기 취소돼서 시간이 비었어요.

Yaksog-i gapjagi chwisodwaeseo sigan-i bieosseoyo.

The appointment was suddenly canceled, so I had free time.

Avoid double passives

Adding '-a/eojida' to an already-passive verb, as in '잊혀지다' or '쓰여지다', is nonstandard. The correct forms are '잊히다' and '쓰이다'. Double passives are a common advanced mistake.

그 노래는 이제 거의 잊혔어요.

Geu norae-neun ije geoui ijhyeosseoyo.

That song is now almost forgotten.

Sino-Korean passives: -doeda / -batda / -danghada

'-doeda' is neutral, '-batda' works for both good and bad things, and '-danghada' is for negative things one suffers.

그는 모두에게 사랑받는 사람이에요.

Geu-neun modu-ege sarangbatneun saram-ieyo.

He is a person loved by everyone.

그 회사는 큰 손해를 입었어요.

Geu hoesa-neun keun sonhae-reul ibeosseoyo.

That company suffered a big loss.

친구가 사기를 당해서 속상해해요.

Chingu-ga sagi-reul danghaeseo soksanghaehaeyo.

My friend got scammed and is upset.

Active	Passive	Example
보다 see	보이다	산이 보여요
듣다 hear	들리다	음악이 들려요
잡다 catch	잡히다	범인이 잡혔어요
열다 open	열리다	문이 열렸어요
해결하다 solve	해결되다	문제가 해결됐어요
거절하다 reject	거절당하다	제안이 거절당했어요

💡 Tip: Causative and passive forms share suffixes (for example '보이다'), so they are easy to confuse. Tell them apart by whether the subject causes the action (causative) or undergoes it (passive).

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