The Korean Passive: 되다, 지다, 이/히/리/기, and Translation Traps

Core examples: 문이 열리다; 길이 막히다; 결정되다; 만들어지다; 책이 읽히다; 사건이 알려졌다.

Korean passive is not just “was done”

English-speaking learners often look for a Korean equivalent of “was opened,” “was made,” or “was decided.” Korean has passive-like forms, but they do not always map neatly onto English passive sentences. Sometimes the Korean sentence emphasizes an affected subject. Sometimes it describes a result state. Sometimes it avoids naming an agent. Sometimes it sounds institutional or report-like. Sometimes English would use an active or intransitive translation.

문이 열렸다 can mean “the door opened” or “the door was opened” depending on context. 결정되었다 can mean “was decided,” but in Korean it often functions as a formal impersonal result. 만들어졌다 may be “was made,” “came to be made,” or “was formed.”

Korean passive forms are about affectedness, result, and viewpoint, not just English passive grammar.

Lexical passives with 이/히/리/기

Many Korean passive verbs are formed with suffixes such as 이, 히, 리, 기:

• 보다 → 보이다
• 잡다 → 잡히다
• 열다 → 열리다
• 안다 → 안기다
• 읽다 → 읽히다

These forms are lexical and must be learned with the verb. There are patterns, but learners should not assume they can generate every passive reliably. Some forms are common, some are limited, and some active verbs do not have a natural passive equivalent.

Examples:

• 문이 열렸어요.
• 도둑이 경찰에게 잡혔어요.
• 글씨가 잘 보여요.
• 책이 많이 읽혀요.

The subject is often the affected thing or person.

되다 creates formal and institutional passives

되다 attaches to many Sino-Korean nouns and verbal nouns:

• 결정되다
• 발표되다
• 사용되다
• 준비되다
• 취소되다
• 확인되다

These forms are common in news, official notices, reports, academic prose, and institutional Korean:

• 회의가 취소되었습니다.
• 결과가 발표되었습니다.
• 새로운 정책이 시행됩니다.

The agent is often omitted because it is unknown, irrelevant, obvious, or institutionally backgrounded. English may use passive, but sometimes a more natural translation is “The meeting has been canceled” or “The results are out,” depending on genre.

아/어지다 marks change into a state

아/어지다 often describes a change into a state:

• 만들어지다
• 좋아지다
• 달라지다
• 높아지다
• 알려지다

Some forms are passive-like; others are inchoative or change-of-state. 좋아지다 does not mean “to be liked.” It means “to become better.” 알려지다 means “to become known” or “to be known.” 만들어지다 can mean “to be made” or “to come into being.”

This is why translating every 지다 form as passive can be wrong.

Agent phrases are often absent

English passive often asks “by whom?” Korean passives often do not care. In news or formal writing, the agent may be omitted to keep focus on the event, result, or institutionally relevant outcome:

• 법안이 통과되었다.
• 행사가 취소되었다.
• 문제가 해결되었다.

Adding an agent with 에게, 에 의해, or similar expressions is possible in some contexts, but not always natural. Korean may prefer not to foreground the agent.

A passive parse

1. Identify the subject. Is it the actor or the affected participant?
2. Look for passive markers: 이/히/리/기, 되다, 아/어지다.
3. Decide whether the sentence emphasizes process, result, state, institution, or lack of agent.
4. Check whether English passive is natural or whether active/intransitive translation is better.
5. Do not invent an agent unless the Korean gives one or the context requires it.
6. Learn common passive verbs as lexical items.

Technical-review guardrail: passive markers overlap with other verb families

The suffixes 이/히/리/기 are not a machine for creating passives. Some forms are lexical, some are causative, some have both passive and causative readings, and some common Korean sentences prefer an intransitive or result-state translation. The article therefore asks learners to identify subject role, marker type, result state, and agent relevance before translating.

Mini practice: passive or result?

Suggested functions:

1. Verb input: active or passive Korean verb.
2. Marker label: lexical passive, 되다 passive, 아/어지다 change/passive.
3. Subject role: actor, affected participant, result state.
4. Agent layer: absent, optional, expressed.
5. Translation options: English passive, active, intransitive, result-state.
6. Warning: flags forms where 지다 is not passive.

Final rule

Do not translate Korean passive mechanically as “was done.”

First ask what the Korean sentence foregrounds: the affected subject, the result, the institution, the change, or the missing agent.