If you’re learning Korean, understanding causative form endings is essential for expressing actions that someone causes or allows another person to do. In this post, you’ll learn how to use common Korean causative form endings like 이, 히, 리, 기, 우, 구, and 추. We’ll provide real-life examples and pronunciation tips to help you use these forms naturally in everyday conversation. Mastering these forms will boost your fluency and help you sound more like a native speaker.
Contents
Korean Grammar Series:
Mastering 사동사 (Causative Verb Forms)
🔹 Part 1: Introduction to Causative Forms in Korean – What They Are and Why They Matter
🔹 Part 2: Causative Form Endings in Korean – How to Use 이, 히, 리, 기, 우, 구, 추
🔹 Part 3: Using ‘시키다’ in Korean – How to Make Someone Do Something
🔹 Part 4: Using -게 하다 in Korean – Letting or Making Someone Do Something
🔹 Part 5: Korean Causative Forms Compared -시키다 vs -게 하다 vs -도록 하다
Definition
Causative verbs are verbs that express an action being caused by someone. In English, we use phrases like “make someone do,” “let someone do,” or “have someone do” to indicate causation. Korean has a specific way of expressing these ideas using certain verb endings and patterns. These are called ‘사동사’ (causative verbs).
Form (Structure)
In Korean, causative verbs are often formed by attaching specific suffixes to verb stems. The most common causative suffixes are:
- -이
- -히
- -리
- -기
- -우
- -구
- -추
Some verbs also have a completely different causative form (like 시키다 or 입히다). These forms often need to be memorized.
Here is a table summarizing the structure:
| Verb (Base) | Causative Ending | Causative Form | Meaning |
| 먹다 (to eat) | -이 | 먹이다 [머기다] | to feed |
| 보다 (to see) | -이 | 보이다 | to show |
| 닫다 (to close) | -히 | 닫히다 [다치다] | to make shut |
| 앉다 (to sit) | -히 | 앉히다 [안치다] | to seat (someone) |
| 살다 (to live) | -리 | 살리다 | to save, revive |
| 울다 (to cry) | -리 | 울리다 | to make someone cry |
| 웃다 (to laugh) | -기 | 웃기다 | to make someone laugh |
| 신다 (to wear shoes) | -기 | 신기다 | to put shoes on someone |
| 자다 (to sleep) | -우 | 재우다 | to put to sleep |
| 돋다 (to sprout) | -구 | 돋구다 [돋꾸다] | to enhance |
| 늦다 (to be late) | -추 | 늦추다 | to delay |
📌 Note: Some verbs are irregular, so always check the correct causative form.
Pronunciation Notes for Korean Causative Verbs
- Some causative verbs have different pronunciations from their spelling. Pay special attention to these:
- 먹이다 is pronounced as [머기다] (meo-gi-da), not as written. The final consonant ㄱ blends with the following vowel.
- 닫히다 is pronounced as [다치다] (da-chi-da). The ‘ㅎ’ sound is dropped and the consonant changes, making it sound like ‘다치다’ (to get hurt). Be careful not to confuse these two words.
- 앉히다 is pronounced as [안치다] (an-chi-da). The consonant cluster changes the sound.
- 늦추다 is pronounced as [늗추다] (neut-chu-da), with a stronger ‘ㅊ’ sound.
- Words like 보이다, 신기다, and 재우다 are pronounced as spelled.
- To master these pronunciations, listen to native speakers and practice speaking regularly.
Examples by Ending
-이
먹다 → 먹이다 (to feed, to make someone eat)
- 엄마가 아이에게 밥을 먹였어요.
(Mom fed the child.) - 선생님이 학생들에게 간식을 먹였어요.
(The teacher gave the students snacks.)
보다 → 보이다 (to show, to make someone see)
- 선생님이 학생에게 답을 보였어요.
(The teacher showed the answer to the student.) - 아빠가 저에게 사진을 보였어요.
(Dad showed me a picture.)
📌 Note:
- The verb 보이다 mainly means “to be seen” or “to appear.”
- To say “to show (someone something),” Koreans usually use 보여 주다.
- For example, instead of saying “선생님이 학생에게 답을 보였어요,” it’s more natural to say “선생님이 학생에게 답을 보여 주었어요” (The teacher showed the answer to the student).
- Similarly, “아빠가 저에게 사진을 보였어요” is better expressed as “아빠가 저에게 사진을 보여 주었어요” (Dad showed me a picture).
붙다 → 붙이다 (to attach, to stick)
- 선생님이 종이를 칠판에 붙였어요.
(The teacher stuck the paper on the board.) - 저는 우표를 편지에 붙였어요.
(I attached a stamp to the letter.)
속다 → 속이다 (to deceive, to trick)
- 그는 친구를 속였어요.
(He deceived his friend.) - 마술사가 사람들을 속였어요.
(The magician tricked people.)
-히
닫다 → 닫히다 (to make shut)
- 직원이 가게 문을 닫히게 했어요.
(The staff made the store door close.) - 바람이 창문을 닫히게 했어요.
(The wind made the window close.)
📌 Note:
- 닫히다 means “to be closed” (passive form).
- It’s natural to say “The door was closed” → “문이 닫혔어요.”
- 닫히게 하다 means “to make something be closed” (causative-passive), but it sounds unnatural in daily conversation.
- Usually, say “Someone closed the door” → “문을 닫았어요.”
- Use 닫히다 to describe the state/result, and 닫히게 하다 only when emphasizing causing
the action.
-리
알다 → 알리다 (to inform)
- 선생님이 학생들에게 소식을 알렸어요.
(The teacher informed the students of the news.) - 친구가 나에게 시험 날짜를 알렸어요.
(My friend told me the exam date.)
울다 → 울리다 (to make someone cry)
- 그는 동생을 울렸어요.
(He made his younger sibling cry.) - 영화가 저를 울렸어요.
(The movie made me cry.)
얼다 → 얼리다 (to freeze something)
- 엄마가 고기를 냉동실에 얼렸어요.
(Mom froze the meat in the freezer.) - 나는 물을 얼려서 얼음을 만들었어요.
(I froze water to make ice.)
-기
신다 → 신기다 (to put shoes on someone)
- 엄마가 아이에게 신발을 신겼어요.
(Mom put shoes on the child.) - 선생님이 아이들에게 실내화를 신겼어요.
(The teacher put indoor shoes on the children.)
벗다 → 벗기다 (to undress someone, to peel)
- 엄마가 아이의 옷을 벗겼어요.
(Mom took off the child’s clothes.) - 나는 바나나 껍질을 벗겼어요.
(I peeled the banana.)
숨다 → 숨기다 (to hide something)
- 그는 선물을 침대 밑에 숨겼어요.
(He hid the present under the bed.) - 나는 비밀을 친구에게 숨겼어요.
(I hid the secret from my friend.)
-우
자다 → 재우다 (to put to sleep)
- 엄마가 아기를 재웠어요.
(Mom put the baby to sleep.) - 의사가 환자를 재웠어요.
(The doctor put the patient to sleep.)
타다 → 태우다 (to burn, to give a ride)
- 아이들이 캠프파이어에서 나무를 태웠어요.
(The kids burned wood at the campfire.) - 아빠가 저를 차에 태웠어요.
(Dad gave me a ride in the car.)
쓰다 → 씌우다 (to cover, to put on someone)
- 엄마가 아이에게 모자를 씌웠어요.
(Mom put a hat on the child.) - 간호사가 환자에게 마스크를 씌웠어요.
(The nurse put a mask on the patient.)
–구
돋다 → 돋구다 (to enhance, to stimulate)
- 이 음식이 식욕을 돋굽니다.
(This food stimulates the appetite.) - 그 소식이 호기심을 돋굽니다.
(The news arouses curiosity.)
-추
늦다 → 늦추다 (to delay, to postpone)
- 회의를 늦췄어요.
(They postponed the meeting.) - 마감일을 늦췄어요.
(The deadline was extended.)
맞다 → 맞추다 (to adjust, to set, to match)
- 나는 시계를 맞췄어요.
(I set the clock.) - 선생님이 학생의 답을 정답과 맞췄어요.
(The teacher matched the student’s answer to the correct one.)
낮다 → 낮추다 (to lower)
- 에어컨 온도를 낮췄어요.
(I lowered the air conditioner temperature.) - 음악 소리를 낮췄어요.
(I turned down the music volume.)
Tips for Learning Causative Forms
- Group verbs by their ending pattern—it makes memorization easier.
- Pay attention to irregular forms like 재우다 and 늦추다.
- Practice making your own sentences using each causative form.
- Don’t confuse causative with passive forms—닫히다 can be both causative and passive depending on context.
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct causative form for each sentence.
- 엄마가 아이에게 신발을 ___ (신다).
(Mom put shoes on the child.) - 그는 나를 많이 ___ (웃다).
(He made me laugh a lot.) - 구조대가 사람을 ___ (살다).
(The rescue team saved the person.) - 선생님이 학생을 조용하게 ___ (앉다).
(The teacher made the student sit quietly.) - 나는 동생을 일찍 ___ (자다).
(I put my younger sibling to bed early.) - 엄마가 아이에게 우유를 ________.
(Mom made the child drink milk.) - 나는 친구에게 내 비밀을 ________.
(I hid my secret from my friend.) - 선생님이 학생에게 모자를 ________.
(The teacher put a hat on the student.) - 나는 친구에게 정답을 ________.
(I informed my friend of the correct answer.) - 아빠가 나를 자전거에 ________.
(Dad gave me a ride on the bicycle.)
Answers
- 신겼어요
- 웃겼어요
- 살렸어요
- 앉혔어요
- 재웠어요
- 먹였어요
- 숨겼어요
- 씌웠어요
- 알렸어요
- 태웠어요
Common Mistakes and Tips
⚠️ Mistake 1: Using the wrong causative ending
Incorrect: 엄마가 아이를 옷을 입었어요. ❌
Correct: 엄마가 아이에게 옷을 입혔어요. ✅
💡 Tip: Always check the correct causative form for each verb.
⚠️ Mistake 2: Confusing causative and passive
Incorrect: 엄마가 문이 닫혔어요. ❌
Correct: 엄마가 문을 닫았어요. ✅
💡 Tip: Use the active or causative form when you want to clearly state who did the action.
⚠️ Mistake 3: Overusing ‘-게 하다’ when a causative verb exists
Incorrect: 엄마가 아이를 자게 했어요. ❌
Correct: 엄마가 아이를 재웠어요. ✅
💡 Tip: Use the specific causative verb when available instead of always ‘-게 하다’.
Mastering the causative verb endings 이, 히, 리, 기, 우, 구, 추 will help you express complex ideas in Korean more naturally and fluently.
Practice these forms regularly, pay attention to irregular verbs, and try using them in your own sentences.
In Part 3, we’ll explore how to use ‘시키다’ to give commands and assign tasks.