Passive Voice (-이/히/리/기)

Korean forms passive verbs by attaching one of four suffixes to certain active verb stems: -이, -히, -리, or -기. There is no clear rule for which suffix a verb takes; they must be memorized individually. Common examples include: 보다 (see) → 보이다 (be seen), 먹다 (eat) → 먹히다 (be eaten), 열다 (open) → 열리다 (be opened), 잠그다 (lock) → 잠기다 (be locked).

In passive sentences, the focus shifts to the object receiving the action rather than the agent performing it. The original object becomes the subject marked with 이/가, and the original subject (if mentioned) is marked with 에 or 에게: 문이 열렸어요 (The door was opened). 고양이가 개에게 쫓기다 (The cat is chased by the dog).

Not all verbs have passive forms with these suffixes. For verbs that lack a suffix-based passive, Korean uses -아/어지다 instead. Learning the common passive verb pairs is essential for TOPIK Level 3 reading comprehension, as passive constructions appear frequently in texts and news articles.