Verbs · ㅡ drops

끄다 conjugation

to turn off · kkeuda · sounds like [끄다]

Short answer: “To turn off” in Korean is 끄다 (kkeuda). Polite present: 꺼요 (kkeoyo); past: 껐어요 (kkeosseoyo); future: 끌 거예요. It is regular, but its ㅡ drops before 아/어.

Present꺼요[꺼요] · kkeoyo
Past껐어요[꺼써요] · kkeosseoyo
Future끌 거예요[끌 꺼예요] · kkeul geoyeyo
Negative안 꺼요[안 꺼요] · an kkeoyo

Opposite: 켜다 — to turn on (a light, TV)

끄다 in sentences

휴대폰을 꺼 주세요.Please turn off your phone.
나올 때 불을 껐어요?Did you turn off the light when you left?

All forms of 끄다

Present
Polite (해요) is the everyday safe choice; formal (합니다) is for news, announcements and work; casual (반말) is for close friends and younger people.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-아/어요	꺼요	[꺼요]	kkeoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	끕니다	[끔니다]	kkeumnida
casual-아/어	꺼	[꺼]	kkeo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	끈다	[끈다]	kkeunda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	끕니까?	[끔니까]	kkeumnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	끄고 있어요	[끄고 이써요]	kkeugo isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	껐어요	[꺼써요]	kkeosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	껐습니다	[껃씀니다]	kkeotseumnida
casual-았/었어	껐어	[꺼써]	kkeosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	껐다	[껃따]	kkeotda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	끌 거예요	[끌 꺼예요]	kkeul geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	끌 겁니다	[끌 껌니다]	kkeul geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	끌 거야	[끌 꺼야]	kkeul geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	끄겠습니다	[끄겓씀니다]	kkeugetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 꺼요	[안 꺼요]	an kkeoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 껐어요	[안 꺼써요]	an kkeosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	끄지 않아요	[끄지 아나요]	kkeuji anayo
cannot못 …	못 꺼요	[몯 꺼요]	mot kkeoyo

Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
honorific — present-(으)세요	끄세요	[끄세요]	kkeuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	끄셨어요	[끄셔써요]	kkeusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	끄십니다	[끄심니다]	kkeusimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	끄세요	[끄세요]	kkeuseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	꺼 주세요	[꺼 주세요]	kkeo juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	끄지 마세요	[끄지 마세요]	kkeuji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	끕시다	[끕씨다]	kkeupsida
let’s … (casual)-자	끄자	[끄자]	kkeuja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	꺼라	[꺼라]	kkeora

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	끄고	[끄고]	kkeugo
… so / and then-아/어서	꺼서	[꺼서]	kkeoseo
if …-(으)면	끄면	[끄면]	kkeumyeon
… but-지만	끄지만	[끄지만]	kkeujiman
because …-(으)니까	끄니까	[끄니까]	kkeunikka
… and / but (background)-는데	끄는데	[끄는데]	kkeuneunde
even if …-아/어도	꺼도	[꺼도]	kkeodo
while …-(으)면서	끄면서	[끄면서]	kkeumyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	끄려고	[끄려고]	kkeuryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	끄러	[끄러]	kkeureo
before …-기 전에	끄기 전에	[끄기 저네]	kkeugi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	끈 후에	[끈 후에]	kkeun hue

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that) … now-는	끄는	[끄는]	kkeuneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	끈	[끈]	kkeun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	끌	[끌]	kkeul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	끄고 싶어요	[끄고 시퍼요]	kkeugo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	끌 수 있어요	[끌 쑤 이써요]	kkeul su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	끌 수 없어요	[끌 쑤 업써요]	kkeul su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	꺼야 해요	[꺼야 해요]	kkeoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	꺼도 돼요	[꺼도 돼요]	kkeodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	끄면 안 돼요	[끄면 안 돼요]	kkeumyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	끄기	[끄기]	kkeugi

How 끄다 changes

The ㅡ in 끄다 drops before 아/어: 꺼요, 껐어요. The vowel that replaces it follows the syllable before (아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, otherwise 어). With other endings ㅡ stays: 끄면, 끕니다.

How every verb type works → · Why it sounds like that →

Questions

How do you say “turn off” in Korean?

“To turn off” is 끄다 (kkeuda), pronounced [끄다]. In a sentence: 휴대폰을 꺼 주세요. — Please turn off your phone.

What is the past tense of 끄다?

껐어요 (kkeosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 끄다 (“to turn off”). Formal: 껐습니다; casual: 껐어.

How do you say 끄다 politely?

Everyday polite: 꺼요 (kkeoyo). Formal: 끕니다. Casual, with close friends: 꺼.

How do you say “I want to turn off” in Korean?

끄고 싶어요 (kkeugo sipeoyo), pronounced [끄고 시퍼요].

Is 끄다 irregular?

No. The ㅡ in 끄다 drops before 아/어: 꺼요, 껐어요. The vowel that replaces it follows the syllable before (아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, otherwise 어). With other endings ㅡ stays: 끄면, 끕니다.

More ㅡ-stem words like 끄다

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Forms follow 한글 맞춤법 (Korean spelling rules); pronunciation follows 표준 발음법 and romanization follows 국어의 로마자 표기법 (Revised Romanization). Last updated October 16, 2026. How we check