쓰다 conjugation

to be bitter · sseuda · sounds like [쓰다]

Short answer: “Bitter” in Korean is 쓰다 (sseuda). Polite present: 써요 (sseoyo); past: 썼어요 (sseosseoyo); future: 쓸 거예요. It is regular, but its ㅡ drops before 아/어.

Present써요[써요] · sseoyo
Past썼어요[써써요] · sseosseoyo
Future쓸 거예요[쓸 꺼예요] · sseul geoyeyo
Negative안 써요[안 써요] · an sseoyo

쓰다 in sentences

이 약은 써요.This medicine is bitter.
커피가 너무 썼어요.The coffee was too bitter.

All forms of 쓰다

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	써요	[써요]	sseoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	씁니다	[씀니다]	sseumnida
casual-아/어	써	[써]	sseo
plain (written)-다	쓰다	[쓰다]	sseuda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	씁니까?	[씀니까]	sseumnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	썼어요	[써써요]	sseosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	썼습니다	[썯씀니다]	sseotseumnida
casual-았/었어	썼어	[써써]	sseosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	썼다	[썯따]	sseotda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will probably be-(으)ㄹ 거예요	쓸 거예요	[쓸 꺼예요]	sseul geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	쓸 겁니다	[쓸 껌니다]	sseul geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	쓸 거야	[쓸 꺼야]	sseul geoya

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 써요	[안 써요]	an sseoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 썼어요	[안 써써요]	an sseosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	쓰지 않아요	[쓰지 아나요]	sseuji anayo

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	쓰세요	[쓰세요]	sseuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	쓰셨어요	[쓰셔써요]	sseusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	쓰십니다	[쓰심니다]	sseusimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	쓰고	[쓰고]	sseugo
… so / and then-아/어서	써서	[써서]	sseoseo
if …-(으)면	쓰면	[쓰면]	sseumyeon
… but-지만	쓰지만	[쓰지만]	sseujiman
because …-(으)니까	쓰니까	[쓰니까]	sseunikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	쓴데	[쓴데]	sseunde
even if …-아/어도	써도	[써도]	sseodo
while …-(으)면서	쓰면서	[쓰면서]	sseumyeonseo

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that is) …-(으)ㄴ	쓴	[쓴]	sseun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	쓸	[쓸]	sseul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	쓸 수 있어요	[쓸 쑤 이써요]	sseul su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	쓸 수 없어요	[쓸 쑤 업써요]	sseul su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	써야 해요	[써야 해요]	sseoya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	써도 돼요	[써도 돼요]	sseodo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	쓰게	[쓰게]	sseuge
becomes …-아/어지다	써져요	[써저요]	sseojeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	쓰기	[쓰기]	sseugi

How 쓰다 changes

The ㅡ in 쓰다 drops before 아/어: 써요, 썼어요. The vowel that replaces it follows the syllable before (아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, otherwise 어). With other endings ㅡ stays: 쓰면, 씁니다.

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

Questions

How do you say “bitter” in Korean?

“Bitter” is 쓰다 (sseuda), pronounced [쓰다]. In a sentence: 이 약은 써요. — This medicine is bitter.

What is the past tense of 쓰다?

썼어요 (sseosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 쓰다 (“to be bitter”). Formal: 썼습니다; casual: 썼어.

How do you say 쓰다 politely?

Everyday polite: 써요 (sseoyo). Formal: 씁니다. Casual, with close friends: 써.

How do you say “not bitter” in Korean?

안 써요 or 쓰지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 쓰다 irregular?

No. The ㅡ in 쓰다 drops before 아/어: 써요, 썼어요. The vowel that replaces it follows the syllable before (아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, otherwise 어). With other endings ㅡ stays: 쓰면, 씁니다.

More ㅡ-stem words like 쓰다

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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