KoreanSum

Verbs · ㄹ stem

울다 conjugation

to cry · ulda · sounds like [울다]

Short answer: “To cry” in Korean is 울다 (ulda). Polite present: 울어요 (ureoyo); past: 울었어요 (ureosseoyo); future: 울 거예요. It is regular, but its ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ.

Opposite: 웃다 — to laugh

울다 in sentences

All forms of 울다

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.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-아/어요울어요[우러요]ureoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다웁니다[움니다]umnida
casual-아/어울어[우러]ureo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다운다[운다]unda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?웁니까?[움니까]umnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요울고 있어요[울고 이써요]ulgo isseoyo
Past
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-았/었어요울었어요[우러써요]ureosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다울었습니다[우럳씀니다]ureotseumnida
casual-았/었어울었어[우러써]ureosseo
plain (written)-았/었다울었다[우럳따]ureotda
Future
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요울 거예요[울 꺼예요]ul geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다울 겁니다[울 껌니다]ul geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야울 거야[울 꺼야]ul geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다울겠습니다[울겓씀니다]ulgetseumnida
Negative
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
not (short)안 …안 울어요[안 우러요]an ureoyo
did not안 …았/었어요안 울었어요[안 우러써요]an ureosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요울지 않아요[울지 아나요]ulji anayo
cannot못 …못 울어요[몯 우러요]mot ureoyo
Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
honorific — present-(으)세요우세요[우세요]useyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요우셨어요[우셔써요]usyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다우십니다[우심니다]usimnida
Requests
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
please …-(으)세요우세요[우세요]useyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요울어 주세요[우러 주세요]ureo juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요울지 마세요[울지 마세요]ulji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다웁시다[웁씨다]upsida
let’s … (casual)-자울자[울자]ulja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라울어라[우러라]ureora
Connecting
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
… and-고울고[울고]ulgo
… so / and then-아/어서울어서[우러서]ureoseo
if …-(으)면울면[울면]ulmyeon
… but-지만울지만[울지만]uljiman
because …-(으)니까우니까[우니까]unikka
… and / but (background)-는데우는데[우는데]uneunde
even if …-아/어도울어도[우러도]ureodo
while …-(으)면서울면서[울면서]ulmyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고울려고[울려고]ullyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러울러[울러]ulleo
before …-기 전에울기 전에[울기 저네]ulgi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에운 후에[운 후에]un hue
Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
(that) … now-는우는[우는]uneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ운[운]un
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ울[울]ul
Useful patterns
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
I want to …-고 싶어요울고 싶어요[울고 시퍼요]ulgo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요울 수 있어요[울 쑤 이써요]ul su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요울 수 없어요[울 쑤 업써요]ul su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요울어야 해요[우러야 해요]ureoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요울어도 돼요[우러도 돼요]ureodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요울면 안 돼요[울면 안 돼요]ulmyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기울기[울기]ulgi

How 울다 changes

울다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 우는, 웁니다, 우세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 울면, 울. Everything else is regular: 울어요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)

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

Questions

How do you say “cry” in Korean?

“To cry” is 울다 (ulda), pronounced [울다]. In a sentence: 슬픈 영화를 보고 울었어요. — I cried watching a sad movie.

What is the past tense of 울다?

울었어요 (ureosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 울다 (“to cry”). Formal: 울었습니다; casual: 울었어.

How do you say 울다 politely?

Everyday polite: 울어요 (ureoyo). Formal: 웁니다. Casual, with close friends: 울어.

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

울고 싶어요 (ulgo sipeoyo), pronounced [울고 시퍼요].

Is 울다 irregular?

No. 울다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 우는, 웁니다, 우세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 울면, 울. Everything else is regular: 울어요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)

More ㄹ-stem words like 울다

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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