The Korean word 쓰다 has 4 different meanings?

S에스
slearningcorner
Published in
1 min readDec 12, 2021
Photo by Yu Kato on Unsplash

The Korean word 쓰다 has 4 different meanings. Three of them act as a verb, and one acts as an adjective. Do you know what they are?

Verbs:

1. 쓰다 = to write

Sentence structure: 을/를 쓰다 (Present: 써요; past: 썼어요)

일기를 써요. = Keep a diary (to write in a diary)

편지를 써요. = Write a letter

2. 쓰다 = to use; to spend

Sentence structure: 을/를 쓰다 (Present: 써요; past: 썼어요)

컴퓨터를 써요. = Use a computer

돈을 써요. = Spend money

3. 쓰다 = to wear

Sentence structure: 을/를 쓰다 (Present: 써요; past: 썼어요)

→ Use 쓰다 for hats, glasses and face masks

모자를 써요. = Wear a hat

안경을 써요. = Wear glasses

*Use 쓰다 for “using an umbrella” → 우산을 써요.

Adjective:

4. 쓰다 = bitter

Sentence structure: 이/가 쓰다 (Present: 써요; past: 썼어요)

커피가 써요. = Coffee is bitter

약이 써요. = Medicine is bitter

Summary:

The Korean word 쓰다 has 4 different meanings, and they are…

  1. 쓰다 (verb) = to write
  2. 쓰다 (verb) = to use; to spend
  3. 쓰다 (verb) = to wear
  4. 쓰다 (adjective) = bitter

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