Korean

Syllable

었 • ‎(eot)

1. A Hangul syllabic block made up of ㅇ, ㅓ, and ㅆ.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌ̹t̚/
• Phonetic hangeul: 얻

Alternative forms

• 았 (at, “at”)

Suffix

었 • ‎(eot)

1. -ed (past tense marker for sentence-final verbs and adjectives)

Usage notes

었 (eot, “eot”) is used after syllables with “dark” vowels, i.e. 어 (eo, “eo”) and 우 (u, “u”). After “bright” vowels, 았 (at, “at”) is used instead. If the syllable to which 었 (eot, “eot”) is appended ends in the vowel 어 (eo, “eo”) or 으 (eu, “eu”), the two syllables usually contract:

• 서다 (seoda, “to stand; to stop”): 서 (seo, “seo”) + 었 (eot, “-ed”) + 다 (da, “da”): 섰다 (seotda, “stood, stoped”)
• 쓰다 (sseuda, “to write; to be bitter”): 쓰 (sseu, “sseu”) + 었 (eot, “-ed”) + 다 (da, “da”): 썼다 (seotda, “wrote, was bitter”)