불을 끄다.
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Turn off the light.
Phrase in 30 Seconds
Use '불을 끄다' to talk about turning off lights or extinguishing a fire in any daily situation.
- Means: To turn off a light or put out a fire.
- Used in: Bedtime routines, leaving a room, or emergency fire situations.
- Don't confuse: Never use '닫다' (to close) for lights; always use '끄다'.
Explanation at your level:
मतलब
To deactivate a light source.
सांस्कृतिक पृष्ठभूमि
Energy saving is a national priority. Many office buildings have centralized systems that automatically '불을 끄다' at a certain time to ensure no electricity is wasted. The term 'Bul-geum' (Burning Friday) refers to a night of partying. When the night ends, people say they are 'extinguishing the fire' of the night. In the past, the 'house fire' (화로) was never supposed to be fully extinguished. '불을 끄다' in that context was sometimes seen as a bad omen for the family's prosperity. Korea actively participates in 'Earth Hour' (지구촌 전등 끄기), where people nationwide turn off lights for one hour to support the environment.
The 'ㅡ' Drop
Always remember 끄다 -> 꺼요. If you say '끄어요', people will understand but know you're a beginner.
Gas Safety
When talking about a gas stove, '불을 끄다' is a safety command. Use it loudly if you see someone forgot the stove!
मतलब
To deactivate a light source.
The 'ㅡ' Drop
Always remember 끄다 -> 꺼요. If you say '끄어요', people will understand but know you're a beginner.
Gas Safety
When talking about a gas stove, '불을 끄다' is a safety command. Use it loudly if you see someone forgot the stove!
Metaphorical Fire
Using '급한 불을 끄다' in an office makes you sound very natural and fluent.
खुद को परखो
Choose the correct form of the verb to complete the sentence.
너무 밝아요. 불을 ( ).
'끄다' becomes '꺼요' in the polite present tense. '닫아요' (close) and '잠가요' (lock) are incorrect for lights.
Fill in the blank with the correct past tense form of '불을 끄다'.
어제 잠을 자기 전에 ( ).
The past tense of '끄다' is '껐어요'.
Match the phrase to the correct situation.
급한 불을 끄다
This is the metaphorical use of the phrase.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 나갈 때 ( ) 잊지 마세요. B: 네, 알겠습니다.
You should remember to turn off the lights when leaving.
🎉 स्कोर: /4
विज़ुअल लर्निंग टूल्स
끄다 vs. 켜다
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल
10 सवालYes, you can say '핸드폰을 끄다' to mean turning it off completely.
'끄다' is everyday language; '소등하다' is formal/military.
Yes, '산불을 끄다' is the standard way to say extinguish a forest fire.
It's an irregular verb where the 'ㅡ' vowel disappears before '-어'.
No, that sounds very strange in Korean. Stick to '끄다'.
You can say 'TV를 꺼요'.
In this context, it can mean fire, electric light, or even a screen's glow.
Yes, '불 좀 꺼 주시겠어요?' is very polite.
The opposite is '불을 켜다' (to turn on the light).
Yes, '담배 불을 끄다' means to put out a cigarette.
संबंधित मुहावरे
불을 켜다
contrastTo turn on the light
소등하다
specialized formTo turn off lights (formal/institutional)
불이 나다
similarA fire breaks out
불을 지피다
similarTo kindle a fire
전원을 차단하다
specialized formTo cut the power
कहाँ इस्तेमाल करें
Going to bed
Child: 아빠, 불 꺼 주세요.
Father: 그래, 잘 자라.
Leaving the office
Manager: 마지막에 나가는 사람이 불을 끄세요.
Employee: 네, 제가 끄고 나가겠습니다.
In a movie theater
Friend A: 곧 영화 시작하겠다.
Friend B: 와, 이제 불 꺼진다!
Cooking in the kitchen
Wife: 여보, 국 다 끓었어. 불 좀 꺼 줘.
Husband: 알았어, 지금 끌게.
Handling a work crisis
Colleague A: 김 대리님, 큰일 났어요! 서버가 다운됐어요.
Colleague B: 일단 이 급한 불부터 끄고 원인을 찾읍시다.
Camping with friends
Friend A: 이제 자자. 장작불 꺼야지?
Friend B: 응, 물 부어서 불 끄자.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Kkeu' as 'Kill'. You 'Kill' the light to sleep.
Visual Association
Imagine a giant finger pressing down on a glowing fire to snuff it out, and as the fire dies, the room goes dark.
Rhyme
불을 꺼요, 잠을 자요. (Turn off the light, let's sleep.)
Story
You are in a room with a small candle (불). You want to sleep, so you blow it out (끄다). Now, imagine that candle is actually your bedroom light switch. The action is the same: making the light go away.
Word Web
चैलेंज
Every time you leave a room today, say '불을 꺼요' out loud as you flip the switch.
In Other Languages
Turn off the light / Extinguish the fire
Korean uses one verb for both electricity and combustion.
電気を消す (Denki o kesu) / 火を消す (Hi o kesu)
The conceptual mapping is almost identical.
关灯 (Guān dēng) / 灭火 (Miè huǒ)
Chinese uses 'close' for lights, Korean uses 'extinguish'.
Apagar la luz / Apagar el fuego
The verb 'apagar' maps perfectly to '끄다'.
Éteindre la lumière / Éteindre le feu
Conceptual mapping is identical.
Das Licht ausschalten / Das Feuer löschen
German requires two different verbs based on the source.
أطفئ النور (Atfi' an-nur) / أطفئ النار (Atfi' an-nar)
Very similar to the Korean conceptual model.
Apagar a luz / Apagar o fogo
Identical conceptual mapping.
Easily Confused
Learners think 'close' works for lights as it does in some other languages.
Remember: Lights are like fires. You extinguish (끄다) them, you don't close (닫다) them.
Learners confuse turning off a faucet with turning off a light.
Use '잠그다' for liquids/gas valves, '끄다' for light/fire.
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (10)
Yes, you can say '핸드폰을 끄다' to mean turning it off completely.
'끄다' is everyday language; '소등하다' is formal/military.
Yes, '산불을 끄다' is the standard way to say extinguish a forest fire.
It's an irregular verb where the 'ㅡ' vowel disappears before '-어'.
No, that sounds very strange in Korean. Stick to '끄다'.
You can say 'TV를 꺼요'.
In this context, it can mean fire, electric light, or even a screen's glow.
Yes, '불 좀 꺼 주시겠어요?' is very polite.
The opposite is '불을 켜다' (to turn on the light).
Yes, '담배 불을 끄다' means to put out a cigarette.
