덮다

Both 덮다 and 가리다 mean 'to cover,' but there's a subtle difference. 덮다 implies putting something over another object completely, like covering a table with a tablecloth. 가리다 means to partially cover or block something from view, like covering your eyes with your hands or a cloud covering the sun. Think of 덮다 as a full cover, and 가리다 as a partial cover or obstruction.

No, you wouldn't typically use 덮다 for a bookmark. A bookmark goes *inside* the book to mark a page. 덮다 implies placing something *on top of* or *over* another object. For a bookmark, you might say 책갈피를 끼우다 (to insert a bookmark).

While 덮다 can mean 'to cover,' for 'cover your mouth,' you would usually use 입을 가리다 (to cover/block one's mouth) or 입을 막다 (to block one's mouth). 덮다 isn't the most natural choice here as it implies a more complete, blanket-like covering.

Primarily, yes, 덮다 is used for physically covering objects. You wouldn't typically use it for abstract concepts like 'covering a topic' or 'covering up a secret' in the same way you might in English. For those, different verbs would be used.

A very common example is when it's cold and you say, 이불을 덮다 (to cover with a blanket). Another is 책상에 책을 덮다 (to close a book on the desk, literally 'cover the book').

Not directly like in English. While you might use a phrase like 잘못을 덮다, it often implies 'to gloss over' or 'to conceal' a mistake, rather than simply 'covering' it in the sense of putting something over it. It's more about hiding or making it less obvious. Other verbs are usually clearer for 'covering up' a secret or mistake.

For 'cover your ears,' you would typically use 귀를 막다 (to block one's ears). 덮다 isn't the most natural fit here. 막다 is more about obstructing sound or movement.

Yes, 덮다 also means 'to close' when referring to a book or a lid. For example, 책을 덮다 means 'to close a book,' and 뚜껑을 덮다 means 'to close the lid.' In this context, it still retains the idea of putting something (the lid/cover of the book) over an opening.

The past tense of 덮다 is 덮었다. For example, 이불을 덮었다 (I covered myself with a blanket).

One common phrase is 손으로 입을 덮다, which literally means 'to cover one's mouth with one's hand.' It's often used to express surprise or embarrassment. Another is 뚜껑을 덮다, which can sometimes be used figuratively to mean 'to put an end to something' or 'to keep something secret,' though its primary meaning is literally 'to close the lid.'