When something 꺼지다, it turns off on its own. Imagine a light that suddenly goes dark, or a fire that dies out. It's not something you turn off yourself; it just stops working or burning by itself. Think of a device losing power or a flame being extinguished naturally. So, 꺼지다 means something becomes 'off' without anyone's direct action.
When we talk about something turning off automatically, we can use the verb 꺼지다. It describes a situation where a light, a TV, a phone, or any device powered by electricity goes off by itself, without human intervention. This verb emphasizes the action of the item itself ceasing to function or illuminate. Think of it as the opposite of something turning on by itself, which would be 켜지다.
§ What 꺼지다 Means
Hello, learners! Today we're looking at the Korean verb 꺼지다 (kkeojida). This is a really common and useful word, especially when you're talking about electronics or lights. At its core, 꺼지다 means 'to be turned off automatically or by itself'. Think of things just going out or shutting down without someone actively turning them off.
- Definition
- To be turned off automatically or by itself. This includes lights, electronic devices, fires, or even emotions and sounds.
It's important to understand the nuance here. 꺼지다 is an intransitive verb. This means it doesn't take a direct object. The action happens to the subject, rather than someone performing the action on an object. For example, 'the light went out' (불이 꺼졌어요) versus 'I turned off the light' (제가 불을 껐어요). The latter uses 끄다 (kkeuda), which is the transitive form of 꺼지다.
§ When Do People Use 꺼지다?
You'll hear 꺼지다 used in a variety of situations. Let's break down the most common ones:
- Lights and Lamps: This is probably the most frequent use. If a light suddenly goes out, you use 꺼지다.
갑자기 불이 꺼졌어요. (Suddenly the light went out.)
- Electronic Devices: TVs, computers, phones – if they shut down on their own, 꺼지다 is the word.
휴대폰이 자동으로 꺼졌어요. (My phone turned off automatically.)
- Fires: A fire extinguishing itself, like a candle burning down.
바람 때문에 촛불이 꺼졌습니다. (The candle flame went out because of the wind.)
- Sounds/Music: When music or a sound stops on its own.
라디오에서 음악이 꺼졌어요. (The music on the radio stopped.)
- Emotions/Feelings: More figuratively, for feelings that fade or die down.
그의 열정이 서서히 꺼져갔다. (His passion slowly faded away.)
The key takeaway is that 꺼지다 implies an action happening to the subject without a direct agent performing the action. It's about things ceasing to operate or exist in a 'turned on' state.
§ Common Situations for 꺼지다
Let's look at some real-life scenarios where you'd definitely use 꺼지다:
- Your phone battery dies: 핸드폰 배터리가 꺼졌어요. (My phone battery died.)
- The streetlights automatically turn off in the morning: 아침에 가로등이 저절로 꺼져요. (The streetlights turn off by themselves in the morning.)
- The power goes out during a storm: 폭풍우 때문에 전기가 꺼졌어요. (The power went out because of the storm.)
Understanding 꺼지다 will significantly improve your ability to talk about everyday events in Korean, especially with modern technology. Keep practicing the examples, and you'll get the hang of it!
Difficulty Rating
short
short
short
short
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
Advanced
Examples by Level
텔레비전이 저절로 꺼졌어요.
The television turned off by itself.
불이 갑자기 꺼졌어요.
The light suddenly went out.
컴퓨터가 꺼져 있어요.
The computer is off.
전화기가 자동으로 꺼질 거예요.
The phone will turn off automatically.
난로가 밤에 꺼졌어요.
The heater turned off at night.
배터리가 없어서 라디오가 꺼졌어요.
The radio turned off because there was no battery.
불꽃이 바람에 꺼졌습니다.
The flame was extinguished by the wind.
자동차가 시동이 꺼졌어요.
The car engine turned off.
밤늦게까지 컴퓨터를 사용하다가 깜빡 잠들었는데, 아침에 일어나보니 컴퓨터가 꺼져 있었어요.
I was using the computer late into the night and dozed off. When I woke up in the morning, the computer was off.
This sentence uses '-다가' to indicate a sequence of actions where the first action is interrupted or followed by the second. '-아/어보니' indicates discovering something after performing an action.
정전이 돼서 TV가 갑자기 꺼지는 바람에 드라마를 끝까지 못 봤어요.
There was a power outage, so the TV suddenly turned off, and I couldn't finish watching the drama.
'-는 바람에' is used to express that a negative result or consequence occurred due to the preceding action or situation.
배터리가 없어서 휴대전화가 저절로 꺼졌어요. 중요한 전화가 올까 봐 걱정돼요.
The battery ran out, so my phone turned off by itself. I'm worried a important call might come.
'-까 봐' expresses worry or concern about a potential future event.
난방기가 너무 뜨거워져서 과열 방지 기능으로 자동으로 꺼진 것 같아요.
The heater got too hot, so it seems it automatically turned off due to the overheating prevention function.
'-아/어지다' is used to express a change of state. '-ㄴ/은 것 같아요' expresses a conjecture or assumption.
아이들이 장난치다가 스위치를 잘못 눌러서 전등이 꺼져 버렸어요.
The children were playing and accidentally pressed the wrong switch, so the light turned off.
'-아/어 버리다' indicates that an action has been completed, often with a sense of regret or finality. '잘못 누르다' means to press incorrectly.
영화 보는 중에 영사기가 고장 나면서 화면이 꺼져 버려서 환불받았어요.
During the movie, the projector broke down and the screen turned off, so I got a refund.
'-면서' indicates two actions happening simultaneously or one action happening while another is in progress. '-아/어 버리다' again implies completion.
전원이 제대로 연결되지 않아서 기기가 몇 번 켜졌다 꺼졌다를 반복했어요.
The power wasn't connected properly, so the device kept turning on and off repeatedly a few times.
'-다 꺼졌다를 반복하다' indicates that an action of turning on and off is repeated.
집을 비운 사이에 갑자기 보일러가 꺼져서 수도관이 얼어 터질까 봐 걱정했어요.
While I was away from home, the boiler suddenly turned off, so I worried the pipes might freeze and burst.
'-는 사이에' indicates that something happens while another action or state is ongoing. '-을까 봐' expresses worry about a future event.
Often Confused With
Sounds similar, but means 'to take out' or 'to pull out'.
Starts with a similar sound, but means 'to crawl' or 'to creep'.
This is the opposite meaning: 'to be turned on automatically or by itself'.
Easily Confused
'끄다' also means 'to turn off,' but it refers to an action taken by a person.
'끄다' is transitive (someone turns something off). '꺼지다' is intransitive (something turns off by itself or is off).
불을 껐어요. (I turned off the light.)
In informal or slang contexts, '꺼져' (the imperative form of '꺼지다') can be used to tell someone to 'get lost' or 'drop dead,' which can be similar to telling someone to 'die' (죽어).
'꺼지다' means 'to be extinguished' or 'to disappear' in its basic sense. '죽다' means 'to die.' The 'get lost' meaning of '꺼져' is a figurative extension.
그 사람은 죽었어요. (That person died.)
'꺼지다' can sometimes imply disappearance, similar to '사라지다.'
'사라지다' means 'to disappear' or 'to vanish' completely. '꺼지다' specifically refers to something being extinguished or ceasing to function, though it can lead to disappearance (e.g., a light turning off).
갑자기 사라졌어요. (It suddenly disappeared.)
Like '사라지다,' '없어지다' also conveys the idea of something being gone, which can overlap with the 'disappear' aspect of '꺼지다.'
'없어지다' means 'to be gone,' 'to be lost,' or 'to cease to exist.' '꺼지다' focuses on the act of extinguishing or stopping, often implying the object was there but is now not functional or visible.
내 지갑이 없어졌어요. (My wallet is gone.)
When a machine '꺼져요,' it 'stops.' '멈추다' also means 'to stop.'
'멈추다' means 'to stop' an action or movement. '꺼지다' means 'to be turned off' or 'to be extinguished,' which naturally leads to a stop in function.
차가 갑자기 멈췄어요. (The car suddenly stopped.)
Word Family
Nouns
How to Use It
When something turns off by itself, or automatically, use 꺼지다. It is also common to use 꺼지다 when you want to tell someone to 'get lost' or 'buzz off' in a very informal and rude way. For example: "저리 꺼져!" (Get lost!).
Do not confuse 꺼지다 with 끄다. While both relate to turning something off, 꺼지다 means something turns off by itself, whereas 끄다 means *you* turn something off. For example, if your phone died, you would say: "휴대폰이 꺼졌어요." (My phone turned off). If you turned off your phone, you would say: "휴대폰을 껐어요." (I turned off my phone).
Practice in Real Life
Real-World Contexts
Lights turning off automatically.
- 불이 꺼졌어요.
- 자동으로 불이 꺼져요.
- 갑자기 불이 꺼졌어.
Electronic devices shutting down.
- 컴퓨터가 꺼졌어요.
- 폰이 저절로 꺼졌어.
- 배터리가 없어서 꺼졌어요.
A fire going out.
- 불이 꺼지고 있어요.
- 캠프파이어가 저절로 꺼졌다.
- 담뱃불이 꺼졌네.
A machine stopping.
- 기계가 꺼졌어.
- 갑자기 냉장고가 꺼졌어요.
- 엔진이 꺼졌습니다.
Gas or heat being turned off.
- 가스가 꺼졌어요.
- 난방이 저절로 꺼졌어.
- 보일러가 꺼졌다.
Conversation Starters
"어젯밤에 갑자기 불이 꺼져서 놀랐어요. (Last night, the lights suddenly went out, and I was surprised.)"
"영화 보다가 컴퓨터가 꺼져서 다시 켜야 했어요. (While watching a movie, my computer turned off, so I had to turn it back on.)"
"캠프파이어 불이 너무 빨리 꺼져서 아쉬웠어요. (The campfire went out too quickly, which was a shame.)"
"밖에 나갔는데 보일러가 꺼져있어서 추웠어요. (I went out, and the boiler was off, so it was cold.)"
"혹시 스마트폰이 저절로 꺼진 적이 있어요? (Has your smartphone ever turned off by itself?)"
Journal Prompts
어떤 전자제품이 꺼져서 가장 불편했던 경험은 무엇인가요? (What was your most inconvenient experience with an electronic device turning off?)
집에 혼자 있을 때 갑자기 불이 꺼지면 어떤 기분이 들어요? (How do you feel when the lights suddenly go out when you're home alone?)
자동으로 꺼지는 기능이 있는 물건 중에 가장 유용하다고 생각하는 것은 무엇인가요? (Among items with an automatic shut-off function, which do you think is the most useful?)
갑자기 꺼진 물건 때문에 계획이 틀어진 적이 있나요? (Have your plans ever gone awry because something suddenly turned off?)
자연 속에서 불이 저절로 꺼지는 모습을 본 적이 있나요? 그때 어떤 생각이 들었어요? (Have you ever seen a fire go out by itself in nature? What did you think then?)
Test Yourself 36 questions
'불이' (The light) is the subject, '갑자기' (suddenly) is an adverb, and '꺼졌어요.' (turned off) is the verb.
'텔레비전이' (The TV) is the subject, '저절로' (by itself) is an adverb, and '꺼졌어.' (turned off) is the verb.
'컴퓨터가' (The computer) is the subject, '자동으로' (automatically) is an adverb, and '꺼졌어요.' (turned off) is the verb.
The TV turned off by itself.
All the lights suddenly went out.
The phone's power is off.
Read this aloud:
컴퓨터가 꺼지면 다시 켜주세요.
Focus: 꺼지면
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
자동으로 꺼지는 기능이 있어요.
Focus: 꺼지는
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
너무 졸려서 불을 끄고 잠이 들었어요.
Focus: 끄고
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence means 'The light suddenly turned off.' It describes an automatic action.
This sentence means 'The television turned off automatically.' It uses '꺼지다' to show something turning off by itself.
This sentence means 'My phone turned off because the battery ran out.' '꺼지다' is used here for the phone turning off on its own due to low battery.
밤에 공부하다가 갑자기 방 불이 ___.
The sentence describes the room light suddenly going out while studying at night, which naturally implies it turned off by itself, fitting '꺼졌어요'.
오래된 라디오는 가끔 혼자서 ___.
The phrase '오래된 라디오는 가끔 혼자서' (old radio sometimes by itself) suggests an unexpected action, and '꺼져요' (turns off) fits perfectly in the context of an old appliance malfunctioning.
산불이 비 때문에 저절로 ___.
The sentence indicates that the forest fire was extinguished naturally due to rain, making '꺼졌어요' (was extinguished) the most appropriate verb.
충전이 안 돼서 휴대폰 화면이 ___.
If the phone is not charged, the screen will naturally turn off, making '꺼졌어요' (turned off) the correct answer.
정전 때문에 모든 전등이 갑자기 ___.
A power outage ('정전') would cause all lights ('모든 전등') to turn off suddenly, so '꺼졌어요' is the correct fit.
촛불이 심지가 다 타서 천천히 ___.
When a candle wick burns completely, the flame naturally extinguishes itself. '꺼졌어요' (was extinguished) describes this process.
The light went out suddenly, so I couldn't see anything.
As soon as it got dark, the TV turned off by itself.
The computer might overheat and suddenly turn off.
Read this aloud:
전원이 꺼져서 냉장고가 작동하지 않아요.
Focus: 꺼져서 (kkeojyeoseo)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
핸드폰이 배터리 부족으로 꺼졌어요.
Focus: 꺼졌어요 (kkeojyeosseoyo)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
안전 문제 때문에 가스불이 자동으로 꺼졌어요.
Focus: 꺼졌어요 (kkeojyeosseoyo)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
다음 중 '자동차가 시동이 꺼졌을 때'를 가장 잘 설명하는 문장은?
'꺼지다'는 어떤 것이 스스로 멈추거나 작동을 멈추는 것을 의미합니다. 따라서 자동차의 시동이 스스로 멈췄다는 의미로 사용됩니다.
밤늦게까지 TV를 보다가 잠이 들었는데, 아침에 일어나 보니 TV가 _____ 있었다.
잠이 들었을 때 TV가 스스로 작동을 멈추는 상황이므로 '꺼져'가 자연스럽습니다.
비가 너무 많이 와서 전기가 _____. 우리는 촛불을 켜야 했다.
비로 인해 전기가 스스로 차단되는 상황이므로 '꺼졌다'가 올바른 표현입니다.
컴퓨터가 갑자기 꺼지면, 그것은 '꺼지다'의 예시가 아니다.
컴퓨터가 갑자기 종료되는 것은 스스로 작동을 멈추는 것이므로 '꺼지다'의 예시입니다.
촛불이 바람에 의해 저절로 꺼졌다면, '꺼지다'를 사용할 수 있다.
외부 요인(바람)에 의해 촛불이 스스로 불이 없어지는 상황이므로 '꺼지다'를 사용하는 것이 적절합니다.
누군가 스위치를 눌러 전등을 껐다면, 이것은 '꺼지다'를 사용하여 설명할 수 있다.
'꺼지다'는 '자동으로' 또는 '저절로' 작동이 멈추는 것을 의미합니다. 스위치를 눌러 끈 것은 사람이 의도적으로 한 행동이므로 '끄다'를 사용하는 것이 맞습니다.
/ 36 correct
Perfect score!
Related Content
More general words
몇몇
A2An unspecified small number of; some or a few.
조금
A1A little/a bit
적게
A1A little / Few
약간
A2A little; slightly; somewhat.
많이
A1A lot/much
잠시
A2For a moment; briefly.
잠깐
A2For a short time; a moment.
아까
A2A little while ago, earlier.
대해
A2About, concerning.
~에 대해서
A2Concerning or regarding a particular subject; about.
