You are going to love these two verbs: 붙다 and 붙이다. 붙다 fundamentally means “to stick” to somewhere or someone, so you should remember it as [place]에 붙다 or [person]한테 붙다.
- 어우, 더워~ 나한테 붙지 마. (Ugh, it’s so hot. Don’t stick so close to me!)
Fundamentally, 붙다 includes not just the moment of sticking, but remaining attached without falling off. The most common everyday use of 붙다 is passing an exam or an interview.
- 어머! 나 서울대 붙었어!! (Oh my gosh! I got accepted into Seoul National University!!)
In the past, people didn’t check exam results on the internet. Instead, they wrote the identification numbers of successful applicants on a large sheet of paper and literally stuck it onto a wall! I think that’s where using 붙었다 for passing an exam originated. Here are a few more expressions:
- 요새 ‘힘들다’는 말이 입에 붙었어. (Lately, saying “it’s tough” has become a total habit for me.)
It means a specific word or phrase has literally “stuck to your mouth,” meaning it has become habitual.
- 얼굴에 살이 조금 붙으니까 훨씬 좋네! (Now that your face gained a bit of weight/fullness, you look so much better.)
- 요즘 운동하나 봐? 팔에 근육이 좀 붙었네. (You must be working out these days? Your arms have gained some muscle.)
In these cases, you specify what got attached, like 살이 붙다 or 근육이 붙다. Side note: the beginner Korean particle -부터 actually traces its linguistic roots back to the verb 붙다!
Next, let’s look at 붙이다. 붙이다 is the causative version of 붙다. You use it when you intentionally take action to make something become attached or stick to something else.
- 너 말 좀 예쁘게 해. 앞으로 ‘감사합니다’를 입에 붙이고 다녀. 알겠지? (Speak nicely! Make “thank you” stick to your mouth from now on, okay?)
- 서울대? 하버드? 제가 붙여 드릴게요. 저만 믿으세요. (Seoul National University? Harvard University? I’ll get you accepted. Just trust me.)
- 나 근육이 너무 없지? 운동해서 근육 좀 붙여야겠다.(I have no muscle, right? I need to work out and build some muscle.)
- 오, 저 분 괜찮은데? 한번 말 붙여 볼까? (Oh, that person looks nice! Should I try talking to her/him?)