Causative Suffixes (이·히·리·기·우·구·추 + -게 하다): Reference Table | Korean Grammar

Korean's oldest way to say "cause X to happen" is not a separate verb but a suffix wedged inside the verb — one of seven fused causative infixes 이 / 히 / 리 / 기 / 우 / 구 / 추 that sit between the stem and the ending. Drop 이 into 먹다 ("eat") and you get 먹이다 ("feed"); drop 우 into 자다 ("sleep") and you get 재우다 ("put to sleep"). Alongside them stands the fully productive periphrastic causative -게 하다, which attaches to any verb. This page is the look-up grid for all eight, and it is honest from the top about the one hard truth: which suffix a given stem takes is fixed by tradition, not derivable by rule.

The grid

The derived verb is transitive — it takes an object (the thing caused), and the original subject of the base verb becomes that object (아기가 먹다 "the baby eats" → 아기에게 밥을 먹이다 "feed the baby"). Bracketed forms in the middle column show the pronounced surface where it differs from the spelling.

Suffix	Base → causative	Meaning	Example (해요체)
이	먹다 → 먹이다 [머기다] meogida 보다 → 보이다 boida 죽다 → 죽이다 [주기다] jugida	feed / show / kill	아기에게 밥을 먹여요 agiege babeul meogyeoyo
히	앉다 → 앉히다 [안치다] anchida 읽다 → 읽히다 [일키다] ilkida 입다 → 입히다 [이피다] ipida	seat / have someone read / dress someone	아이를 의자에 앉혀요 aireul uija-e ancheoyo
리	살다 → 살리다 sallida 알다 → 알리다 allida 울다 → 울리다 ullida	save/revive / inform / make cry	시간을 미리 알려요 siganeul miri allyeoyo
기	웃다 → 웃기다 [욷끼다] utgida 벗다 → 벗기다 [벋끼다] beotgida 맡다 → 맡기다 [맏끼다] matgida	make laugh / take off (someone) / entrust	아이를 어린이집에 맡겨요 aireul eorinijibe matgyeoyo
우	자다 → 재우다 jae-uda 타다 → 태우다 tae-uda 서다 → 세우다 se-uda	put to sleep / give a ride / stop, erect	아기를 재워요 agireul jaewoyo
구	솟다 → 솟구다 sotguda 돋다 → 돋구다 dotguda	make surge up / raise (a few fossils only)	안경 도수를 돋궈요 angyeong dosureul dotgwoyo
추	낮다 → 낮추다 natchuda 늦다 → 늦추다 neutchuda 맞다 → 맞추다 matchuda	lower / delay / set, align	소리를 낮춰요 sorireul natchwoyo
-게 하다 (productive)	any verb → V-게 하다 먹다 → 먹게 하다	make / let someone V	아이에게 밥을 먹게 해요 aiege babeul meokge haeyo

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The seven fused suffixes are a closed museum — you memorize each derived verb as vocabulary. The last row, -게 하다, is the living machine: it attaches to any verb with no memorization. When you don't know (or there isn't) a fused causative, reach for -게 하다 and you are always safe.

Which suffix? It is lexically fixed and unpredictable

The stem-final consonant only biases the choice — it never decides it. Look at two ㄱ-final stems: 먹다 takes 이 (먹이다) but 익다 takes 히 (익히다); 죽다 takes 이 (죽이다), yet there is no ×죽히다. Same final consonant, different suffix. There is no rule you can run live to derive these; the phonology narrows the field, tradition picks the winner, and you learn each one verb by verb. The rough tendencies — vowel/ㄱ → 이·우, ㄷ·ㅂ·ㄺ → 히, ㄹ → 리, ㄴ·ㅁ·ㅅ → 기 — are recall aids for verbs you already know, not a generator for new ones. See which verbs take which suffix for the full reckoning.

엄마가 아기에게 이유식을 먹여요.

eommaga agiege iyusigeul meogyeoyo

Mom feeds the baby solid food. (먹다 → 먹이다, suffix 이)

추우니까 아이한테 코트를 입혔어요.

chuunikka aihante koteureul ipyeosseoyo

It was cold, so I put a coat on the child. (입다 → 입히다, suffix 히)

Several -우- verbs change their stem shape

The -우- set hides a trap: a few high-frequency members do not glue 우 onto the plain stem — the stem itself changes (서→세, 자→재, 타→태), a fossil of an old double causative. 세우다, 재우다, 태우다 must be learned as fixed vocabulary, not generated on the fly. The 우 also contracts with a following -어 into 워: 재우 + 어요 → 재워요.

집까지 태워 줄게요.

jipkkaji taewo julgeyo

I'll give you a ride home. (타다 → 태우다; 태워 = 태우 + 어)

아기를 재우고 나서 겨우 쉬었어요.

agireul jae-ugo naseo gyeou swieosseoyo

I finally got to rest after putting the baby to sleep.

Direct vs indirect: the suffix leans hands-on, -게 하다 leans indirect

The two causatives are not stylistic twins. A morphological causative typically implies direct, hands-on causation — 엄마가 아이를 씻겼어요 means Mom physically washed the child. The periphrastic -게 하다 leans indirect — 엄마가 아이를 씻게 했어요 means Mom had the child wash (themselves). And -게 하다 covers what English splits into make and let: 놀게 했어요 can mean "made [them] play" or "let [them] play," with context deciding.

선생님이 학생들에게 책을 읽게 했어요.

seonsaengnimi haksaengdeurege chaegeul ilge haesseoyo

The teacher had the students read a book. (indirect, -게 하다)

부모님이 저를 유학 가게 해 주셨어요.

bumonimi jeoreul yuhak gage hae jusyeosseoyo

My parents let me go study abroad. (permission reading of -게 하다)

Common Mistakes

1. Inventing a fused causative for a verb that has none. Most verbs only allow -게 하다.

❌ 아이를 공부히다.

Wrong — 공부하다 has no fused causative; use -게 하다: 아이를 공부하게 하다.

✅ 아이를 공부하게 했어요.

aireul gongbuhage haesseoyo

I made the child study.

2. Picking the wrong suffix. 죽다 takes 이 (죽이다), not 히.

❌ 모기를 죽혔어요.

Wrong — the causative of 죽다 is 죽이다: 모기를 죽였어요, not ×죽혔어요.

✅ 모기를 죽였어요.

mogireul jugyeosseoyo

I killed the mosquito.

3. Forgetting the -우- stem change. 세우다, not ×서우다.

❌ 여기 차를 서워 주세요.

Wrong — the causative of 서다 is 세우다: 세워 주세요, not ×서워 주세요.

✅ 여기 차를 세워 주세요.

yeogi chareul sewo juseyo

Please stop the car here.

Key Takeaways

Seven fused causative suffixes — 이/히/리/기/우/구/추 — wedge inside the verb; the derived verb is transitive.
Which suffix is unpredictable and lexically fixed; the stem-final consonant only biases the guess. Learn each verb as vocabulary.
The -우- set has stem-changing members (서→세, 자→재, 타→태) that must be memorized.
-게 하다 is the productive fallback — attaches to any verb, and is the one to use when in doubt.
Nuance: fused suffix ≈ direct causation; -게 하다 ≈ indirect, and it covers both English make and let.

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