Korean Words for Open and Close: 열다, 닫다, 켜다, 끄다

Quick answer: Korean uses different verbs depending on what you're opening. Doors, windows, lids and shops take 열다 (yeolda, open) and 닫다 (close). Anything with power or a flame — lights, the TV, the air conditioner — takes 켜다 (kyeoda, turn on) and 끄다 (turn off). Water, music and the radio often take 틀다 (turn on, set running), and taps, gas and locks take 잠그다 (lock, shut off).

The one idea: English uses open and close for almost everything, so learners reach for 열다 and 닫다 every time. Korean asks a different question first — what kind of thing is it? A thing with a physical opening, or a thing with a switch? Once you sort the nouns, the verbs sort themselves.

열다 / 닫다 — things with an opening

Use these when something physically swings, slides or lifts: doors, windows, drawers, boxes, lids, bags. Also shops, which "open" and "close" in Korean exactly as they do in English.

• 문 좀 열어 주세요. — Please open the door.
• 창문 좀 닫아 주세요. 추워요. — Please close the window. It's cold.
• 뚜껑이 안 열려요. — The lid won't open.
• 그 카페는 몇 시에 열어요? — What time does that café open?
• 그 가게 문 닫았어요. — That shop closed down. (also used for "it's closed for the day")

That 열어 주세요 pattern — asking someone to do something for you — is worth learning as a unit; here's how -아/어 주다 works.

A note on conjugation: 열다 has a ㄹ that disappears before certain endings. 여세요 (open, please), 엽니다 (formal), but 열어요 and 열었어요 keep it.

켜다 / 끄다 — things with power or a flame

If it runs on electricity, has a screen, or burns, it's 켜다 and 끄다. A light is not a door, so you never "open" it.

• 불 좀 켜 주세요. — Please turn on the light.
• 너무 더워요. 에어컨 켤까요? — It's so hot. Shall I turn on the air conditioner?
• 나갈 때 불 끄는 거 잊지 마세요. — Don't forget to turn off the light when you leave.
• 촛불을 켰어요. — I lit a candle.

✗ 불을 열어 주세요. To a Korean ear this sounds like you want to pry the lamp apart. Many learners carry this one over from their first language — it's the single most common mistake in this group.

끄다 drops its ㅡ: 꺼요, 껐어요, 꺼 주세요. And 끄다 is the all-purpose off switch — it undoes 켜다 and 틀다.

틀다 — setting something running

틀다 is the everyday verb for making something play or flow: music, the radio, the TV, the air conditioner, the heater, water. 켜다 is about the power button; 틀다 is about the thing starting to run. For a TV or an air conditioner both work and Koreans use them interchangeably. For music, only 틀다 sounds right.

• 음악 좀 틀어 줘. — Put on some music. (반말, to a close friend)
• 라디오 틀어도 돼요? — Is it okay if I turn on the radio?
• 물 틀어 놓고 양치하지 마세요. — Don't leave the water running while you brush your teeth.

✗ 음악을 켜다 is the one to avoid. It isn't a disaster, but it marks you instantly as a learner.

잠그다 — locking and shutting off tight

잠그다 covers locks (doors, windows, phones) and anything you shut off by twisting: a tap, the gas valve.

• 문 잠갔어요? — Did you lock the door?
• 나가기 전에 가스 잠갔는지 확인하세요. — Check whether you turned off the gas before you go out.
• 수도 좀 잠가 줘. — Turn off the tap.

Water gets 틀다 to turn on and 잠그다 to turn off. 물 꺼 is not how Koreans say it.

Spelling trap: the correct forms are 잠가요, 잠갔어요, 잠가 주세요. You'll see 잠궈요 written online; it's nonstandard, and a careful Korean reader notices.

The opposite of 잠그다 is 풀다: 잠금을 풀다 (unlock), 단추를 풀다 (undo a button).

눈, 책, 캔 — the ones with their own verbs

Three everyday "openings" don't use 열다 at all.

• 눈 뜨니까 아침이었어요. — When I opened my eyes, it was morning.
• 눈 감고 잠깐만 기다려. — Close your eyes and wait a second.
• 캔 하나 땄어요. — I opened a can.

That 감다 is the same verb as the 감다 in the Korean words for "wash" — 머리를 감다, to wash your hair. Same spelling, completely different job. Context makes it obvious every time.

When the thing opens by itself

Korean has matching passive verbs, and you'll hear them constantly: 열리다 (be/get open), 닫히다 (be/get closed), 켜지다 (come on), 꺼지다 (go off).

• 문이 안 열려요. — The door won't open.
• 창문이 열려 있어요. — The window is open. (someone opened it, and it's still that way)
• 불이 켜져 있어요. — The light is on.
• 갑자기 불이 꺼졌어요. — The light suddenly went out.

That 열려 있어요 / 켜져 있어요 shape — a state that someone caused and that's still holding — is a different animal from 하고 있어요. If it feels slippery, read -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다.

Quick reference

FAQ

How do you say "turn on the light" in Korean?

불을 켜다. In everyday speech you'd say 불 좀 켜 주세요 ("please turn on the light," 해요체) or 불 켜 줘 to a friend. Never 불을 열다 — 열다 is only for things with a physical opening. The opposite is 불을 끄다, as in 불 좀 꺼 주세요.

What is the difference between 켜다 and 틀다?

켜다 is pressing the power button; 틀다 is setting something running or playing. For a TV, an air conditioner or a heater, both are natural and Koreans switch freely. For music and the radio, use 틀다 — 음악 좀 틀어 줘. For water, only 틀다 works. For a light or a computer, only 켜다.

Is it 잠가요 or 잠궈요?

잠가요 is correct, and the past tense is 잠갔어요. 잠그다 loses its ㅡ before an ending that starts with a vowel, the same way 끄다 becomes 꺼요. 잠궈요 is a very common misspelling, but it's not standard Korean.

Practice

Say these in Korean. Use 해요체 unless the item says otherwise.

1. Please turn on the light.
2. Did you lock the door?
3. Put on some music. (반말, to a close friend)
4. The door won't open.
5. Fix this sentence: 더워요. 창문 좀 켜 주세요.