-기

How to use it

Turns a verb or adjective into a noun-like form. It appears in set expressions (-기 전에, -기 때문에, -기 시작하다), in names of hobbies and skills (듣기, 말하기), and in notes, rules and to-do lists (일찍 일어나기).

Forming it

For a general 'doing X' as subject or object of 좋아하다/싫어하다, -는 것 is the safer choice in full sentences. The stem doesn't change before -기: 듣다 → 듣기 (✗ 들기), 만들다 → 만들기 (✗ 만드기).

Examples

• 제 취미는 영화 보기하고 요리하기예요.

  My hobbies are watching movies and cooking.

• 한국어는 말하기보다 쓰기가 더 어려워요.

  In Korean, writing is harder than speaking.

Compared with similar patterns

-는 것 is the all-purpose nominalizer used in normal sentences; -기(가) 쉽다/어렵다 is one of the fixed patterns built on -기.

Related patterns

• -는 것 nominalizer: turns a verb into a noun (doing, the act of -ing)
• -기(가) 쉽다/어렵다 easy / hard to do (also: convenient, good to do)