안경을 쓰고 안경을 찾은 웃긴 이야기

What does 쓰다 (sseuda) mean in Korean?

쓰다 (sseuda) is a shape-shifter: depending on context it means “to write,” “to use,” “to taste bitter,” and — the meaning this story turns on — “to wear.” But it only covers things above the neck. Glasses, hats, wigs, and headbands all take 쓰다, while shirts take 입다 and shoes take 신다. The word never changes; the sentence around it tells you which meaning is live.

Korean assigns a different “wear” verb per body zone: 입다 (clothes), 신다 (shoes/socks), 끼다 (rings, gloves), 차다 (watches, belts), and 쓰다 for the head and face — 안경을 쓰다 (put on glasses), 모자를 쓰다 (wear a hat). That is exactly the joke here: the narrator tears the bathroom and bedroom apart looking for glasses 안경을 쓴 채로 — while wearing them — until Mom silently hands over a mirror. The same 쓰다 also powers 편지를 쓰다 (write a letter), 돈을 쓰다 (spend money), and the adjective in 약이 쓰다 (the medicine is bitter), so context does all the disambiguating.