성적
seongjeok[sʰʌ̹ŋd͡ʑʌ̹k̚]
The English phrase "grades" is translated into Korean as 성적 (seongjeok).
성적 refers to the marks or scores a student receives in a course of study. In formal settings, you might see the term 시험 성적 used specifically to refer to test scores or grades or 학업 성취도 to refer to academic achievement or overall academic performance. When describing a student's performance, you use the verb 좋다 (to be good) to say someone has good grades (성적이 좋다) and the verb 떨어지다 (to fall/drop) to say grades are dropping (성적이 떨어지다).
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 성적 as the subject of a sentence, the subject marker 이 is attached to form 성적이.
How do you pronounce it?
seongjeok
Did you know?
- The word 성적 can also mean 'sexual' or 'gender-related' depending on the Hanja used, such as in the term 성적 지향 meaning 'sexual orientation'.
- High-stakes testing in Korea is so centered on 성적 that the term 'SKY' is used to categorize the top three universities where students with the best grades strive to enter.
- The word 성적 is a Sino-Korean word, meaning it is derived from Chinese characters, reflecting the historical influence of Confucian scholarly exams on East Asian education.
Examples in context
- 메리가 케이트보다 더 예쁘고 성적도 더 좋아.Mary is prettier and has better grades than Kate.This sentence is useful for comparing how someone's grades are in relation to another person using 성적.Tatoeba #8367827 by Eunhee, translation #3387544 by Hybrid
- 제 시험 성적은 좋아요My test grade is good
- 그 학생의 학업 성취도는 매우 높아요That student's academic achievement is very high
- 난 높은 점수를 받았어I got a high grade
- 그는 나쁜 성적에 실망했어He was disappointed with his bad grades
- 이번 기말고사 성적이 어떻게 나왔어요?ibeon gimalsosa seongjeogi eotteoke nawasseoyo?How did your final exam grades come out?
- 그는 성적이 아주 우수해요.geuneun seongjeogi aju useuhaeyo.His grades are very excellent.
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their exam results.
- 지은 Ji-eun현우 씨, 이번 시험 성적 확인했어요?hyeonu ssi, ibeon siheom seongjeok hwaginhaesseoyo?Hyunwoo, did you check your grades for this exam?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 그런데 성적이 생각보다 낮아요.ne, geureonde seongjeogi saenggakboda najayo.Yes, but my grades are lower than I thought.
- 지은 Ji-eun너무 걱정 마세요. 다음에는 더 잘할 거예요.neomu geokjeong maseyo. daeume-neun deo jalhal geoyeyo.Don't worry too much. You'll do better next time.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo고마워요, 지은 씨.gomawoyo, jieun ssi.Thank you, Jieun.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 성적, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 성적, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
