졸업
joreop[t͡ɕo̞ɾʌ̹p̚]
The English word "graduation" is 졸업 (joreop) in Korean.
Meaning: a commencement ceremony (noun)
Which one should you use?
The term 졸업식 is used to denote the graduation ceremony.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use graduation as a verb, you add the verb suffix –하다 to the noun to get 졸업하다.
How do you pronounce it?
joreop
Did you know?
- In South Korea, graduation ceremonies are traditionally held in February rather than May or June. This aligns with the school year starting in March.
- The term 졸업 uses the character 卒, which also means 'soldier' or 'to die'. While it sounds heavy, in this context, it simply means 'to end' or 'to finish' a period of time.
- The phrase 졸업 is sometimes used metaphorically to describe 'graduating' from a difficult period of life or a bad habit. It implies the person has finally overcome a trial.
Examples in context
- 톰은 자기 아들의 졸업식 내내 울었어.Tom cried during his son's graduation.Tatoeba #8363590 by Eunhee, translation #680753 by Source_VOA
- 졸업 후에 무엇을 할래?What will you do after graduation?Tatoeba #942169 by Sudajaengi, translation #274531 by CK
- 오늘은 제 학사 졸업식이에요.Today is my bachelor's graduation ceremony.
- 졸업한 후에 어떤 일을 할 거예요?What are you going to do after graduating?
- 내가 곧 대학을 졸업할 거야.I will graduate from university soon.
- 졸업생들을 축하해주세요!Please congratulate the graduates!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their upcoming ceremony.
- 지은 Ji-eun민준 씨, 졸업식 때 뭐 입을 거예요?Minjun ssi, joreopsik ttae mwo ibeul geoyeyo?Minjun, what are you going to wear for the graduation ceremony?
- 민준 Min-jun저는 그냥 정장을 입으려고요.jeoneun geunyang jeongjang-eul ibeuryeogoyo.I'm just planning to wear a suit.
- 지은 Ji-eun졸업 축하해요, 우리 정말 고생 많았어요.joreop chukhahaeyo, uri jeongmal gosaeng manasseoyo.Congratulations on your graduation, we really worked hard.
- 민준 Min-jun지은 씨도 졸업 축하해요!Jieun ssi-do joreop chukhahaeyo!Congratulations on your graduation too, Jieun!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 졸업, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 졸업, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
