Key Facts
- Hangul: 성공하다 (seonggonghada)
- Meaning: to succeed
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 성공하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: The goal takes 에 (사업에 성공해요); the person takes 이/가.
- Usage: A neutral Sino-Korean word, common in news and daily talk. Opposite: 실패하다.
What Does 성공하다 Mean?
The goal takes 에: 사업에 성공하다. It is a neutral Sino-Korean word, so you meet it in the news as well as in daily talk. Its opposite is 실패하다.
Senses:
- to succeed: Achieve a goal or do well: 사업에 성공하다.
How Do You Pronounce 성공하다?
성공하다 is read as spelled. The formal present 성공합니다 is [성공함니다], where ㅂ turns into [ㅁ] before ㄴ. The past 성공했어요 is [성공해써요]. The repeated ㅇ at the end of 성 and 공 is the ng-sound, each time ending its syllable.
How Do You Use 성공하다 in a Sentence?
그 회사는 크게 성공했어요.
That company succeeded greatly.
그 회사는 크게 성공했어요 uses 크게 to say greatly, and the past 성공했어요 [성공해써요] closes the report.
노력하면 꼭 성공해요.
If you try hard, you will surely succeed.
노력하면 꼭 성공해요 is a general promise. 노력하면 is if you try hard.
이 일이 성공하면 큰돈을 벌어요.
If this works out, we'll earn a lot.
이 일이 성공하면 큰돈을 벌어요 treats the work as the thing that succeeds, so 이 일이 takes 이.
How Does Seonggonghada Conjugation Work?
성공하다 is a 하다 verb. 하 and 여 contract to 해 before 아 or 어, so you get 성공해요 and 성공했어요. Endings that begin with a consonant keep 하: 성공하면, 성공하는, 성공하세요. The past modifier is 성공한.
성공하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 성공해요 | ||
| Polite past | 성공했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 성공할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 성공하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 성공합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 성공했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 성공할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 성공해 | ||
| Casual past | 성공했어 | ||
| Casual future | 성공할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 성공하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 성공하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 성공해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 성공하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 성공하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 성공한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 성공할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 성공 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 성공하지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 성공했어요 | [성공해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 성공할 거예요 | [성공할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 성공하겠어요 | [성공하게써요] |
| Formal present | 성공합니다 | [성공함니다] |
| Formal past | 성공했습니다 | [성공핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 성공할 것입니다 | [성공할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 성공했어 | [성공해써] |
| Casual future | 성공할 거야 | [성공할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 성공하고 싶어요 | [성공하고 시퍼요] |
| Negative (long form) | 성공하지 않아요 | [성공하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 사업을 성공했어요
Correct: ✓ 사업에 성공했어요
Why: 성공하다 takes 에 for what you succeeded in, not 을/를. English says succeed in, and Korean mirrors that with a place-style particle.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 성공하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 성공하다 |
|---|---|
| 합격하다 | To pass an exam or screening. |
| 이기다 | To win a contest. |
| 실패하다 | The opposite: to fail. |
합격하다 is passing an exam or screening. 이기다 is winning a contest. 성공하다 is the broad word for achieving a goal, and 실패하다 is its opposite.
Where Does 성공하다 Turn Up?
Business and career are the usual topics. 노력하다 and 도전하다 often appear next to it. The verb pairs naturally with effort and challenge: 노력하다 is the work that comes before, and 도전하다 is the attempt itself.
Dialogue: Testing a Program after a Failed Attempt
Two colleagues are trying a program again. 성공하다 refers to the test working, rather than to either colleague’s whole career.
Jiho:
이번에는 성공했어요?
Ibeoneneun seonggonghaesseoyo?
Did it work this time?
Emma:
네, 드디어 성공했어요.
Ne, deudieo seonggonghaesseoyo.
Yes, it finally worked.
Jiho:
성공하면 결과를 보내 주세요.
Seonggonghamyeon gyeolgwareul bonae juseyo.
If it works, please send me the results.
Emma:
이 방법은 자주 성공해요.
I bangbeobeun jaju seonggonghaeyo.
This method often works.
성공했어요 reports a result, 성공하면 makes that result a condition, and 성공해요 describes the method's usual performance. 드디어 means finally and suggests a wait or effort before the result. 이번에는 means “this time,” contrasting this test with the earlier attempt. The task is understood, so neither speaker needs to repeat its name.
Which Phrases Use 성공하다?
- 사업에 성공하다 — to succeed in business. 사업 takes 에 because it names the field or undertaking. The phrase reports an outcome; it does not say how the business achieved it.
- 실험에 성공하다 — to succeed in an experiment. This may mean obtaining the intended result in one experiment, rather than completing an entire research project.
- 드디어 성공하다 — to succeed at last. 드디어 adds the sense of a result reached after waiting or repeated effort.
- 성공한 사람 — a successful person. 성공한 describes a person whose success is treated as achieved. The surrounding story needs to tell you what kind of success is meant.
These phrases use success literally. In English, “It worked!” is often a more natural translation of 성공했어요 than “It succeeded!” A repaired device, a recipe attempt, or a test can prompt the same Korean reaction. The intended goal supplies the meaning of success.
Where Will You Hear 성공하다?
News reports use 성공하다 for completed launches, experiments, and business achievements. Interviews and biographies use it for a person's career. Everyday speakers also use it for small goals, such as getting a difficult task to work. The word is not reserved for wealth or fame.
The noun 성공 may appear as a short result label where a full sentence would be unnecessary. 실패 is its opposite. In a report, 성공했습니다 gives a formal completed result; 성공했어요 fits a polite conversation about the same event. The ending changes the tone of delivery, not the size of the achievement.
Encouragement sometimes predicts success. The existing 노력하면 꼭 성공해요 example expresses confidence in someone; 꼭 means surely or definitely. Treat it as what the speaker is saying, rather than a factual rule that effort always guarantees the desired outcome. A supportive phrase and a measured report serve different purposes.
What Makes the Verb Tricky?
English often uses “successfully” before another action. Korean can instead put that action before 는 데 성공하다. For example, 문제를 푸는 데 성공하다 means to succeed in solving a problem. Write 데 separately: it refers to the task involved. 문제 remains the object of solving, not an object directly taken by 성공하다.
For simpler sentences, keep 사업에 성공하다 as your model. The person can be the subject, or a project can be the subject: 계획이 성공하다 describes a plan succeeding. Moving between those two viewpoints changes which noun takes 이/가. The goal marked with 에 is a different role.
A form in a conjugation table is not always something you would choose to say in a particular situation. 성공하고 싶어요 is a natural wish to succeed. 성공할 거예요 predicts success; it does not merely announce that you will make an attempt. Use the prediction only when that confidence is what you mean.
Related Words for Successful Study Results
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 합격 | passing; acceptance | Names a successful exam or screening result. |
| 합격자 | successful candidate | A person who passed or was accepted. |
| 만점 | perfect score | More specific than simply passing an exam. |
| 성적표 | report card | Shows the grades that were awarded. |
For the study setting, the Korean exams and grades lesson teaches the exam-specific words you need alongside the broader idea of success.
Mini Drill: Report the Result
- Choose the particle: 사업을 or 사업에 성공했어요.
- Change 성공하다 to the polite past.
- Complete “if it succeeds”: ___ 결과를 보내 주세요.
- Choose the more precise verb for passing an exam: 성공하다 or 합격하다.
Show drill answers
- 사업에 성공했어요.
- 성공했어요.
- 성공하면.
- 합격하다. 성공하다 is broader.
Quick Self-Test
- Can 성공했어요 describe a small task that worked?
- Which word means the result: 노력 or 결과?
- What extra meaning does 드디어 add?
Show answers
- Yes. The goal need not be a major life achievement.
- 결과.
- Finally or at last, after waiting or effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Particle Goes with What I Succeeded In?
Use 에, as in 사업에 성공했어요.
What Is the Opposite?
실패하다, to fail.
How Do I Say If You Try Hard, You Will Succeed?
노력하면 꼭 성공해요.
Is 성공하다 Formal?
Not especially. It is a neutral word heard in the news and in everyday talk.
Which Words Are Related to 성공하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 실패하다 and 합격하다, then 도전하다. The rule behind 성공해요 (to succeed) is in 하다 to 해요, and the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems. For the negative of 성공하다 (to succeed), see negating 하다 verbs. 성공하다 (to succeed) sits beside 실패하다 and 노력하다 in the Korean verb dictionary.