Key Facts
- 정답 (jeongdap) means correct answer.
- Part of speech: noun; origin: Sino-Korean, 正答.
- Register: neutral; used in school and quizzes.
- Level: A1.
Correct Answer in Korean: What Does 정답 Mean?
정답 means the correct answer, the one marked right. The hanja 正答 joins 正, correct, and 答, answer. Next to it sit 답, any answer whether right or not, 오답, the wrong answer, and 해답, the solution with an explanation. So 정답 is the one answer marked right.
How Do You Pronounce 정답?
The Revised Romanization is jeongdap, two syllables. Before a vowel, the ㅂ of 답 moves to the next syllable and sounds like b: 정답을 is jeongdabeul.
How Do You Use 정답 in a Sentence?
정답은 3번이에요.
The correct answer is number 3.
Jeongdabeun sambeonieyo. 은 marks the topic, 3번 is number three, and 이에요 is the copula. It is the classroom announcement sentence.
이 문제의 정답을 알아요?
Do you know the answer to this question?
I munjeui jeongdabeul arayo? 이 문제의 means of this question. 알아요 with a question tone asks if you know it.
정답을 맞혔어요.
I got the right answer.
Jeongdabeul matchyeosseoyo. 맞혔어요 is the past of 맞히다, to get right. 정답을 is the object that was hit.
Which Word Combinations Are Common with 정답?
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 정답을 맞히다 | to get the answer right |
| 정답을 말하다 | to say the answer |
| 정답 확인 | answer check |
The verb pair is 정답을 맞히다 and 정답을 말하다. 정답 확인 is the phrase for checking answers.
What Is the Common Mistake with 정답?
Wrong (in standard Korean): 정답을 맞추다. You will hear it a lot in speech, but standard usage marks it as an error.
Correct: 정답을 맞히다. 맞히다 means to get something right, while 맞추다 means to fit or match, for example comparing your answers with the key.
How Does 정답 Differ from Similar Words?
Three related answer words differ in correctness and detail.
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 정답 |
|---|---|---|
| 답 | answer | General answer, not necessarily correct. |
| 오답 | wrong answer | The opposite of 정답. |
| 해답 | solution / key | The answer with an explanation to a problem. |
Checking a Practice Question after Class
A student asks a teacher about a multiple-choice question. Both speakers use polite Korean; 정답 itself has no separate polite form.
Student
선생님, 이 문제의 정답이 뭐예요?
Seonsaengnim, i munjeui jeongdabi mwoyeyo?
Teacher, what is the correct answer to this question?
Teacher
정답은 2번이에요.
Jeongdabeun ibeonieyo.
The correct answer is number 2.
Student
왜 2번이에요?
Wae ibeonieyo?
Why is it number 2?
Teacher
설명을 같이 볼까요?
Seolmyeongeul gachi bolkkayo?
Shall we look at the explanation together?
The student first asks which option is correct, then asks for the reason. 정답 answers the first question. 설명, “explanation”, supplies the reasoning. Knowing the correct option and understanding why it is correct are two separate learning tasks, so a textbook may present them in separate places.
Where Will You See 정답?
In a workbook, 정답 often labels the answer section at the back. 정답 및 해설 means “answers and explanations”: 및 joins the two items in a written heading, and 해설 is explanatory commentary. A list containing only numbers or short answers may simply be labelled 정답.
On a quiz screen, 정답 확인 is an instruction or button for checking the answer. 확인 means checking or confirming. The label names an action, so it does not tell you that your own response was correct. You need to look at the feedback after checking.
On television quiz shows, a host may announce 정답입니다, “That is correct”. The ending 입니다 is formal and suits a public announcement. In an ordinary conversation, 정답이에요 gives the same basic judgement with a polite everyday ending. The noun stays the same when the speaking style changes.
Giving, Finding and Checking an Answer
정답을 말하다 means saying the correct answer aloud. 정답을 쓰다 means writing it. These phrases describe how someone supplies the answer; they do not explain whether the person guessed or worked it out. A teacher asking students to write an answer may be checking spelling as well as their choice.
정답을 찾다 means finding the correct answer. It suits a learner looking through information or working through a problem. 정답을 확인하다 means checking the correct answer, for example against a key. 정답을 맞히다 describes success: the response given was right. These verbs describe different points in the same exercise.
Keep the object in mind when you meet 맞추다. 답을 맞춰 보다 can mean comparing answers with another person. That is a matching activity. It does not, by itself, say either person got the question right. For that result, use the established phrase 정답을 맞히다.
Can a Question Have No 정답?
정답이 없다 literally means “there is no correct answer”. In a discussion about personal choices, it can mean there is no single right choice for everyone. It does not mean that nobody has replied. A question about a favourite food can have many answers without having one objectively correct response.
This difference helps when choosing between 답 and 정답. A reply to “What do you think?” is an answer, 답. Calling it 정답 adds a judgement that it is right. In an open discussion, that judgement may be unnecessary even when you agree with the speaker.
Words beside 정답 in a Workbook
| Korean | Meaning | Where it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 문제 | question; problem | The task whose answer you need. |
| 보기 | options; example | In a test, the choices or material supplied with a question. |
| 해설 | explanation; commentary | Explains the reasoning behind an answer. |
| 오답 | wrong answer | Labels a response that does not meet the answer key. |
The classroom vocabulary lesson teaches the school setting around these words. In a multiple-choice exercise, find the 문제 first, read the 보기, and use the 해설 to understand the 정답 after attempting it.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 정답 확인 mean that your response was correct?
- Which verb describes getting an answer right: 맞히다 or 맞추다?
- What does 정답이 없다 mean in a discussion of personal choices?
Show answers
- No. It means checking the answer; the feedback gives the result.
- 맞히다: 정답을 맞히다.
- There may be no single right choice, rather than no reply at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say the Correct Answer Is Number 3?
Say 정답은 3번이에요.
How Do I Say I Got the Right Answer?
Say 정답을 맞혔어요.
What Is the Opposite of 정답?
The opposite is 오답, the wrong answer.
Is 맞추다 or 맞히다 Right for Answers?
Use 맞히다 for getting an answer right. 맞추다 is common in speech, but it is not the standard choice here.
Where to Go Next
This word lives in the Korean classroom vocabulary list. The next classroom word is grammar in Korean. Return to Korean words A to Z for the index.