Key Facts
- Hangul: 졸업; Revised Romanization: joreop
- Syllables: 2
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Hanja: 卒業 (卒 finish + 業 work/study)
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean. Verb: 졸업하다.
Graduation in Korean: What Does 졸업 Mean?
The only sense is graduation, covering both the event and the act of finishing a stage of schooling. The register is neutral and everyday, so you can use it in speech and in writing. Add 하다 to get 졸업하다, to graduate. Add 식 and you get 졸업식, the graduation ceremony, which is how people talk about the day itself.
How Do You Pronounce 졸업?
Two syllables, jo-reop. The first starts with a plain j, similar to the j in jam but softer. The second begins with r, which is a quick tap, and ends on a p sound that stays closed. When a vowel follows, as in 졸업이 in the first example, the p moves across: jo-reo-bi. Many learners expect to hear a final p and miss the link.
Example Sentences with 졸업
졸업이 다음 달이에요.
Joreobi daeum darieyo.
Graduation is next month.
The sentence gives a date for graduation. 졸업이 is the subject, and the final p of the word slides across to join the particle.
저는 작년에 대학교를 졸업했어요.
Jeoneun jangnyeone daehakgyoreul joreopaesseoyo.
I graduated from university last year.
This line uses the verb form, 졸업했어요, in the past. The school, 대학교, takes the object particle, which is the grammar point in the mistake section below.
졸업 사진을 찍었어요.
Joreop sajineul jjigeosseoyo.
We took graduation photos.
The compound 졸업 사진 puts graduation in front of a noun. The verb 찍었어요 means took, as in taking photos.
Common Phrases and Collocations
The collocations show graduation as a verb, a ceremony and a photo, which are the three situations learners meet first.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 졸업하다 | to graduate |
| 졸업식 | graduation ceremony |
| 졸업 사진 | graduation photo |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 저는 대학교에 졸업했어요.
Correct: ✓ 저는 대학교를 졸업했어요.
Why: In English you graduate from a school, so learners attach a place particle. In Korean, 졸업하다 treats the school as the thing you finish, so it takes the object particle 를.
졸업 Compared with Similar Words
Two nearby words describe other points in a school career, one at the start and one at a lesser finish.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 졸업 | graduation | The word on this page. |
| 입학 | entrance | Entering a school. 졸업 is leaving it. |
| 수료 | completion | Completing a course without receiving a degree. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
졸업 is Sino-Korean. The hanja 卒業 combine 卒, to finish, and 業, work or study, so it means finishing your studies.
At the Graduation Ceremony
A graduate meets a family friend outside the school hall. They use polite speech, which fits an adult acquaintance even on a happy occasion.
Family friend
졸업 축하해요!
Joreop chukahaeyo!
Congratulations on your graduation!
Graduate
감사해요. 와 주셔서 기뻐요.
Gamsahaeyo. Wa jusyeoseo gippeoyo.
Thank you. I am glad you came.
Family friend
졸업식은 몇 시에 시작해요?
Joreopsigeun myeot sie sijakaeyo?
What time does the graduation ceremony start?
Graduate
열 시에 시작해요.
Yeol sie sijakaeyo.
It starts at ten.
졸업 축하해요 is a complete congratulatory message. You can write it on a card or say it when handing over flowers. To a close friend, 졸업 축하해 is the casual version. 졸업을 축하합니다 suits a formal card or school banner. The event stays the same; the ending changes the relationship between writer and reader.
Where Will You See 졸업 outside a Conversation?
A school notice may give the date of the 졸업식, while a photo studio advertises 졸업 사진. The shorter 졸업 names the educational milestone; 졸업식 identifies the ceremony. Someone can have graduated without attending the ceremony, so an invitation normally names the ceremony itself.
On a résumé or application, 졸업 records completed schooling. 졸업 예정 means “expected to graduate”; it tells the reader that graduation is still ahead. A final-year student can use that phrase before completing the course. The distinction matters when reading a job advertisement that mentions graduation requirements.
졸업 후 means “after graduation” and often introduces the next step: work, further study, or moving away. 후 gives a time relationship, so the phrase needs more information to say what happens afterward. By contrast, 졸업생 names a person: a graduate, rather than the event or a future plan.
Useful Combinations beyond the Ceremony
졸업장을 받다 means “to receive a diploma”. The final noun 장 identifies the document; it is something you receive or keep. 졸업식에 가다 means “to go to the graduation ceremony”. Here 에 marks the destination. Compare that with 대학교를 졸업하다 above: the school takes 를 because it is what the student graduates from.
졸업 여행 is a graduation trip, while 졸업 선물 is a graduation gift. These combinations use 졸업 to explain the occasion. A gift does not become a special type of object; it is a gift given to mark graduation. This makes the phrase useful when explaining why you bought flowers or a present.
Words for the Next Stage of School Life
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 졸업생 | graduate | A person who has graduated. |
| 졸업장 | diploma | The document, rather than the ceremony. |
| 학위 | academic degree | A qualification awarded by a university. |
| 입학식 | entrance ceremony | Marks the start of school life. |
The school vocabulary lesson puts these words alongside classes, exams, and school stages. When telling your own story, decide whether you mean the person, the qualification, or the event before choosing the noun.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase congratulates someone on graduating?
- Does 졸업 예정 mean graduation is already complete?
- Choose the particle: 대학교__ 졸업했어요.
Show answers
- 졸업 축하해요 is a polite congratulation.
- No. It means expected to graduate.
- 대학교를 졸업했어요. The school takes the object particle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "graduation" in Korean?
Graduation in Korean is 졸업 (joreop). The verb is 졸업하다.
How do you say "I graduated from university" in Korean?
Say 저는 작년에 대학교를 졸업했어요 for last year. The school takes the object particle.
What is a graduation ceremony called?
It is called 졸업식.
What is the opposite of 졸업?
The opposite is 입학, which means entering a school.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean school vocabulary groups 졸업 with related words.
- Index: look up more words near "graduation" in Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 졸업 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next word in the list: high school.