Key Facts
- Hangul: 고등학교; Revised Romanization: godeunghakgyo
- Pronunciation: [go-deung-hak-kkyo]
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean. The short form 고교 appears mainly in writing, such as news.
- Hanja: 高等學校 (高 high + 等 grade + 學 learn + 校 school)
High School in Korean: What Does 고등학교 Mean?
고등학교 means high school. It is a neutral word in spoken and written Korean. In headlines and other writing you will also see the short form 고교.
How Is It Used?
Use the three phrases as a life timeline. A student first enters with 입학하다, is then a 고등학생, and finishes with 졸업. Each example is also a complete, polite sentence you can adapt by swapping the noun, for example putting 중학교 in place of 고등학교.
How Do You Pronounce It?
The spoken form is [go-deung-hak-kkyo]. The four syllables run together, and the ㄱ of the last syllable is tensed to kk after the k sound of 학.
Example Sentences with 고등학교
저는 고등학교에 다녀요.
Jeoneun godeunghakgyoe danyeoyo.
I attend high school.
다녀요 means attend, a regular verb for school and work.
우리 고등학교는 집에서 가까워요.
Uri godeunghakgyoneun jibeseo gakkawoyo.
My high school is close to home.
가까워요 means close, so the line describes distance from home.
고등학교 때 친구를 만났어요.
Godeunghakgyo ttae chingureul mannasseoyo.
I met up with a friend from high school.
때 means "time" or "during", so 고등학교 때 친구 is a friend from your high school days.
Collocations
Read the phrases in life order: entering, being a student, graduating.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 고등학교에 입학하다 | to enter high school |
| 고등학생 | high school student |
| 고등학교 졸업 | high school graduation |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners read the romanization letter by letter.
- Wrong: go-deung-hak-gyo, with a soft g.
- Correct: [go-deung-hak-kkyo]. The ㄱ in 교 is tensed after the k sound of 학.
고등학교 Compared with Similar Words
중학교 is middle school and comes before 고등학교. 대학교 is university and comes after.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 고등학교 | high school | This page's word |
| 중학교 | middle school | 중학교 comes before 고등학교. |
| 대학교 | university | 대학교 comes after. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
The word is Sino-Korean, written 高等學校 (高 high + 等 grade + 學 learn + 校 school).
Meeting a Neighbor: Talking about School
An adult neighbor asks a student about school. The student answers with the school level and then the year.
Neighbor
어느 학교에 다녀요?
Eoneu hakgyoe danyeoyo?
Which school do you attend?
Student
집 근처 고등학교에 다녀요.
Jip geuncheo godeunghakgyoe danyeoyo.
I attend a high school near home.
Neighbor
몇 학년이에요?
Myeot hangnyeonieyo?
What year are you in?
Student
고등학교 2학년이에요.
Godeunghakgyo i hangnyeonieyo.
I’m in my second year of high school.
어느 학교 asks which school. The student gives a location and school level rather than its official name. 몇 학년 asks for the student's year within that school level. Here 2 is read 이, so the answer identifies the second year of high school.
Talking about Attendance, Entry, and Graduation
고등학교에 다니다 means to attend high school. The 에 marks the institution you regularly attend. The first example uses 다녀요 for current attendance. Simply naming 고등학교 does not say whether you study there, work there, or are visiting it; the verb supplies that information.
고등학교에 입학하다 means to enter high school as a student. It describes starting enrollment, rather than walking into the building for the afternoon. 고등학교를 졸업하다 means to graduate from high school. Here the school takes 를, so the full graduation phrase uses a different particle from the entry phrase.
고등학교 졸업 is the noun phrase “high school graduation”. You can see it in labels or headings, where a full sentence is unnecessary. For a person, 고등학교 졸업생 means a high school graduate. The last syllable helps identify a person rather than the graduation event.
How Do School Year Expressions Work?
고등학교 1학년, 2학년, and 3학년 name the first, second, and third years of high school. Read these numbers with the Sino-Korean forms 일, 이, and 삼. The year counts within high school; it is not a continuous grade number carried over from elementary school.
고1, 고2, and 고3 are compact labels you may encounter in study materials or messages. For example, a workbook labeled 고1 is aimed at first-year high school students. These abbreviations give a year group. 고교, by contrast, is a shortened word for the institution itself.
고등학교 때 means “during high school” or “in my high school days”. 때 places an experience in that period of life. 고등학교 친구 means a high school friend. The friendship may continue long after graduation, so this expression does not imply that both people are still students.
Where Will You See 고등학교 and 고교?
A school entrance sign usually includes the institution's name followed by 고등학교. In directions, that full name can identify a landmark. A bus stop or local map may use the school name even when the person giving directions has no connection with the school.
고교 appears in news headlines and compact written labels. It is useful to recognize alongside the fuller 고등학교. 고등학생 refers to the student, so a headline about 고등학생 is about people rather than school buildings.
In conversation, 우리 고등학교 means “our high school”, often where an English speaker would say “my high school”. 우리 presents the school as a shared community. It does not mean that the speaker owns the institution.
School Words to Learn Next
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 초등학교 | elementary school | An earlier school stage than 중학교. |
| 학년 | school year / grade | Names the student's year within a school level. |
| 교복 | school uniform | Useful when describing school clothing. |
| 동창 | former schoolmate | Useful when talking about people from your school days. |
The school vocabulary lesson connects school stages with classrooms, people, and daily school life. Learn 고등학교 with 고등학생 so you can distinguish the place from the person attending it.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word names a high school student?
- Does 고등학교에 입학하다 mean to enter the building for a visit?
- What does the 2 in 고등학교 2학년 identify?
Show answers
- 고등학생.
- No. It means to begin attending high school as a student.
- The second year within high school; read it 이.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say high school in Korean?
Say 고등학교 (godeunghakgyo).
How is it pronounced?
As [go-deung-hak-kkyo], with a tense kk.
What is a high school student?
It is 고등학생, which joins 고등 (high level) and 학생 (student).
What are the short forms?
In writing, especially news, you will see 고교. In speech people usually say the full word 고등학교.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: School work school vocabulary groups 고등학교 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.