Key Facts
- Hangul: 숙제; Revised Romanization: sukje
- Pronunciation: [suk-jje]
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean. Usual verb: 숙제(를) 하다.
- Hanja: 宿題 (宿 stay overnight + 題 topic)
Homework in Korean: What Does 숙제 Mean?
숙제 means homework. It is a neutral word, and the usual verb is 숙제(를) 하다.
How Is It Used?
Three verbs are worth keeping apart. Students do homework with 하다 and hand it in with 내다, while teachers assign it with 내 주다. (Teachers can also simply say 숙제를 내다 for "set homework", so context decides.) The verb tells you who is acting, the student or the teacher. At university, people more often say 과제 for the same idea.
How Do You Pronounce It?
It is pronounced [suk-jje]. Two syllables, with the ㅈ tensed to jj after the k sound of 숙.
Example Sentences with 숙제
숙제를 해요.
Sukjereul haeyo.
I do my homework.
The simplest pattern: the object 숙제를 plus 해요 (do).
오늘 숙제가 많아요.
Oneul sukjega manayo.
I have a lot of homework today.
많아요 means is plentiful, so this is a complaint about the workload.
숙제를 다 하고 놀았어요.
Sukjereul da hago norasseoyo.
I played after finishing all my homework.
다 means all, -고 links the two actions in order, and 놀았어요 means played: first the homework, then play.
Collocations
Notice that the learner does the homework, but the teacher assigns it.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 숙제를 하다 | to do homework |
| 숙제를 내다 | to hand in homework |
| 숙제를 내 주다 | to assign homework |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners translate "make" or "do" word for word and pick the verb for making things.
- Wrong: 숙제를 만들어요.
- Correct: 숙제를 해요 (I do my homework). 숙제를 내 주다 is what the teacher does.
숙제 Compared with Similar Words
과제 is a university assignment or project, and 공부 is studying in general. 숙제 is the school task done at home.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 숙제 | homework | This page's word |
| 과제 | assignment | 과제 is a university assignment or project. |
| 공부 | study | 공부 is studying in general. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
숙제 is Sino-Korean, written 宿題 (宿 stay overnight + 題 topic).
After Class: Checking the Homework
Mina missed the teacher's final instruction. She asks a classmate what to read and when it is due. Both students use polite endings, which also suit classmates who have just met.
Mina
오늘 숙제가 뭐예요?
Oneul sukjega mwoyeyo?
What is today’s homework?
Jisu
교과서 십 쪽을 읽어요.
Gyogwaseo sip jjogeul ilgeoyo.
Read page ten of the textbook.
Mina
언제까지 해야 해요?
Eonjekkaji haeya haeyo?
When do we have to finish it by?
Jisu
내일까지 해야 해요.
Naeilkkaji haeya haeyo.
We have to finish it by tomorrow.
뭐예요 asks what the task is. 언제까지 asks for the deadline: 까지 means “until” or “by”. The reply gives tomorrow as the limit. This exchange is more useful than asking only whether there is homework, because it identifies both the work and its due date.
The instruction uses 읽어요, “read”. A polite present form can give an instruction when the classroom situation makes that clear. It does not mean the classmate is reporting a personal reading habit here.
Phrases for Finishing and Handing Work In
숙제를 끝내다 means “to finish homework”. 끝내다 focuses on completing the task; 하다 only says you do it. If a friend wants to know whether you are free, completion matters more than whether you have started.
숙제를 제출하다 means “to submit homework”. You may see 제출 on a learning platform or hear it in a teacher's instructions. It is more explicit about handing work in than 내다, which can describe either a student submitting work or a teacher setting it. Look at who is doing the action.
숙제를 검사하다 means “to check homework”. A teacher may check that it is done without giving it a numerical grade. 검사하다 describes checking; it does not itself tell you how the work will be marked.
These are literal combinations. A useful figurative use is 풀어야 할 숙제, “a problem that still needs solving”. Literally it is homework to be solved. In an article about society or a difficult personal decision, 숙제 can mean an unresolved task rather than a school exercise.
Where Will You See 숙제?
In a school diary, a class group chat or a language workbook, 숙제 refers to work assigned for practice outside class. It can be reading, listening or preparing a conversation, so the noun does not imply that you must write an answer.
A heading such as 오늘의 숙제 means “today's homework”. Here 의 links “today” to the task. A list under that heading may contain several activities; 숙제 itself does not change for plural English “assignments”.
과제 has a wider range than university work alone. It can also describe a school assignment, a work task or a project. 숙제 sounds especially natural for routine school or language-class homework. A university report is more likely to be described as 과제, even when you write it at home.
There is no special honorific noun for homework. A student and a teacher can both use 숙제; the sentence ending and the verb show how they address each other.
School Words to Learn Alongside 숙제
| Korean | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 교과서 | textbook | Identify the book containing the assigned page. |
| 문제 | question; problem | Name an individual exercise to solve. |
| 쪽 | page | Locate the reading or exercise in a book. |
| 제출 | submission | Recognize the action on an assignment upload button. |
| 마감 | deadline; closing | Find the final time for handing something in. |
The school vocabulary lesson teaches the wider classroom set. Pair a task word with a page number or a deadline to make a homework question specific.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase says you finish homework: 숙제를 하다 or 숙제를 끝내다?
- What information does 언제까지 ask for in the dialogue?
- In a news article, must 숙제 mean a school exercise?
Show answers
- 숙제를 끝내다 focuses on finishing it.
- The deadline, or when the task must be done by.
- No. It can mean an unresolved problem or task.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say homework in Korean?
Say 숙제 (sukje).
How do I say I do homework?
Say 숙제를 해요.
What does the teacher do?
The teacher assigns homework: 숙제를 내 주다.
Is 과제 the same?
No. 과제 is a university assignment or project.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: School work school vocabulary groups 숙제 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.