Key Facts
- Hangul: 성격; Revised Romanization: seonggyeok (pronounced [seong-kkyeok])
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 性格 (性 nature + 格 character)
- Register: Neutral; the standard word for one's personality.
Personality in Korean: What Does 성격 Mean?
성격 covers personality, character and temperament in the sense of how someone behaves. It is the standard word and is neutral. Most phrases pair it with the particle 이 and an adjective: 성격이 좋다 (good personality), 성격이 급하다 (impatient), or the noun phrase 밝은 성격 (cheerful personality). It can also describe the nature of a thing, such as a problem or a meeting, but never anyone's physical build.
How Do You Pronounce 성격?
Written seonggyeok, but spoken [seong-kkyeok]: the ㄱ that begins the second syllable is pronounced tense in this word, so it sounds like a doubled k. The first syllable seong ends in the "ng" sound, as in English "song", and the vowel is a mid, relaxed eo.
Example Sentences with 성격
성격이 좋아요.
Seonggyeogi johayo.
He has a good personality.
The simplest opinion about someone. 성격이 is the subject and 좋아요 is the polite form of "is good".
제 성격은 조용해요.
Je seonggyeogeun joyonghaeyo.
My personality is quiet.
제 is the humble "my". 조용해요 means "is quiet", so the sentence describes a calm temperament.
두 사람은 성격이 달라요.
Du sarameun seonggyeogi dallayo.
The two have different personalities.
두 사람은 means "the two people" as a topic, and 달라요 means "are different". Use this pattern to compare any two individuals.
Common Phrases and Collocations
These phrases are the building blocks for describing someone in a sentence.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 성격이 좋다 | to have a good personality |
| 성격이 급하다 | to be impatient |
| 밝은 성격 | cheerful personality |
The Mistake to Avoid
The learner error is about the English word "character", which has more than one Korean equivalent.
Wrong: Using 성격 for a character in a story or film.
Correct: Say 등장인물 for a character in a story. 성격 is the personality of a real person, or the temperament given to a fictional one.
English "character" does double duty; Korean separates the two meanings.
성격 Compared with 성질 and 인격
Two words overlap with 성격 in dictionaries but not in use.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 성질 | temper / nature | Inherent nature or temper, often negative, as in 성질이 급하다. |
| 인격 | character (moral) | Moral character and dignity, a more serious and formal idea than everyday personality. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
성격 is written 性格 in hanja: 性 (nature) plus 格 (character). The two characters give "inborn nature" with "pattern", which is why the word describes a stable disposition and not a passing mood.
Talking about a New Roommate
Two friends discuss a roommate before they meet her. The question asks about her usual personality, rather than her mood on one particular day.
Mina
새 룸메이트는 성격이 어때요?
Sae rummeiteuneun seonggyeogi eottaeyo?
What is your new roommate’s personality like?
Jisu
조용하고 친절해요.
Joyonghago chinjeolhaeyo.
She is quiet and kind.
Mina
지수 씨하고 성격이 비슷해요?
Jisu ssihago seonggyeogi biseuthaeyo?
Is her personality similar to yours, Jisu?
Jisu
네, 그래서 같이 지내기 편해요.
Ne, geuraeseo gachi jinaegi pyeonhaeyo.
Yes, so it is easy to live together.
성격이 어때요 asks “What is the personality like?” 어때요 invites a description, so the answer gives two traits instead of simply saying yes or no. 성격이 비슷하다 means to have similar personalities. In the reply, 그래서 links that similarity to the practical result: getting along at home.
How Do Common Personality Phrases Work?
성격이 좋다 is a broad compliment: the person is pleasant or easy to get along with. It does not specify whether they are outgoing, quiet, funny, or organized. If a listener needs a clearer picture, add a trait such as 친절하다, “to be kind”, or 조용하다, “to be quiet”. A quiet person can still have a good personality.
성격이 급하다 describes an impatient or hasty disposition. 급하다 can mean urgent in other settings, but this combination describes how a person tends to act. It does not mean their personality needs urgent attention. 밝은 성격 literally uses “bright” and means a cheerful disposition; the brightness is figurative, rather than a comment on appearance.
성격이 맞다 means that personalities fit or are compatible. Friends or partners can get along well without having identical personalities. Compare 성격이 다르다, “to have different personalities”: difference alone does not tell you whether the relationship works well.
Where Will You Hear 성격?
Introductions and conversations about friends often include 성격 when someone wants to describe how a person behaves. In a job interview, 성격의 장단점 asks about the strengths and weaknesses of your personality. 장점 means strengths and 단점 means weaknesses. A useful answer connects a trait with an actual habit, such as being careful when checking work.
Drama discussions can describe a fictional person’s 성격, but the person in the story is an 등장인물. The distinction is between who the character is and what their personality is like. A cheerful protagonist has a personality; 성격 does not name the role itself.
성격 is neutral as a noun, but judgments can still sound blunt. 성격이 나쁘다, “to have a bad personality”, criticizes the person broadly. When discussing a small disagreement, describing the actual behavior is more precise than turning the incident into a verdict about their whole personality.
Personality or Today's Mood?
| Korean | Meaning | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 기분 | mood; feeling | Describes how someone feels now, rather than a stable trait. |
| 취향 | taste; preference | Covers what someone likes, rather than how they behave. |
| 내성적 | introverted | Useful for a reserved or inward-looking disposition. |
| 외향적 | extroverted | Useful for an outward-looking, sociable disposition. |
The personality vocabulary lesson teaches more descriptions. 기분 and 성격 answer different questions: a normally cheerful person can be in a bad mood today without having a different personality.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 성격이 좋다 necessarily mean “outgoing”?
- Which word describes today's mood: 성격 or 기분?
- Does 성격이 맞다 require two people to be identical?
Show answers
- No. It is a general compliment about someone being pleasant.
- 기분. 성격 describes the usual disposition.
- No. It means their personalities are compatible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "personality" in Korean?
Say 성격 (seonggyeok). It is the standard neutral word and works for people of any age.
How do you say "good personality"?
Say 성격이 좋다. The polite sentence is 성격이 좋아요.
How is 성격 pronounced?
The spelling is seonggyeok, but the second syllable is tensed and sounds like [seong-kkyeok].
Can 성격 describe a story character?
Not as the name of the role. For a character in a story use 등장인물.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Adjectives and nouns for describing people are collected in the people personality vocabulary list.
- Return to Korean words A to Z to pick the next noun for describing people.
- The vocabulary flashcard decks can hold the personality phrases above as a mini set.