Key Facts
- Hangul: 성형수술 (seonghyeongsusul)
- Meaning: plastic surgery; cosmetic surgery
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: neutral; the short form 성형 is used in speech, and 성형외과 is the clinic
- Hanja: 成形手術 (成 form + 形 shape + 手 hand + 術 technique)
- Level: B1
Plastic Surgery in Korean: What Does 성형수술 Mean?
성형수술 joins 성형 (reshaping) and 수술 (surgery). The clinic is a 성형외과, and the short form 성형 appears in speech and in clinic names. A specific example is 쌍꺼풀 수술, double eyelid surgery, and risks go by 성형 부작용, side effects of cosmetic surgery. In cosmetic settings, 시술 often refers to a procedure such as an injection, while 수술 explicitly means surgery. The word only covers cosmetic or reconstructive work, so a general operation is plain 수술.
How Do You Pronounce 성형수술?
성형수술 has four syllables: seong-hyeong-su-sul. In 성형 the ㅎ is not silent but weak, and the vowel ㅕ is spoken as yeo with a y glide. Before the object marker the final ㄹ links on, so 성형수술을 is seonghyeongsusureul. The Revised Romanization treats the compound as one word.
How Do You Use 성형수술 in a Sentence?
성형수술을 받고 싶어요.
I want to have plastic surgery.
seonghyeongsusureul batgo sipeoyo. 성형수술을 받고 싶어요 says I want to have plastic surgery. 받고 싶어요 combines receive with want, and it is the patient's phrase.
성형수술은 비싸요.
Plastic surgery is expensive.
seonghyeongsusureun bissayo. 성형수술은 비싸요 says plastic surgery is expensive. The topic marker 은 follows a word that ends in a consonant, and 비싸요 is the polite form of expensive.
친구가 성형수술을 했어요.
My friend had plastic surgery.
chinguga seonghyeongsusureul haesseoyo. 친구가 성형수술을 했어요 says my friend had plastic surgery. 친구가 is the subject, and 했어요 is the past of do.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 성형수술을 받다 | to undergo plastic surgery |
| 성형외과 | plastic surgery clinic |
| 쌍꺼풀 수술 | double eyelid surgery |
| 성형 부작용 | side effects of cosmetic surgery |
성형수술을 받다 is to undergo plastic surgery, and 성형외과 is the clinic. 쌍꺼풀 수술 is double eyelid surgery, and 성형 부작용 names the side effects. Three of these are nouns, and only the first is a verb phrase.
Common Mistake
Mix-up: Using 성형수술 for any surgery.
Instead: 성형수술 is only cosmetic or reconstructive surgery. For surgery in general say 수술.
Tell a doctor you need 수술 for an appendix; 성형수술 would be wrong there.
How Does 성형수술 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How it differs from 성형수술 |
|---|---|---|
| 성형 | plastic surgery (short form) | The shorter form often used in speech and in 성형외과. |
| 수술 | surgery | Surgery in general, with no cosmetic meaning. |
| 시술 | medical procedure | In cosmetic contexts, often used for procedures such as injections. |
Booking a Consultation
A caller contacts a clinic to arrange a consultation. The exchange concerns an appointment, without assuming that surgery has been decided on.
Caller
성형수술 상담을 받고 싶어요.
Seonghyeongsusul sangdameul batgo sipeoyo.
I’d like a consultation about plastic surgery.
Receptionist
언제가 편하세요?
Eonjega pyeonhaseyo?
When would be convenient for you?
Caller
금요일 오후에 예약할 수 있나요?
Geumyoil ohue yeyakal su innayo?
Can I book for Friday afternoon?
Receptionist
네. 금요일 오후 두 시에 오세요.
Ne. Geumyoil ohu du sie oseyo.
Yes. Please come at two on Friday afternoon.
상담을 받다 means “have a consultation”. In the first line, the caller wants the consultation, rather than directly requesting an operation. 성형수술 tells the receptionist what the consultation concerns. This difference matters when reading booking messages as well as when making a call.
Which Phrases Describe the Patient’s Role?
성형수술을 받다 literally means “receive plastic surgery”. Natural English is “have” or “undergo plastic surgery”. 받다 makes the patient’s role clear: someone else carries out the operation.
성형수술을 하다 can also describe having surgery in everyday conversation, as in the existing example about a friend. The subject and situation tell you whether someone underwent surgery or performed it. If you are describing your own treatment and want to avoid that ambiguity, 받다 is useful.
성형수술 전 and 성형수술 후 mean “before plastic surgery” and “after plastic surgery”. Here 전 and 후 refer to time. You may see them in headings attached to descriptions or photographs. They tell you when something happened, without explaining which operation took place.
성형 부작용 means side effects or adverse effects associated with cosmetic surgery. 부작용 is the general word for an unwanted effect. Learning the expression helps you understand a discussion; the phrase alone does not identify a particular problem or its cause.
Where Will You Hear or See 성형수술?
Clinic information, interviews and personal accounts use the full word 성형수술. Casual conversations often shorten it to 성형. A building sign reading 성형외과 names the medical specialty or clinic, while 수술 names an operation. The sign and the treatment are different kinds of information.
A consultation page may use 상담, “consultation”, and 예약, “reservation” or “appointment”. Recognizing those words helps you distinguish an invitation to talk from a statement that someone has had an operation. The dialogue’s first line is useful because it names both the topic and the immediate purpose.
성형수술 is neutral vocabulary, but questions about another person’s appearance can be personal. The short form 성형 is not an insult by itself; tone and the assumption behind the question matter. In a clinic, the full term is clear and fits polite endings naturally.
시술 is broader than cosmetic injections alone: it can refer to medical procedures in other settings too. In beauty discussions it often labels procedures contrasted with surgery. Read the actual procedure name rather than treating 시술 as a guarantee that something is minor.
Words around the Consultation
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 상담 | consultation | Names the conversation before a decision. |
| 예약 | appointment / reservation | Used for booking a clinic visit. |
| 회복 | recovery | Refers to getting better after treatment. |
| 부작용 | side effect / adverse effect | Appears in discussions of unwanted effects. |
The beauty vocabulary lesson teaches the appearance vocabulary around 성형. The health vocabulary lesson adds the words needed to describe a clinic visit.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase clearly presents someone as the patient: 성형수술을 받다 or 성형외과?
- Does 성형수술 상담 mean the operation itself?
- Which word means surgery in general?
Show answers
- 성형수술을 받다. 성형외과 names the specialty or clinic.
- No. It means a consultation about plastic surgery.
- 수술.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 성형수술 Mean?
It means plastic surgery, cosmetic or reconstructive.
What Is 성형?
It is the short form of 성형수술, used in speech.
What Is a 성형외과?
It is a plastic surgery clinic.
Can I Use 성형수술 for Any Operation?
No. For surgery in general say 수술.
Where to Go Next
For related beauty words, open the beauty vocabulary list or browse Korean words A to Z. Next, see beauty and surgery, and review the set in the vocabulary flashcard decks.