Key Facts
- Hangul: 결과; Revised Romanization: gyeolgwa
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 結果 (結 tie / form + 果 fruit)
- Register: Neutral; common in work and school contexts.
Result in Korean: What Does 결과 Mean?
결과 names what comes out at the end: exam scores, medical tests, the effect of hard work. It is neutral and fits both school and office. The usual verb is 나오다, "to come out", so 결과가 나오다 means the results are in. Pair it with a noun before it to specify the kind: 검사 결과 is a test result, and 좋은 결과 is a good result. After a verb in its modifier form, as in 노력한 결과, it means "as a result of".
How Do You Pronounce 결과?
Two syllables, gyeol-gwa. The first ends in ㄹ, a light tongue-tip l, and the second begins with a short gw glide. Say the l, then slide straight into gwa without pausing.
Example Sentences with 결과
시험 결과가 나왔어요.
Siheom gyeolgwaga nawasseoyo.
The exam result came out.
An announcement. 시험 (exam) names the kind of result and 나왔어요 is the polite past of "came out".
결과는 내일 알려 줄게요.
Gyeolgwaneun naeil allyeo julgeyo.
I will let you know the result tomorrow.
A promise to report back. 결과는 marks the result as the topic, 내일 is "tomorrow", and 알려 줄게요 means "I will let you know".
노력한 결과 성공했어요.
Noryeokan gyeolgwa seonggonghaesseoyo.
As a result of working hard, I succeeded.
A cause and effect sentence. 노력한 결과 means "as a result of making an effort", with 결과 turning the effort into the reason for the success.
Common Phrases and Collocations
These phrases appear in school notices and office updates.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 결과가 나오다 | for results to come out |
| 검사 결과 | test result |
| 좋은 결과 | good result |
The Mistake to Avoid
The confusion is with the word for the end of an argument.
Wrong: Treating 결과 and 결론 as the same word.
Correct: 결과 is an outcome you observe, such as a score. 결론 is a conclusion you reach, a judgement drawn at the end of reasoning.
A lab produces a 결과; a report built on it draws a 결론.
결과 Compared with 원인 and 성과
Three related words fill out the chain from cause to judgement.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 원인 | cause | What leads to the result. |
| 성과 | achievement | A positive outcome or accomplishment. |
| 결론 | conclusion | The final judgement of an argument. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
결과 is written 結果 in hanja: 結 (tie or form) plus 果 (fruit). It is the same fruit picture as in English "the fruits of your labour": what grows from effort.
Checking an Exam Result
Two classmates discuss an exam after the results have been released.
Mina
시험 결과가 나왔어요?
Siheom gyeolgwaga nawasseoyo?
Are the exam results out?
Alex
네. 합격했어요.
Ne. Hapgyeokhaesseoyo.
Yes. I passed.
Mina
축하해요! 어디서 확인했어요?
Chukahaeyo! Eodiseo hwaginhaesseoyo?
Congratulations! Where did you check?
Alex
학교 홈페이지에서 확인했어요.
Hakgyo hompeijieseo hwaginhaesseoyo.
I checked on the school website.
결과가 나왔어요 asks whether the result has become available. It does not say whether the outcome is good or bad. Alex's next sentence supplies that missing information.
확인했어요 means “checked” or “confirmed”. A result can already be available even if you have not checked it yet. That distinction matters when someone asks for an update.
Where Will You See 결과?
검색 결과 means “search results”. Here 결과 can refer to several items on a screen, even though there is no plural ending. Korean does not require you to add 들 every time English uses a plural. The context tells you whether the result is one outcome or a list.
검사 결과 appears with examinations and tests, including medical tests. 시험 결과 usually concerns an exam taken to assess knowledge or ability. Both use the same general noun; the word before 결과 tells you which process produced the outcome. The noun alone does not tell you a score, diagnosis or pass/fail decision.
조사 결과 means the findings or results of a survey or investigation. In news and reports, this combination often introduces what was found. Look for the action behind the result: a search produces 검색 결과, and an investigation produces 조사 결과.
Reporting, Checking and Waiting for Results
결과를 확인하다 means “check the result”, while 결과를 발표하다 means “announce the result”. Both use 를 because the result is the object of the action. In 결과가 나오다, the result itself is what comes out, so it takes 가. This contrast explains why the particle changes across phrases about the same event.
결과를 기다리다 means “wait for the result”. The phrase describes the waiting, without promising when the outcome will be available. 좋은 결과, “a good result”, adds an evaluation. 결과 by itself stays neutral and can describe an unsuccessful outcome just as easily.
노력한 결과 in the earlier example looks back at completed effort and connects it to what followed. In English, “as a result of working hard” captures the whole phrase. Keep 결과 attached to that cause phrase when translating; treating it as a separate exam-style result would miss the connection.
Cause, Process and Outcome
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 원인 | cause | What brought the outcome about. |
| 과정 | process | The steps or experience leading to it. |
| 점수 | score | A numerical mark; one possible kind of result. |
| 결론 | conclusion | The judgement drawn after reasoning. |
The reasoning words lesson helps connect causes, outcomes and conclusions. A score is a result you can report; an explanation of why it happened belongs to the reasoning around that result.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 결과가 나왔어요 mean the result was good?
- What does 검색 결과 mean?
- Choose the particle for “check the result”: 결과가 or 결과를?
Show answers
- No. It means the result is out or available.
- Search results.
- 결과를, as in 결과를 확인하다.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "result" in Korean?
Say 결과 (gyeolgwa). It is neutral and used in school, work and daily talk.
How do you say "test result"?
Say 검사 결과. For an exam, 시험 결과.
What is the difference between 결과 and 결론?
결과 is the outcome, while 결론 is the conclusion drawn from reasoning.
How do you say "the results came out"?
Say 결과가 나왔어요, using the verb 나오다 for "come out".
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Words for explaining and arguing sit together in the discourse nouns vocabulary list.
- Return to Korean words A to Z for more abstract nouns.
- Put the cause, result and conclusion trio into your vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is problem.