Key Facts
- Hangul: 수술 (susul)
- Meaning: surgery; operation
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: neutral but medical; usually used with 하다 or 받다
- Hanja: 手術 (手 hand + 術 technique)
- Level: B1
Surgery in Korean: What Does 수술 Mean?
수술 means an operation carried out by a surgeon, and the hanja, hand plus technique, shows its origin. Two verbs decide the point of view. 수술을 받다 means to undergo surgery, so it is the patient's phrase. 수술을 하다 means to operate or perform surgery. Related words: 성형수술 is plastic surgery, 치료 is medical treatment, and 입원 is admission to hospital. A big operation is 큰 수술.
How Do You Pronounce 수술?
수술 is su-sul, two light syllables. The final ㄹ is a light l, and before 을 it moves across, giving susureul as in the first example. The vowel ㅜ is rounded, with lips pushed forward. Nothing in the word is tensed.
How Do You Use 수술 in a Sentence?
아버지는 수술을 받았어요.
My father had an operation.
abeojineun susureul badasseoyo. 아버지는 수술을 받았어요 says my father had an operation. 아버지는 is the topic, 수술을 is the object, and 받았어요 marks him as the patient.
수술은 두 시간 걸렸어요.
The surgery took two hours.
susureun du sigan geollyeosseoyo. 수술은 두 시간 걸렸어요 says the surgery took two hours. 걸렸어요 is the verb for time taken, and 두 시간 is two hours.
내일 수술을 해야 해요.
I have to have surgery tomorrow.
naeil susureul haeya haeyo. 내일 수술을 해야 해요 says I have to have surgery tomorrow. 해야 해요 means must do, and 내일 is tomorrow. Everyday speech often uses 하다 for a patient, as here.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 수술을 받다 | to undergo surgery |
| 수술을 하다 | to operate / to perform surgery |
| 수술이 끝나다 | for the surgery to end |
| 큰 수술 | major surgery |
수술을 받다 is to undergo surgery, and 수술을 하다 is to operate. 수술이 끝나다 describes the surgery ending, with 수술 as the subject. 큰 수술 is major surgery. Together the first two show the two sides of the same event: the patient receives and the surgeon performs.
Common Mistake
Less precise: Said by a patient in careful speech: 수술을 해요 for I am having surgery.
More precise: The patient is more precisely 수술을 받아요, and the doctor says 수술을 해요.
In casual talk a patient may say 수술을 하다 too, but 받다 is the cleaner choice when you want to be exact.
How Does 수술 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How it differs from 수술 |
|---|---|---|
| 성형수술 | plastic surgery | Cosmetic or reconstructive surgery only. 수술 is surgery in general. |
| 치료 | medical treatment | Treatment of any kind, which may or may not include an operation. |
| 입원 | hospital admission | Entering the hospital, which often comes before a 수술. |
Asking about Tomorrow’s Operation
A patient asks a nurse about an operation scheduled for the next day. The conversation names the patient’s experience with 받다 and asks separately about the time needed.
Patient
내일 수술을 받아요. 몇 시에 시작해요?
Naeil susureul badayo. Myeot sie sijakhaeyo?
I’m having surgery tomorrow. What time does it start?
Nurse
오전 아홉 시에 시작해요.
Ojeon ahop sie sijakhaeyo.
It starts at nine in the morning.
Patient
수술은 얼마나 걸려요?
Susureun eolmana geollyeoyo?
How long does the surgery take?
몇 시 asks for a clock time, while 얼마나 걸려요 asks for a duration. A reply naming nine o’clock answers the first question; a reply naming two hours answers the second. The existing example 수술은 두 시간 걸렸어요 shows how to report that duration afterward.
Where Will You See 수술 at a Hospital?
수술 appears in appointment information, conversations about treatment and hospital directions. 수술실 means “operating room”: 실 adds the idea of a room to the surgery word. On a sign, the compound identifies a location. It does not say that an operation is happening at that moment.
수술 전 means “before surgery”, and 수술 후 means “after surgery”. These short labels can head sections of a hospital leaflet. 전 and 후 organise the information around the operation. Understanding the headings helps you tell which part of the document concerns preparation and which concerns the period afterward.
A doctor discussing treatment may mention 수술 alongside other forms of 치료. The broader word 치료 includes care that does not involve surgery. An appointment for treatment is therefore not automatically an appointment for an operation. In a conversation, listen for 수술 itself before translating the plan that way.
Phrases for the Event and Its Progress
수술을 받다 places the patient at the centre: the person undergoes the operation. 수술을 하다 often places the surgeon at the centre: the person performs it. Everyday conversation also uses 하다 for a patient, as the original example shows. 받다 makes the role clearer when the sentence could otherwise be ambiguous.
수술이 끝나다 means that the operation ends. It reports completion, rather than making a claim about the result or the patient’s recovery. You can understand a relative saying that the surgery is over without assuming that the patient has already gone home or fully recovered.
큰 수술 literally means a “big operation” and is used for major surgery. It describes the scale or seriousness of the procedure in ordinary language. The phrase alone does not name the operation or tell you its exact duration. Ask about those details separately instead of trying to infer them from 큰.
Related Words around an Operation
| Korean | Meaning | What it names |
|---|---|---|
| 수술실 | operating room | The place where surgery is performed. |
| 입원 | hospital admission | Entering hospital as an inpatient. |
| 퇴원 | discharge from hospital | Leaving inpatient care. |
| 회복 | recovery | The process of getting better afterward. |
The health vocabulary lesson teaches the wider hospital set. These words mark different parts of a hospital experience: admission, the procedure, recovery and discharge. A sentence mentioning only one stage leaves the others open; for example, 수술이 끝나다 does not by itself tell you when 퇴원 will happen.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase clearly presents someone as the patient: 수술을 받다 or 수술을 하다?
- Does 몇 시 ask for a start time or a duration?
- Does 수술이 끝나다 mean the patient is fully recovered?
Show answers
- 수술을 받다 means to undergo surgery.
- A clock time. 얼마나 걸려요 asks how long it takes.
- No. It says the operation has ended; 회복 describes recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 수술 Mean?
It means surgery or an operation.
How Do I Say I Had Surgery?
Say 수술을 받았어요, the patient's phrase.
What Do I Say to Talk about How Long It Took?
Say 수술은 두 시간 걸렸어요, changing the number of hours.
Is 성형수술 the Same as 수술?
No. 성형수술 is plastic surgery. 수술 is surgery in general.
Where to Go Next
For related health words, open the health vocabulary list or browse Korean words A to Z. Next, see symptom, plastic surgery, medical treatment and hospitalization, and review the set in the vocabulary flashcard decks.