성

Sino-Korean word from 兄.

• (Morphophonemic) IPA^(key): ⫽səŋ⫽
• (Jeju City) IPA^(key): [sʰəŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [성]

성 (seong)

1. older brother (of a male)
2. older sister (of a male)

• “성” in Jeju's culture and language, Digital museum.

First attested in the Myobeomnyeonhwagyeong eonhae (妙法蓮華經諺解 / 묘법연화경언해), 1463, as Middle Korean 셔ᇰ〯 (Yale: syěng).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɘ(ː)ŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [성(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

성 • (seong)

1. anger, rage, wrath

   Synonym: 화(火) (hwa)

   왜 고작 그런 것을 가지고 성을 내는 것이니?

   Wae gojak geureon geos-eul gajigo seong-eul naeneun geos-ini?

   Why are [you] getting angry over such a trivial thing?

   그렇게 쓸데없이 성을 내면 못써.

   Geureoke sseuldeeopsi seong-eul naemyeon motsseo.

   It's no good getting angry for no apparent reason like that.

Sino-Korean word from 性, from the Middle Korean reading 셔ᇰ〯 (Yale: syěng).

“-ity, -ness”

From the Japanese usage of the character, an orthographic borrowing from Japanese 性(せい) (-sei).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɘ(ː)ŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [성(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

성 • (seong) (hanja 性)

1. sex, sexuality; gender

   교육에서 성 격차가 커지고 있다. 더 적은 숫자의 여아들만이 학교에 가고 있다.

   Gyoyug-eseo seong gyeokcha-ga keojigo itda. Deo jeogeun sutja-ui yeoa-deul-man-i hakgyo-e gago itda.

   The gender gap in education is widening; fewer girls are going to school.

2. one's true or inherent nature

   Synonym: 본성(本性) (bonseong)

3. (grammar) gender

—성 • (-seong) (hanja 性)

1. -ity, -ness; the nature, quality, tendency, or characteristics of something

   잔혹성 (殘酷性) ― janhokseong (殘酷 性 ) ― ruthlessness

   인간성 (人間性) ― in'ganseong (人間 性 ) ― human nature / humanity

   생산성 (生産性) ― saengsanseong (生産 性 ) ― productivity

The suffix is almost always tensed when attached to words with two or more syllables. See ㅅ (s#genitive) and Appendix:Sino-Korean tensing for more information on this phenomenon.

• See the hanja entry at 性 for Sino-Korean compounds of 성 (性, seong).

Sino-Korean word from 姓, from the Middle Korean reading 셔ᇰ〯 (Yale: syěng).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɘ(ː)ŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [성(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

성 • (seong) (hanja 姓)

1. surname; last name

   Synonym: 성씨(姓氏) (seongssi)

   • 1883, 아메노모리 호슈(雨森芳洲) [Amenomori Hōshū], “天倫”, in 浦瀬裕, editor, 재간교린수지(再刊交隣須知) (Jaegan'gyorinsuji)‎^{NDL NLK}, 外務省 edition, volume 1:

     姓 죠선(朝鮮)은 셩(姓)이 여러 셩(姓)이나 니김최안뎡박(李金崔安鄭朴) 뉵셩(六姓)이 고ᄅᆡ지셩(古來之姓)이오니

     syeng cyosen-un syeng-i yele syeng-ina ni-kim-chwoy-an-tyeng-pak nyuksyeng-i kwoloycisyeng-iwoni

     Family name: Corea's family names are numerous, but the six family names of Lee, Kim, Choi, Ahn, Jung, and Park are the ancient cognomens.

• See the hanja entry at 姓 for Sino-Korean compounds of 성 (姓, seong).

Sino-Korean word from 城, from the Middle Korean reading 셔ᇰ (Yale: syèng).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰʌ̹ŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [성]

성 • (seong) (hanja 城)

1. castle; fortress

   우리는 끝까지 저항했다. 하지만 적에 의해서 성이 결국에는 함락됐다.

   Uri-neun kkeut-kkaji jeohanghaetda. Hajiman jeog-e uihaeseo seong-i gyeolgug-eneun hamnakdwaetda.

   We fought to the end. But eventually, the castle was taken by the enemy.

• See the hanja entry at 城 for Sino-Korean compounds of 성 (城, seong).

Sino-Korean word from 聖, from the Middle Korean reading 셔ᇰ〯 (Yale: syěng).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɘ(ː)ŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [성(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

성 • (seong) (hanja 聖)

1. (Catholicism) saint

   Synonym: 성인(聖人) (seong'in, “saint”, noun)

   성 베드로 ― seong Bedeuro ― Saint Peter

성 • (seong) (hanja 聖)

1. “the sacred”; that which is holy or sacred

   Coordinate term: 속(俗) (sok, “that which is secular”)

   • 2019, ““神(신)을 모른다는 것을 아는 것(無(무)知(지)의 知(지)), 이 말이 정답””, in Monthly Chosun‎:

     생명과 죽음의 문제를 […] 이야기하고 싶어 했다. 육과 영, 속과 성의 경계 허물기다.

     Saengmyeong-gwa jugeum-ui munje-reul [ … ] iyagihago sipeo haetda. Yuk-gwa yeong, sok-gwa seong-ui gyeonggye heomulgi-da.

     [He] wanted to explain the question of life and death […] breaking the lines between the body and the soul, the secular and the sacred.

• See the hanja entry at 聖 for Sino-Korean compounds of 성 (聖, seong).

Sino-Korean word from 星.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰʌ̹ŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [성]

—성 • (-seong) (hanja 星)

1. (astronomy, academic) star

   시리우스성 ― siriuseuseong ― Sirius (the star)

• See the hanja entry at 星 for Sino-Korean compounds of 성 (星, seong).

• 별 (byeol, “star”, Native Korean)

Sino-Korean word from 兄.

성 • (seong)

1. Southern Dialectal, Jeolla dialect, Chungcheong, Seoul, and Gyeongsang form of 형(兄) (hyeong, “(for males) older brother or male”).

   기전에 욕심 많은 저거 성님이 있고... (Jeolla, Goheung)

   Gijeone yoksim maneun jeogeo seongnimi itgo...

   Back then there was an older male who was very greedy...

In some dialects of Jeolla, it appears that females will also call older males by this term. It is also used by some older women to refer to other older females, though it is more commonly 성님 (seongnim), than 성 (seong) in that case.

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

성 (seong)