학(學): One Hanja Root, Ten Korean Words
After this page, you can recognize the 학(學) root and guess the meaning of new words built from it.
10-Second Answer
학 (hak) comes from the Chinese character 學, meaning "to study/learn." A huge share of Korean's education vocabulary is built by combining 학 with other Sino-Korean roots — 학교 (school), 학생 (student), 학원 (private academy), 입학 (entering school), 유학 (studying abroad). Learn this one root, and a dozen words stop being random syllables to memorize.
Words Built on 학
| Word | Breakdown | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 학교 (hakgyo) | 학(study) + 교(school building) | School |
| 학생 (haksaeng) | 학(study) + 생(person/life) | Student |
| 학원 (hagwon) | 학(study) + 원(institute) | Private academy/cram school |
| 입학 (ipak) | 입(enter) + 학(study) | Entering school/enrollment |
| 졸업 (joreop) | (not 학-based, but the natural pair) | Graduation |
| 유학 (yuhak) | 유(travel/stay abroad) + 학(study) | Studying abroad |
| 대학 (daehak) | 대(great/big) + 학(study) | University |
| 대학생 (daehaksaeng) | 대학(university) + 생(person) | University student |
| 방학 (banghak) | 방(release) + 학(study) | School vacation/break |
| 학년 (hangnyeon) | 학(study) + 년(year) | School grade/year |
Why Roots Are Worth Learning
Korean absorbed thousands of Chinese-origin (Sino-Korean) roots the way English absorbed Latin and Greek roots like "-ology" or "bio-." Once you know 학 means "study," a brand-new word like 어학 (eohak, "language study") or 과학 (gwahak, "science," literally "branch-study") becomes guessable instead of a cold memorization task.
This is the same root logic behind Korean numbers using Sino-Korean forms — 학 is one small piece of the much larger Sino-Korean vocabulary layer running underneath everyday Korean.
Quick Examples
저는 대학생이에요.
jeoneun daehaksaeng-ieyo.
I'm a university student.
대학 (university) + 생 (person) — a word you can now take apart.
방학이 언제예요?
banghagi [eonjeyeyo](korean-question-words)?
When is the school break?
방학 — the release (방) from study (학).
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Memorizing each 학-word as a totally separate item
Once you see the shared root, related words become far easier to recall and even predict.
Mistake #2 — Confusing 학생 (student) with 학교 (school)
생 = person/life (the person studying); 교 = building/institution (where the studying happens).
Mini Quiz
1. What does the hanja root 학 (學) mean?
2. What is 유학?
3. What does 방학 literally break down to?
Related Knowledge
Learn Next
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One root explained a dozen words — now see how one feeling (gratitude) splits into a dozen phrases depending on who you're talking to.
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Start today's study →Last updated: 2026-08-11 · Written and reviewed by a native Korean speaker.