How do you say "failure" in Korean?

실패

silpae

Noun Hangul

In Korean, "failure" is 실패 (silpae).

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Pronunciation

Silpae has two syllables, sil with a light l sound and pae which rhymes with the English word 'pay'.

Writing and usage

실패 is written using hangul. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

그는 초기 실패에서 많은 것을 배웠다.

geuneun chogi silpaeeseo maneun geoseul baewotda.

He learned a lot from his early failure.

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How to remember 실패

Sil-pae sounds like 'sill pay', imagine paying a toll every time you learn something from failure.

Related words

Browse all Korean words in the glossary.

Questions about 실패

How do you pronounce 실패?

Silpae has two syllables, sil with a light l sound and pae which rhymes with the English word 'pay'.

Is 실패 formal or casual?

실패 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 실패 written in Korean?

실패 is written using hangul. Romanised, it reads as silpae.

Where can I practice Korean words for free?

You can play free Korean minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Korean glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Failure" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Korean language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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