成功

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 成功 is read as せいこう and functions as a noun or with する for achieving a desired result or for the achievement itself.
• Basic usage: Mark the undertaking with に in 実験に成功する, and use the noun directly in 小さな成功.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Action and achievement
  • 成功する describes a person succeeding in an undertaking, while 成功を喜ぶ treats the obtained result as a noun.
• English subject choice
  • 実験に成功した means that someone succeeded in the experiment; making the experiment itself the subject changes the Japanese particle structure.