Korean uses TWO number systems β Sino-Korean (from Chinese) and Native Korean. You'll learn both, plus how to tell time, say dates, and use counters (the words between numbers and nouns).
Estimated Time: 55β65 minutes
Used for: dates, money, phone numbers, addresses, math, minutes, and numbers above 100.
| # | Korean | # | Korean | # | Korean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | μ (yeong) / 곡 (gong) | 6 | μ‘ (yuk) | 100 | λ°± (baek) |
| 1 | μΌ (il) | 7 | μΉ (chil) | 1,000 | μ² (cheon) |
| 2 | μ΄ (i) | 8 | ν (pal) | 10,000 | λ§ (man) |
| 3 | μΌ (sam) | 9 | ꡬ (gu) | 100,000 | μλ§ |
| 4 | μ¬ (sa) | 10 | μ (sip) | 1,000,000 | λ°±λ§ |
| 5 | μ€ (o) | 20 | μ΄μ (isip) | 100,000,000 | μ΅ (eok) |
Building numbers: 35 = μΌμμ€ (sam-sip-o) Β· 247 = μ΄λ°±μ¬μμΉ Β· 2026 = μ΄μ²μ΄μμ‘
Used for: hours, counting objects (with counters), age, and numbers 1-99.
| # | Korean | # | Korean | # | Korean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | νλ (hana) | 6 | μ¬μ― (yeoseot) | 20 | μ€λ¬Ό (seumul) |
| 2 | λ (dul) | 7 | μΌκ³± (ilgop) | 30 | μλ₯Έ (seoreun) |
| 3 | μ (set) | 8 | μ¬λ (yeodeol) | 40 | λ§ν (maheun) |
| 4 | λ· (net) | 9 | μν (ahop) | 50 | μ° (swin) |
| 5 | λ€μ― (daseot) | 10 | μ΄ (yeol) | 99 | μνμν |
νλ β ν Β· λ β λ Β· μ β μΈ Β· λ· β λ€ Β· μ€λ¬Ό β μ€λ¬΄
Example: ν λͺ (one person), λ κ° (two items), μΈ μ (three o'clock)
Korean uses counters (like "cups of" or "sheets of" in English, but required for all counting):
| Counter | Used For | Number System | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| κ° (gae) | General objects | Native | μΈ κ° (3 items) |
| λͺ (myeong) | People (polite) | Native | λ λͺ (2 people) |
| λ§λ¦¬ (mari) | Animals | Native | ν λ§λ¦¬ (1 animal) |
| μ (jan) | Cups/glasses | Native | μ»€νΌ λ μ (2 cups of coffee) |
| λ³ (byeong) | Bottles | Native | λ¬Ό ν λ³ (1 bottle of water) |
| κΆ (gwon) | Books | Native | μ± λ€μ― κΆ (5 books) |
| μ₯ (jang) | Flat objects (paper) | Native | μ’ μ΄ μΈ μ₯ (3 sheets of paper) |
| μ΄ (sal) | Age (years old) | Native | μ€λ¬΄ μ΄ (20 years old) |
| μ (won) | Korean currency | Sino | μ€μ² μ (5,000 won) |
| λ² (beon) | Times (occurrences) | Sino | μΌ λ² (3 times) |
Time uses BOTH number systems: Native Korean for hours, Sino-Korean for minutes.
| Time | Korean | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | ν μ (han si) | Native "ν" + μ (o'clock) |
| 2:30 | λ μ μΌμ λΆ | Native hour + Sino minutes |
| 3:15 | μΈ μ μμ€ λΆ | |
| 12:00 | μ΄λ μ | |
| AM | μ€μ (ojeon) | μ€μ μν μ = 9 AM |
| PM | μ€ν (ohu) | μ€ν μΈ μ = 3 PM |
| half past | λ° (ban) | λ μ λ° = 2:30 |
Days and months use Sino-Korean numbers.
| Day | Korean | Month | Korean |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | μμμΌ | January | μΌμ |
| Tuesday | νμμΌ | February | μ΄μ |
| Wednesday | μμμΌ | March | μΌμ |
| Thursday | λͺ©μμΌ | June | μ μ (not μ‘μ) |
| Friday | κΈμμΌ | October | μμ (not μμ) |
| Saturday | ν μμΌ | November | μμΌμ |
| Sunday | μΌμμΌ | December | μμ΄μ |
Date format: Year λ Month μ Day μΌ β 2026λ 4μ 14μΌ = April 14, 2026
Months = Sino number + μ. Days of the week all end in μμΌ. Dates = Sino number + μΌ.
Exception: June is μ μ (not μ‘μ) and October is μμ (not μμ) for easier pronunciation.
Q1: How do you say 3 o'clock?
Q2: How do you say "5 people"?