Numbers are fundamental in any language, and Korean is no exception. Whether you’re shopping in Seoul, learning Korean, or just curious about the language, learning how to count in Korean is an important skill to have. This article covers everything you need to know about Korean numbers, including the two numbering systems used, pronunciation tips, and practical usage examples.
The Two Korean Number Systems
Korean uses two different number systems: the Native Korean system and the Sino-Korean system. Each system is used in different contexts, so it’s important to know when to use which system.
1. Sino-Korean Numbers
Sino-Korean numbers are derived from Chinese characters, so if you’re familiar with Chinese, these could be easier for you to learn.
These numbers are used for dates, money, phone numbers, and counting above 100. It’s arguably easier to learn sino-Korean numbers as, once you know about 14 different numbers, you can more or less combine these to count to infinity.
Here is a table of Sino-Korean numbers from 1 to 10:
| Number | Sino-Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 일 (il) | il |
| 2 | 이 (i) | ee |
| 3 | 삼 (sam) | sahm |
| 4 | 사 (sa) | sah |
| 5 | 오 (o) | oh |
| 6 | 육 (yuk) | yook (pronounced 륙/ryuk after a vowel or ㄹ) |
| 7 | 칠 (chil) | chil |
| 8 | 팔 (pal) | pahl |
| 9 | 구 (gu) | goo |
| 10 | 십 (sip) | ship |
How Do You Say Zero In Korean?
In Korean, there are two ways to say “zero” in Sino-Korean. The version you use depends on the context you’re using it in:
- 영 (yeong), used for:
- Temperature (e.g. 영도 for “zero degrees”)
- Mathematics (e.g. 일 점 영 (il jeom yeong) for 1.0)
- Sports scores (e.g., 축구 점수: 3 대 0 = “sam dae yeong” or “three-nil”)
- 공 (gong), most commonly used for:
- Phone numbers (e.g. 010 = 공일공, which is how Korean numbers start)
- Security codes or pin numbers (e.g. 4030 = 사공삼공)
Counting Beyond Ten In Sino-Korean
Counting beyond ten in Sino-Korean is fairly easy as you mainly combine numbers one through ten in order to do so.
For example, if you want to say or write 11, combine 10 (십; ship) with one (일; eel). Together, that becomes 십일 (ship-il)
You would use the same method for saying 15: 십 + 오 = 십오 (ship-oh)
You use this same pattern even for numbers in the 20s, 30s, 40s, all the way up to 99.
So 21 would be: 이 + 십 + 일, in other words two + 10 + 1, which would turn into 이십일 (i-sip-il)
And 43 would be: 사 (sa; four) + 십 (ship; ten) + 삼 (sam; three): 사십삼 (sa-ship-sam)
Once you understand that pattern, you only need to learn a few more numbers in sino-Korean to be able to say or write any numbers:
| Number | Sino-Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 백 | baek |
| 1,000 | 천 | cheon |
| 10,000 | 만 | man |
| 100,000,000 | 억 | eok |
The same applies for numbers 100 to 9,999. Here are some examples:
- 234: 이백삼십사 (i-baek-sam-sip-sa)
- 5,678: 오천육백칠십팔 (o-cheon-yuk-baek-chil-sip-pal)
Counting Beyond 10,000 in Sino-Korean
One of the trickiest aspects of counting in Korean that English speakers struggle with is that Koreans group big numbers by ten thousands instead of by one thousands as we do in English.
For example, for the number 200,000, English speakers would say “two hundred thousand”. However, in Korean this would be expressed as 이십만 (literally twenty-ten thousands).
An easy way of understanding this is moving the comma we use to break up large numbers in English: instead of 200,000, think of the number as 20,0000.
Instead of breaking the number up every three decimal places, break it up every four decimal places.
This works even with really big numbers, such as:
- 123,456,789 -> 1,2345,6789 = 일억 이천삼백사십오만 육천칠백팔십구 (ireok i-cheon-sam-baek-sa-sip-o-man yuk-cheon-chil-baek-pal-sip-gu)
- 2,452,129,863 -> 24,5212,9863 = 이십사억 오천이백일십이만 구천팔백육십삼 (i-sip-sa-eok o-cheon-i-baek-il-sip-i-man gu-cheon-pal-baek-yuk-sip-sam)
When to Use Sino-Korean Numbers
Telling Time (Minutes)
Telling the time in Korean uses both number systems: Native Korean for hours (which we’ll cover next) and Sino-Korean for minutes.
- e.g. 15 minutes: 십오 분 (sip-o bun)
- e.g. 30 minutes: 삼십 분 (sam-sip bun)
Dates
Sino-Korean numbers are used for dates, including days, months and years.
In Korean, the structure is year-month-day instead of American English’s month-day-year or British English’s day-month-year:
- e.g. March 5th 1992: 천구백구십이년 3월 5일 (cheon-gu-baek-gu-sip-i-nyeon sam-wol o-il)
Money
- e.g. 1,000 won: 천 원 (cheon won)
Phone Numbers
- e.g. 010-5555-3333: 공일공-오오오오-삼삼삼삼 (gong-il-gong oh-oh-oh-oh sam-sam-sam-sam)
2. Native Korean Numbers
Native Korean numbers, otherwise known as “pure Korean numbers”, are used for counting objects, ages, and for hours in time. This system is usually used for numbers up to 99.
Here is a table of Native Korean numbers from 1 to 10:
| Number | Native Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 하나 (hana) | hah-nah |
| 2 | 둘 (dul) | dool |
| 3 | 셋 (set) | set |
| 4 | 넷 (net) | net |
| 5 | 다섯 (daseot) | dah-sut |
| 6 | 여섯 (yeoseot) | yuh-sut |
| 7 | 일곱 (ilgop) | il-gop |
| 8 | 여덟 (yeodeol) | yuh-dul |
| 9 | 아홉 (ahop) | ah-hop |
| 10 | 열 (yeol) | yuhl |
Counting Beyond Ten In Native Korean Numbers
Beyond ten, Native Korean numbers are a little different to sino-Korean numbers. This is because there are specific numbers for 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90:
| Number | Native Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 스물 | seu-mul |
| 30 | 서른 | seo-reun |
| 40 | 마흔 | ma-heun |
| 50 | 쉰 | swin |
| 60 | 예순 | yae-soon |
| 70 | 일흔 | il-heun |
| 80 | 여든 | yeo-deun |
| 90 | 아흔 | ah-heun |
You can then combine these numbers with the numbers one through ten to say any number between 11 and 99:
- 11: 열 (yeol) + 하나 (hana) = 열하나 (yeol-hana)
- 23: 스물 (seu-mul) + 셋 (set) = 스물셋 (seu-mul-set)
- 58: 쉰 (swin) + 여덟 (yeo-dul) = 쉰여덟 (swin-yeo-dul)
When to Use Native Korean numbers
Native Korean numbers are usually used when counting objects, people or animals. It’s also used to tell the time in hours.
Note that some numbers in the Native Korean system are abbreviated when they’re the final number being used during counting:
- 하나 -> 한
- 둘 -> 두
- 셋 -> 세
- 넷 -> 네
- 스물 -> 스무
Telling Time (Hours)
- e.g. 3 o’clock: 세 시 (sae-si)
- e.g. 10 o’clock: 열 시 (yeol-si)
Combine this with the sino-Korean numbers for minutes and you can tell the time!
- e.g. 2:40pm: 오후 두 시 사십 분 (oh-hu du-si sa-sip-bun)
- e.g. 7:30am: 오전 일곱 시 삼십 분 (oh-jeon il-geop-si sam-sip-bun) – half an hour can be abbreviated to 반. In this example, it would be 오전 일곱 시 반 (oh-jeon il-geop-si ban)
Counting Objects
- e.g. Two apples: 사과 두 개 (sagwa du gae)
- e.g. Three books: 책 세 권 (chaek se gwon)
Saying your Age
- e.g. 24 years old: 스물 네 살 (seu-mul nae sal)
- e.g. 18 years old: 열여덟 살 (yeol-yeo-deol sal)
Why Does Korean Have Two Number Systems?
Native Korean numbers are the original counting system used by Koreans before Chinese influence. Sino-Korean numbers, on the other hand, were introduced through Chinese cultural influence, particularly during the periods when Korea adopted Chinese characters (Hanja).
So, while Koreans retained their native number system, they incorporated the Sino-Korean system due to the influence of Chinese culture and language. Today, both systems coexist, and each has its specific usage depending on the context and what is being counted.
Test Yourself
Understanding Korean numbers is essential for navigating daily life in Korea and interacting with Korean speakers. By learning both Native Korean and Sino-Korean numbering systems, you can effectively count objects, tell time, handle money, and understand dates.
Why not practice in the comments? Tell us how old you are using Native-Korean numbers, or how long you’ve been learning Korean using Sino-Korean numbers.