Korean age is a fascinating and unique concept that often confuses those unfamiliar with it. This article provides a detailed understanding of what Korean age is, how it differs from international age, its cultural significance, and practical tips for navigating conversations about age in Korea.
By the end of this blog, you will have a clear grasp of the intricacies of Korean age and its relevance in daily life.
What is Korean Age?
Korean age is a traditional system used in South Korea to calculate a person’s age. It differs significantly from the international age system that most of the world uses. In Korea, a person is considered one year old at birth, and everyone ages up by one year on the New Year, not on their birthday.
Key Differences Between Korean Age and International Age
- Starting Age: In the international system, a person is considered zero years old at birth. However, in Korean culture, a newborn is considered to be one year old.
- Age Calculation: In Korea, everyone adds a year to their age on January 1st, regardless of their birthday. For example, if you were born on December 31st, you would turn one year old on that day, and by January 1st, you would already be two years old.
- Cultural Context: The Korean age system emphasizes collective experiences over individual milestones, highlighting the importance of social relationships and shared cultural values.
The Importance of Age in Korean Culture
Age holds significant cultural weight in South Korea. It plays a crucial role in social interactions and relationships, affecting how people communicate with one another and who is considered higher societally.
1. Respect and Hierarchy
In Korean society, age is a primary factor in determining respect and hierarchy. Elders are revered, and their opinions are highly valued. This cultural norm is deeply ingrained in the language, where honorifics and speech levels change based on the age of the people involved in the conversation.
2. Social Interactions
Age affects how people address one another. For instance, someone older is referred to as “형” (hyeong) by younger males and “언니” (eonni) by younger females. Understanding these nuances is vital for effective communication and building relationships in Korea.
3. Life Milestones
Age also marks significant life events in Korea. For example, the “first birthday” celebration, known as “돌잔치” (doljanji), is a grand event that signifies the child’s first year of life, where family and friends gather to celebrate.
Other milestones, like turning 60 (환갑, Hwangap) is a significant milestone in Korean culture as it symbolizes the completion of a full cycle in the traditional calendar. This celebration often involves large gatherings with family and friends.
Is Korean Age Still Used?
On June 28th 2023, Korean age was scrapped under Korean law.
Yet this law hasn’t really cleared up any of the confusion surrounding age in Korea. For instance, the regulatory change doesn’t affect when Koreans can legally start buying alcohol: Koreans can buy cigarettes and alcohol from the year – not the day – they turn 19.
Other areas where Korean age is still being use include school year eligibility and the conscription age of compulsory military service. This has further added to the confusion.
And old habits die hard: when Koreans ask each other how old they are, it can still be confusing whether the responder is using Korean age or international age so many are still having to clarify which system is being used. It’s likely that this won’t change anytime soon.
That being said, this law change is likely to help in other areas, such as clearing confusion around when older Koreans are eligible for pensions and free travel benefits.
However, as age affects a person’s social status relative to other individuals and dictates which titles and honorifics they must use with others, this could help create societal change.
“When you ask people their age, the answer Koreans usually give is their year of birth,” explains South Korean journalist Koo Sewoong, “and what the new system now means is that people have to be quite precise in saying exactly how old they are, and this will certainly lead to a renegotiation of the dynamic in the social sphere.”
How to Calculate Your Korean Age
Calculating your Korean age is straightforward once you understand the system. Here’s a simple formula:
- Determine Your International Age: Calculate your age as you would normally based on your birth date.
- Add One Year: Regardless of your birthday, you add one year to your international age to account for being considered one year old at birth.
- Add One Year for the New Year: If your birthday hasn’t occurred yet this year, you would add an additional year since everyone ages on January 1st.
Example Calculation
Let’s say you were born on March 5th 1990:
- International Age (as of 2024): 2024 – 1990 = 34 years
- Korean Age Calculation: International Age + 1 (34 + 1) = 35
- Since January 1st has already passed this year, your Korean age remains 35.
Korean Age Calculator
Enter your birth year to calculate your Korean age.
How to Ask Someone How Old They Are
Summary: 몇 살이에요? (myeot sal-ieyo?)
Asking someone their age in Korea is often one of the first questions that Koreans will ask you as it affects how they address you and whether they would feel comfortable using casual language (반말; banmal) with you.
If you want to know how old someone is, there are a number of ways you can do this.
Inquiring about someone’s age should be done respectfully. The phrase “몇 살이에요?” (myeot sal-ieyo?) or the more formal versions “몇 살이세요?” (myeot sal-iseyo?) or “나이가 어떻게 되세요?” (naiga eotteoke doeseyo?) translates to “How old are you?” These versions are polite and commonly used, especially among people who are around the same age.
However, if you’re asking someone significantly older than you, it might be more appropriate to phrase it differently, such as, “연세가 어떻게 되세요?” (yeonsega eotteoke doeseyo?), which means “May I ask how old you are?”
If you want to know what year someone was born, you can ask “몇 년 생이세요?” (myeot nyeon saengisaeyo?). However, this is generally used with Korean age as it wouldn’t tell the listener how old you were in international age.
If you want to ask specifically about someone’s international age, you can ask “만으로 나이가 어떻게 되세요?” (man-eulo naiga eotteoke doeseyo?).
How to Say How Old You Are
When stating your age, it’s essential to be mindful of the cultural context. Here’s how to express your age in Korean:
If you want to specify your age, you can say, “저는 [your international age] 살이에요.” (jeoneun [your international age] sal-ieyo). For example, if you’re 30 years old, you would say “저는 서른 살이에요.” (jeoneun seoreun salieyo).
You can also specify that you’re giving your international age if they didn’t ask specifically for this. Using the above example, you would say “저는 만으로 서른 살이에요.” (jeoneun maneuro seoreun salieyo).
However, if they ask what year you were born, it’s best to answer with the year of your birth. You can usually abbreviate this to the final two digitals of the year, so if you were born in 1993, you could say “(저는) 구십삼년생이에요.” ((jeoneun) gusipsam nyeonsaengiaeyo).
If you’re not sure how to count in Korean, read our guide on Korean numbers.
Same Age!
If you hear someone respond “동갑!” (dongkap), “우리는 동갑이에요!” (urineun dongkapiaeyo) or “우리는 동갑이네요!” (urineun dongkapinaeyo) excitedly, this means you’re the same age as the other person.
In Korean culture, this is significant as it means Koreans don’t have to put on all the airs and graces they would have to use with people who are older than them.
They might ask if they can use casual language (반말) with you, and you can ask the same.
Practice Introductions Out Loud
As it’s one of the first questions that Koreans might ask you, it’s a good idea to learn how to say how old you are, and how to ask about other people’s ages, in Korean.