Korean vocabulary · 31 words
Korean days of the week, months and time words
Every day of the week ends in 요일, and the first syllable is a classical element: 월 (moon) for Monday, 화 (fire) for Tuesday, then 수 (water), 목 (wood), 금 (gold), 토 (earth) and 일 (sun) for Sunday. Months are a Sino-Korean number plus 월, so only two irregular ones need memorizing. The last groups cover parts of the day and words like today, yesterday and now.
Examples are written in Hangul. New to it? Start with the hangul chart.
Good to know
- A day or time takes 에: 월요일에 (on Monday), 세 시에 (at three). 오늘, 어제 and 지금 take no 에.
- June is 유월 and October is 시월; every other month is regular: 일월, 이월, 삼월, 사월, 오월, 칠월, 팔월, 구월, 십일월, 십이월.
- 부터…까지 marks a range: 월요일부터 금요일까지 (Monday to Friday).
- 아침 and 저녁 are both the time of day and the meal: 아침을 먹어요 (I have breakfast).
Days of the week
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 월요일 | woryoil | Monday | |
| 화요일 | hwayoil | Tuesday | |
| 수요일 | suyoil | Wednesday | |
| 목요일 | mogyoil | Thursday | |
| 금요일 | geumyoil | Friday | |
| 토요일 | toyoil | Saturday | |
| 일요일 | iryoil | Sunday |
Months
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 월 | wol | month (counter, with Sino numbers) | |
| 유월 | yuwol | June (irregular: not 육월) | |
| 시월 | siwol | October (irregular: not 십월) |
Today, yesterday and now
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 오늘 | oneul | today | |
| 어제 | eoje | yesterday | |
| 지금 | jigeum | now | |
| 매일 | maeil | every day | |
| 요즘 | yojeum | these days | |
| 그날 | geunal | that day | |
| 그때 | geuttae | then / at that time |
Parts of the day
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 아침 | achim | morning / breakfast | |
| 오전 | ojeon | morning (a.m.) | |
| 오후 | ohu | afternoon (p.m.) | |
| 저녁 | jeonyeok | evening / dinner | |
| 밤 | bam | night |
Clock and calendar words
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 시 | si | o'clock (hour counter) | |
| 분 | bun | minute(s) | |
| 반 | ban | half (past the hour) | |
| 하루 | haru | one day | |
| 일주일 | iljuil | one week | |
| 날 | nal | day | |
| 며칠 | myeochil | a few days / how many days | |
| 부터 | buteo | from (a starting time) | |
| 까지 | kkaji | until / up to |
Test yourself
Five of the 31 words on this page, meaning to word. Pick an answer to check it; nothing is saved.
1.Which Korean word means "Monday"?
2.Which Korean word means "Sunday"?
3.Which Korean word means "now"?
4.Which Korean word means "morning (a.m.)"?
5.Which Korean word means "half (past the hour)"?
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Keep going
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- Word listSino-Korean vs native Korean numbersThe two Korean number systems: Sino-Korean 일, 이, 삼 for minutes, months and money, native 하나, 둘, 셋 for things, people and age, with counters and audio.
- Grammar guide에 vs 에서The difference between the Korean particles 에 and 에서, plus 에 for times and days, with course examples and practice questions.
- ChartHangul chartEvery Korean consonant and vowel with romanization, stroke order and example words, how syllable blocks work, and a syllable chart with audio.