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Korean vocabulary · 35 words

Korean numbers: Sino-Korean and native Korean

Korean has two complete number systems. Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼…) are used for money, dates, minutes and phone numbers. Native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋…) are used for counting things, people, age and hours. Learning which one goes with which counter is most of the work.

Examples are written in Hangul. New to it? Start with the hangul chart.

Good to know

  • Before a counter, native 1 to 4 shorten: 하나 → 한, 둘 → 두, 셋 → 세, 넷 → 네. So 한 개, 두 명, 세 시.
  • Hours use native numbers (세 시) and minutes use Sino numbers (삼십 분).
  • Large numbers are Sino and stack from 백, 천 and 만: 삼천 원 is 3,000 won.

Sino-Korean numbers

KoreanRomanizationMeaningAudio
일ilone (1, Sino)
이itwo (2, Sino)
삼samthree (3, Sino)
사safour (4, Sino)
오ofive (5, Sino)
육yuksix (6, Sino)
칠chilseven (7, Sino)
팔paleight (8, Sino)
구gunine (9, Sino)
십sipten (10, Sino)
백baekhundred
천cheonthousand
만manten thousand

Native Korean numbers

KoreanRomanizationMeaningAudio
하나hanaone (1, native)
둘dultwo (2, native)
셋setthree (3, native)
넷netfour (4, native)
다섯daseotfive (5, native)
여섯yeoseotsix (6, native)
일곱ilgopseven (7, native)
여덟yeodeoleight (8, native)
아홉ahopnine (9, native)
열yeolten (10, native)

Before a counter

KoreanRomanizationMeaningAudio
한hanone (before a counter)
두dutwo (before a counter)
세sethree (before a counter)
스무seumutwenty (before a counter)

Counters

KoreanRomanizationMeaningAudio
개gaecounter: things / items
명myeongcounter: people
잔jancounter: cups / glasses
시sio'clock (hour counter)
살salcounter: years of age
번beoncounter: times / occurrences
월wolmonth (counter, with Sino numbers)
몇myeothow many / what (number)

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