Korean Counting System: Sino-Korean and Native Korean
Want to learn Korean? One of the first few things you’ll learn is the counting system. Numbers are the easiest part of any language to pick up, and are essential to learn if you wish to survive in any foreign country. They are in everything—addresses, menus, money, and more—which is why it is important to learn how to count in the Korean language. In this article, we talk about the Korean language and its number systems.
Korea’s Number Systems
There are two number systems in Korea—Native Korean Numbers and Sino-Korean Numbers. It is said that Korea has two number systems due to the influence of China in the early days. Both China and Korea share a border. Hence, they have many similar cultural and linguistic characteristics.
Learn More: All About Hangul: The History of Hangul
The usage of each system depends on what you’re counting. Native Korean numbers are used to talk about age, tell time, or count, while Sino-Korean numbers are used to count larger numbers and/or used for dates, time, currency, phone numbers, measurements, and more. Most Korean counting nouns are used alongside native Korean numbers while Sino-Korean numbers are paired with Sino-Korean counting nouns. There are also cases that don’t follow this rule.
Native Korean number
Native Korean numbers only go up to 99, and are used when counting, ordering, talking about age, or telling time (the hours).
This means that for any greater numbers, you’ll have to switch to the Sino-Korean system. Here’s how to count to 10 in Korean:
하나 (ha-na) — one
둘 (dul) — two
셋 (set) — three
넷 (net) — four
다섯 (da-seot) — five
여섯 (yeo-seot) — six
일곱 (il-gob) — seven
여덟 (yeo-deol) — eight
아홉 (a-hob) — nine
열 (yeol) — ten
For numbers above 10, simply combine the numbers together. For example, 11 is 10 + 1, 열 (yeol) + 하나 (ha-na), which makes it 열하나 (yeol ha-na). Here’s how to count the tens above 10:
스물 (seu-mul) — 20
서른 (seo-leun) — 30
마흔 (ma-heun) — 40
쉰 (swin) — 50
예순 (ye-sun) — 60
일흔 (il-heun) — 70
여든 (yeo-deun) — 80
아흔 (a-heun) — 90
Sino-Korean number
Sino-Korean numbers have roots in Chinese language, and are used a lot for dates, times (the minutes), currency, phone numbers, measurements, addresses, and more. This system is also used to count numbers 100 or greater as the native Korean number system ends at 99. Here’s how to count to 10 in Sino-Korean numbers.
영 (yeong) or 공 (gong) — zero
일 (il) — one
이 (i) — two
삼 (sam) — three
사 (sa) — four
오 (o) — five
육 (yug) — six
칠 (chil) — seven
팔 (pal) — eight
구 (gu) — nine
십 (sib) — 10
All the numbers between 11 and 19 start with 10 (십 sib)—11 (십일 sib-il), 12 (십이 sib-i), 13 (십삼 sib-sam), and so on. The same rule applies to the hundreds and thousands.
백 (baeg) — 100
이백 (i-baeg) — 200
삼백 (sam-baeg) — 300
천 (cheon) — 1,000
이천 (i-cheon) — 2,000
삼천 (sam-cheon) — 3,000
만 (man) — 10,000
이만 (i-man) — 20,000
삼만 (sam-man) — 30,000
From 20 to 90, the word 십 (sib) will come after. For example, 20 (이십 i-sib), 30 (삼십 sam-sib), 40 (사십 sa-sib), and so on. For numbers between the tens, simply add the number at the end:
38 — 삼십팔 (sam-sib-pal)
74 — 칠십사 (chil-sib-sa)
It is important to note that Koreans count in increments of 10,000. What we know as 100,000, which is 100 multiples of 1000, is seen as 10 multiples of 10,000 in Korea. 100,000 will be read as 십만 (sib-man), 1,000,000 as 백만 (baeg-man), 10,000,000 as 천만 (cheon-man), and so on.
How To Use The Number Systems?
- Counting
When counting, Koreans typically use the native Korean number—하나 (ha-na), 둘 (dul), 셋 (set), 넷 (net), 다섯 (da-seot).
- Telling Time
When telling time, Koreans combine both the native Korean number and the Sino-Korean number. For example, 12.30 pm is 오후 열두시 삼십분 (o-hu yeol-du-si sam-sib-bun).
- 오후 (o-hu): Afternoon
- 열두 (yeol-du): Twelve (Native Korean)
- 시 (si): Hour/O’Clock
- 삼십 (sam-sib): Thirty (Sino-Korean)
- 분 (bun): Minute
Now that you understand how the Korean number systems work, it will be easier for you to learn counting in the Korean language. Find out more about the Korean number systems and how to read dates, time, phone numbers, or count more fluently in Korean with ONLYOU, a Korean language centre in Singapore. Sign up for our courses to learn Korean today.
