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🔢 Korean Numbers — Native vs Sino

Korea uses two number systems. Learn which one to use when, with counters (English)

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All Questions & Answers (50)

  1. Why does Korean have two number systems?Native Korean and Sino-Korean (from Chinese) developed side by side
  2. Which system counts things and people?Native Korean: 하나, 둘, 셋…
  3. Which system is used for money, dates, phone numbers?Sino-Korean: 일, 이, 삼…
  4. Native 1하나 (hana)
  5. Native 2둘 (dul)
  6. Native 3셋 (set)
  7. Native 4넷 (net)
  8. Native 5다섯 (daseot)
  9. Native 6여섯 (yeoseot)
  10. Native 7일곱 (ilgop)
  11. Native 8여덟 (yeodeol)
  12. Native 9아홉 (ahop)
  13. Native 10열 (yeol)
  14. Native 20스물 (seumul)
  15. Native 30서른 (seoreun)
  16. Sino 1일 (il)
  17. Sino 2이 (i)
  18. Sino 3삼 (sam)
  19. Sino 4사 (sa)
  20. Sino 5오 (o)
  21. Sino 6육 (yuk)
  22. Sino 7칠 (chil)
  23. Sino 8팔 (pal)
  24. Sino 9구 (gu)
  25. Sino 10십 (sip)
  26. Sino 100백 (baek)
  27. Sino 1,000천 (cheon)
  28. Sino 10,000만 (man)
  29. How do you say 20,000 won?이만 원 (iman won)
  30. Which system for age in everyday speech?Native: 스물셋 살
  31. Which system for the month?Sino: 일월, 이월…
  32. How do you say 'January'?일월 (irwol) — literally 'one month'
  33. How do you say 'three o'clock'?세 시 — native for the hour
  34. How do you say 'thirty minutes'?삼십 분 — Sino for minutes
  35. So 3:30 is…?세 시 삼십 분 — native hour, Sino minutes
  36. What is a 'counter' in Korean?A word added when counting, like 'two sheets of paper'
  37. Counter for people명 (myeong) — 세 명 = three people
  38. Counter for objects (general)개 (gae) — 두 개 = two items
  39. Counter for animals마리 (mari)
  40. Counter for bottles병 (byeong)
  41. Counter for cups/glasses잔 (jan)
  42. Counter for books권 (gwon)
  43. Counter for flat things (paper, tickets)장 (jang)
  44. What changes about 하나 before a counter?It becomes 한: 한 개, 한 명
  45. What does 둘 become before a counter?두: 두 개, 두 명
  46. What does 셋 become?세: 세 개
  47. What does 넷 become?네: 네 개
  48. What is 0 in Korean?영 (yeong) or 공 (gong) — 공 for phone numbers
  49. Phone numbers use which system?Sino, read digit by digit
  50. How high do native numbers usually go?Up to 99; above that people switch to Sino

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