Korean numbers: two systems

Korean has two number systems. You need both.

Sino-Korean numbers (한자어 수)

• 1 일, 2 이, 3 삼, 4 사, 5 오, 6 육, 7 칠, 8 팔, 9 구, 10 십

Used for: dates and months, phone numbers, money, minutes, floors, addresses.

Native Korean numbers (고유어 수)

• 1 하나, 2 둘, 3 셋, 4 넷, 5 다섯, 6 여섯, 7 일곱, 8 여덟, 9 아홉, 10 열

Used for: counting things and people, age (in the "years old" sense), and hours when telling time.

Before a counter word some numbers shorten: 하나 → 한, 둘 → 두, 셋 → 세, 넷 → 네 (e.g. 한 명, 두 개).

Examples

• 삼월 이십일 — March 20th (Sino-Korean)
• 세 시 삼십 분 — 3:30 (native for the hour, Sino-Korean for the minutes)
• 사과 두 개 — two apples (native)

Practise by reading the numbers on prices, bus numbers and clocks around you.