🔢 Korean Number Systems: Two Keys to One Kingdom
Imagine you have two different remote controls for counting in Korean. One remote is the old Korean remote (Native Korean numbers) — your ancestors used it for thousands of years. The other is the Chinese-style remote (Sino-Korean numbers) — borrowed long ago because it’s super handy for big numbers and formal stuff.
Both remotes work! But Koreans use them for different things. Let’s learn both!
🏠 Native Korean Numbers: The Heart of Korea
These are the original Korean numbers. Think of them as the “homemade cookies” of counting — warm, familiar, and used in everyday life.
Native Korean Numbers 1-10
| Number | Korean | How to Say | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 하나 | ha-na | “Ha! One!” |
| 2 | 둘 | dul | “Two ducks” |
| 3 | 셋 | set | “Set of three” |
| 4 | 넷 | net | “Net catches four fish” |
| 5 | 다섯 | da-seot | “Da best five!” |
| 6 | 여섯 | yeo-seot | “Yes, six!” |
| 7 | 일곱 | il-gop | “I’ll go pick seven” |
| 8 | 여덟 | yeo-deol | “Yet eight more” |
| 9 | 아홉 | a-hop | “A hop to nine” |
| 10 | 열 | yeol | “Yell for ten!” |
🎵 Sing it: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷, 다섯, 여섯, 일곱, 여덟, 아홉, 열!
Native Korean Numbers 11-99
Here’s the magic formula — it’s like LEGO blocks!
10s digit + ones digit = number
Pattern for 11-19: 열 (10) + single digit
| Number | Korean | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 열하나 | 열(10) + 하나(1) |
| 12 | 열둘 | 열(10) + 둘(2) |
| 15 | 열다섯 | 열(10) + 다섯(5) |
| 19 | 열아홉 | 열(10) + 아홉(9) |
Tens words:
| 20 | 스물 | seu-mul |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 서른 | seo-reun |
| 40 | 마흔 | ma-heun |
| 50 | 쉰 | swin |
| 60 | 예순 | ye-sun |
| 70 | 일흔 | il-heun |
| 80 | 여든 | yeo-deun |
| 90 | 아흔 | a-heun |
Examples:
- 23 = 스물셋 (스물 + 셋)
- 47 = 마흔일곱 (마흔 + 일곱)
- 99 = 아흔아홉 (아흔 + 아홉)
⚠️ Native Korean stops at 99! For 100 and beyond, we switch remotes!
Native Number Usage Contexts
When do we use Native Korean numbers?
🕐 Telling time (HOURS): “3 o’clock” = 세 시 (세 = shortened 셋)
👶 Counting age: “I’m 5 years old” = 다섯 살
🍎 Counting things with counters: “3 apples” = 사과 세 개
📦 Small quantities (1-99): “Give me 2” = 둘 주세요
💡 Fun fact: When used with counters, 1-4 get shorter:
- 하나 → 한 (han)
- 둘 → 두 (du)
- 셋 → 세 (se)
- 넷 → 네 (ne)
Numbers with Counters
Koreans count things with special counting words called counters. Think of them like saying “a SLICE of pizza” or “a SHEET of paper” in English.
Common counters with Native Korean numbers:
| Counter | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 개 (gae) | Things/objects | 사과 세 개 (3 apples) |
| 명 (myeong) | People | 학생 다섯 명 (5 students) |
| 마리 (mari) | Animals | 고양이 두 마리 (2 cats) |
| 잔 (jan) | Cups/drinks | 커피 한 잔 (1 cup of coffee) |
| 권 (gwon) | Books | 책 네 권 (4 books) |
| 병 (byeong) | Bottles | 물 두 병 (2 bottles of water) |
| 살 (sal) | Age | 열 살 (10 years old) |
| 시 (si) | Hours | 세 시 (3 o’clock) |
The pattern: THING + NUMBER + COUNTER
🍕 피자 + 한 + 조각 = 피자 한 조각 (one slice of pizza)
🐕 강아지 + 세 + 마리 = 강아지 세 마리 (three puppies)
🏛️ Sino-Korean Numbers: The Formal Powerhouse
These numbers came from China long ago. Think of them as the “suit and tie” numbers — perfect for formal situations, big numbers, dates, and math.
Sino-Korean Numbers 1-10
| Number | Korean | How to Say | Memory Trick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 일 | il | “I’ll take one” |
| 2 | 이 | i | “Easy two” |
| 3 | 삼 | sam | “Sam has three” |
| 4 | 사 | sa | “Say four” |
| 5 | 오 | o | “Oh! Five!” |
| 6 | 육 | yuk | “Yuck, six bugs” |
| 7 | 칠 | chil | “Chill with seven” |
| 8 | 팔 | pal | “My pal eight” |
| 9 | 구 | gu | “Goo-goo nine” |
| 10 | 십 | sip | “Sip ten times” |
🎵 Sing it: 일, 이, 삼, 사, 오, 육, 칠, 팔, 구, 십!
Sino-Korean Numbers 11-99
This is super easy — like math class!
Formula: Tens + Ones
| Number | Korean | Math Formula |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 십일 | 10 + 1 |
| 12 | 십이 | 10 + 2 |
| 20 | 이십 | 2 × 10 |
| 21 | 이십일 | 2 × 10 + 1 |
| 35 | 삼십오 | 3 × 10 + 5 |
| 99 | 구십구 | 9 × 10 + 9 |
Building blocks:
graph TD A["Number"] --> B{10s place?} B -->|20| C["이십"] B -->|30| D["삼십"] B -->|40| E["사십"] B -->|50| F["오십"] C --> G{Add ones} G -->|+3| H["이십삼 = 23"]
More tens:
- 60 = 육십
- 70 = 칠십
- 80 = 팔십
- 90 = 구십
Large Sino-Korean Numbers
Here’s where Sino-Korean shines! We can count to millions!
| Number | Korean | How to Say |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 백 | baek |
| 1,000 | 천 | cheon |
| 10,000 | 만 | man |
| 100,000 | 십만 | sip-man |
| 1,000,000 | 백만 | baek-man |
Building big numbers:
256 = 이백오십육
(2×100) + (5×10) + 6
이백 + 오십 + 육
1,234 = 천이백삼십사
(1×1000) + (2×100) + (3×10) + 4
천 + 이백 + 삼십 + 사
50,000 = 오만
5 × 10,000
💡 Korean counts in 10,000s (만), not 1,000s!
English: 10,000 = ten thousand Korean: 10,000 = 만 (one unit!)
Real examples:
- Phone price: 백만 원 (1,000,000 won)
- Population: 오천만 명 (50 million people)
- Year: 이천이십오 년 (2025)
🎯 When to Use Which System?
graph TD A["What are you counting?"] --> B{Hours?} B -->|Yes| C["Native: 세 시"] B -->|No| D{Minutes?} D -->|Yes| E["Sino: 삼십 분"] D -->|No| F{Age?} F -->|Yes| G["Native: 스물 살"] F -->|No| H{Money/Date/Phone?} H -->|Yes| I["Sino: 만 원"] H -->|No| J{Counting items 1-99?} J -->|Yes| K["Native + Counter"] J -->|No| L["Sino for big numbers"]
Quick Reference Chart
| Situation | System | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | Native | 두 시 (2 o’clock) |
| Minutes | Sino | 삼십 분 (30 minutes) |
| Age | Native | 열다섯 살 (15 years old) |
| Date | Sino | 삼월 십오일 (March 15) |
| Money | Sino | 오천 원 (5,000 won) |
| Phone numbers | Sino | 010-1234-5678 |
| Counting things | Native | 세 개 (3 things) |
| Math | Sino | 이 더하기 삼 (2 + 3) |
| Floors | Sino | 삼층 (3rd floor) |
🌟 Time: The Perfect Mix!
Telling time in Korean uses BOTH systems together!
Hours = Native Korean + 시 Minutes = Sino-Korean + 분
3:30 = 세 시 삼십 분
↑ ↑
Native Sino
(3) (30)
Examples:
- 1:00 = 한 시
- 5:45 = 다섯 시 사십오 분
- 12:30 = 열두 시 삼십 분
🎉 You Did It!
You now know:
- ✅ Native Korean numbers 1-99
- ✅ When to use Native numbers (hours, age, counting)
- ✅ How counters work
- ✅ Sino-Korean numbers 1-99 and beyond
- ✅ Large numbers (100, 1000, 10000+)
- ✅ When to use Sino-Korean (dates, money, minutes)
Remember: It’s like having two tools in your toolbox. With practice, you’ll know which “remote control” to grab without even thinking!
🚀 Pro tip: Start with Sino-Korean for math and big stuff, Native Korean for everyday counting. Soon it’ll feel natural!
하나, 둘, 셋… 일, 이, 삼… You’ve got this! 💪