Korean Numbers: Complete Guide to Both Systems

Master both Korean number systems, Sino-Korean and Native Korean: when to use each one, the counting rules, and the words that go with them.

Why Korean Has Two Number Systems

One of the first surprises Korean learners face is discovering there are two completely different counting systems — Sino-Korean (한자어 숫자) borrowed from Chinese, and Native Korean (고유어 숫자) which is purely Korean in origin. Knowing which one to use is essential for everyday conversation.

The good news: once you understand the pattern, it becomes second nature.

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Sino-Korean Numbers (일, 이, 삼...)

Sino-Korean numbers come from Chinese and are used for:

• Dates and years: 2024년 (이천이십사 년)
• Money: 오만 원 (50,000 won)
• Phone numbers: 010-일이삼사-오육칠팔
• Minutes in time: 삼십 분 (30 minutes)
• Floors of a building: 삼 층 (3rd floor)

Number	Hangul	Romanization
1	일	il
2	이	i
3	삼	sam
4	사	sa
5	오	o
6	육	yuk
7	칠	chil
8	팔	pal
9	구	gu
10	십	sip
100	백	baek
1,000	천	cheon
10,000	만	man

Important: Korean counts in units of 10,000 (만), not 1,000. So 100,000 is 십만 (ten ten-thousands), not 백천.

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Native Korean Numbers (하나, 둘, 셋...)

Native Korean numbers are used for:

• Counting objects with counters: 사과 세 개 (3 apples)
• Hours in time: 두 시 (2 o'clock)
• Age (informal): 스물다섯 살 (25 years old)
• Counting people: 두 명 (2 people)

Number	Hangul	Romanization	Before Counter
1	하나	hana	한
2	둘	dul	두
3	셋	set	세
4	넷	net	네
5	다섯	daseot	다섯
6	여섯	yeoseot	여섯
7	일곱	ilgop	일곱
8	여덟	yeodeol	여덟
9	아홉	ahop	아홉
10	열	yeol	열
20	스물	seumul	스무
30	서른	seoreun	서른

Note: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷 shorten to 한, 두, 세, 네 when followed by a counter noun.

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Quick Reference: Which System to Use?

Situation	System	Example
Time (hours)	Native	세 시 (3 o'clock)
Time (minutes)	Sino	이십 분 (20 minutes)
Age	Native	스무 살 / 이십 세
Price	Sino	오천 원 (5,000 won)
Objects	Native	책 두 권 (2 books)
Date	Sino	3월 15일
Phone	Sino	010-공일이삼

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Practice Exercise

Try saying these out loud:

1. "It is 3:30" → 세 시 삼십 분 (se si samsip bun)
2. "Two apples" → 사과 두 개 (sagwa du gae)
3. "I am 27 years old" → 스물일곱 살 (seumul-ilgop sal)
4. "That costs 12,000 won" → 만 이천 원 (man icheon won)

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Final Tips

• Start with Sino-Korean — it follows a strict pattern and is more commonly needed for numbers above 99.
• Practice Native Korean 1–10 first — these are used constantly in daily life.
• Learn counters alongside numbers — in Korean, you always need a counter word (개, 명, 권...) after native numbers when counting things.

Ready to put your numbers to use? Join our structured Korean program and practice in real conversations from day one.