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Korean Numbers & Counting

Native numbers (1-99) for counting items/people/hours, and Sino-Korean numbers for prices, money, and time.

Essential Grammar Masterclass

Korea's Two Parallel Number Systems Explained

Korean uniquely uses two distinct numbering systems side-by-side: Pure Native Korean for counting objects, people, and hours, and Sino-Korean (Chinese-derived) for money, dates, minutes, and math.

System 1 (1 to 99 Only)

Pure Native Korean (순우리말)

하나, 둘, 셋

Inherited directly from ancient Korean. Used primarily for counting physical objects, food & drink orders, people, casual age, and clock hours.

Core Counting Numbers (1–10 & Tens):
하나 (1)
ha-na
둘 (2)
dul
셋 (3)
set
넷 (4)
net
다섯 (5)
da-seot
여섯 (6)
yeo-seot
일곱 (7)
il-gop
여덟 (8)
yeo-deol
아홉 (9)
a-hop
열 (10)
yeol
Tens in Native: 20 = 스물 (seumul), 30 = 서른 (seoreun), 40 = 마흔 (maheun), 50 = 쉰 (swin).
*Compound numbers simply combine: 21 = 스물하나 (20 + 1), 35 = 서른다섯 (30 + 5).
When to Use Native Korean Numbers:
  • 1. Tangible Objects (개 - Gae):사과 한 개 (1 apple), 물건 두 개 (2 items)
  • 2. People (명 / 분 - Myeong/Bun):친구 두 명 (2 friends), 손님 세 분 (3 guests)
  • 3. Cups & Bottles (잔 / 병 - Jan/Byeong):커피 세 잔 (3 coffees), 맥주 두 병 (2 beers)
  • 4. Clock Hours (시 - Si):한 시 (1:00), 두 시 (2:00), 다섯 시 (5:00)
  • 5. Everyday Age (살 - Sal):스물다섯 살 (25 yrs old), 서른 살 (30 yrs old)
  • 6. Animals & Books (마리 / 권):강아지 한 마리 (1 dog), 책 두 권 (2 books)
The 5 Golden Contractions (Before Counters & Nouns):

When directly attached to a counting noun or classifier (like 개, 명, 잔, 시, 살), the final sound contracts:

하나
한 (Han)
둘
두 (Du)
셋
세 (Se)
넷
네 (Ne)
스물
스무 (Seumu)
*Important: Pure Native Korean numbers only exist up to 99! For 100 and above, Koreans always use Sino-Korean (백, 천, 만).
System 2 (0 to Billions+)

Sino-Korean Numbers (한자어)

일, 이, 삼

Derived historically from Chinese characters (Hanja). Highly systematic with base-10 math. Used for money, prices, minutes & seconds, dates, addresses, phone numbers, and math.

Core Counting Numbers (0–10):
영 / 공 (0)
yeong / gong
일 (1)
il
이 (2)
i
삼 (3)
sam
사 (4)
sa
오 (5)
o
육 (6)
yuk
칠 (7)
chil
팔 (8)
pal
십 (10)
sip
Larger Units: 100 = 백 (baek), 1,000 = 천 (cheon), 10,000 = 만 (man), 100,000,000 = 억 (eok).
*Stacking logic: 25 = 이십오 (2×10 + 5), 350 = 삼백오십 (3×100 + 5×10).
When to Use Sino-Korean Numbers:
  • 1. Money & Prices (원 - Won):천 원 (1,000₩), 만 원 (10,000₩), 오만 원 (50,000₩)
  • 2. Minutes & Seconds (분 / 초):삼십 분 (30 mins), 사십오 분 (45 mins), 십 초 (10 secs)
  • 3. Dates (년 / 월 / 일):2026년 (Year 2026), 8월 (August), 25일 (25th)
  • 4. Floors & Rooms (층 / 호):1층 (1st floor), 지하 1층 (B1), 302호 (Room 302)
  • 5. Food Portions (인분 - In-bun):삼겹살 2인분 (2 servings), 찌개 1인분 (1 serving)
  • 6. Phone & Subway (호선 / 번):2호선 (Subway Line 2), 010 (공일공), 100번 버스 (Bus #100)
The 10,000 (만 - Man) 4-Digit Block Rule for Money:

While English groups large numbers by thousands (1,000s: thousand, million, billion), Korean groups numbers by ten-thousands (10,000 = 만):

50,000 KRW (5 × 10,000)
오만 원 (O-man won)
100,000 KRW (10 × 10,000)
십만 원 (Sip-man won)
1,000,000 KRW (100 × 10,000)
백만 원 (Baek-man won)
*Tip for Months: June (6월) is pronounced 유월 (yu-wol) and October (10월) is 시월 (si-wol) for smoother speech flow!
Quick Decision Cheat Sheet

Which Number System Do I Use? (Side-by-Side Matrix)

Situation & CategorySystem to UseCounting Unit / NounReal Example & Pronunciation
Counting Items & Food/DrinksPure Native Korean개 (items), 잔 (cups), 병 (bottles)커피 두 잔 (keo-pi du jan) — 2 coffees
People & GuestsPure Native Korean명 (casual), 분 (polite/guests)세 명 (se myeong) — 3 people
Hours on the ClockPure Native Korean시 (o'clock)네 시 (ne si) — 4 o'clock
Everyday Age (Casual)Pure Native Korean살 (years old)스무 살 (seu-mu sal) — 20 years old
Money & PricesSino-Korean원 (KRW)오천 원 (o-cheon won) — 5,000 KRW
Minutes & SecondsSino-Korean분 (minutes), 초 (seconds)십오 분 (sip-o bun) — 15 minutes
Calendar Dates & YearsSino-Korean년 (year), 월 (month), 일 (day)8월 25일 (pal-wol i-sip-o-il) — Aug 25
Floors, Rooms & Transit LinesSino-Korean층 (floor), 호 (room), 호선 (subway line)2호선 3층 (i-ho-seon sam-cheung) — Line 2, 3rd Fl
Food Portions (Servings)Sino-Korean인분 (servings of BBQ/meals)2인분 (i-in-bun) — 2 portions/servings
How to Use in Everyday Spoken Korean

Word Order & Everyday Practical Sentence Patterns

Pattern 1: Ordering Items & Food
[Noun] + [Contracted Number] + [Counter] + 주세요 (Please give me)
  • • "물 두 병 주세요."
    (mul du byeong ju-se-yo) — "Please give me 2 bottles of water."
  • • "아이스 아메리카노 한 잔 주세요."
    (a-i-seu a-me-ri-ka-no han jan ju-se-yo) — "1 Iced Americano, please."
  • • "삼겹살 2인분 주세요."
    (sam-gyeop-sal i-in-bun ju-se-yo) — "2 servings of pork belly, please."
Pattern 2: Asking & Stating Prices
[Item] + [Number] + [Counter] + 에 얼마예요? (How much per...?)
  • • "사과 한 개에 얼마예요?"
    (sa-gwa han gae-e eol-ma-ye-yo?) — "How much for one apple?"
  • • "모두 합해서 만 이천 원이에요."
    (mo-du hap-hae-seo man i-cheon won-i-e-yo.) — "In total, it is 12,000 Won."
Real-World Dual System Integration Example

Telling Time Requires Both Systems Together in the Exact Same Sentence!

When stating the time in Korean, the Hour (시) ALWAYS takes Native Korean numbers, while the Minute (분) ALWAYS takes Sino-Korean numbers:

3:30 (Three Thirty PM)
세 시+삼십 분(또는 세 시 반)
세 시 = Pure Native 3 (셋 contracted to 세) + Hour (시)
삼십 분 = Sino-Korean 30 (삼십) + Minute (분)
10:15 (Ten Fifteen AM)
열 시+십오 분(yeol-si sip-o-bun)
열 시 = Pure Native 10 (열) + Hour (시)
십오 분 = Sino-Korean 15 (십오) + Minute (분)
Filter Practice Set by Number Category:

Korean Numbers & Counting

Showing 119 essential expressions in this collection.

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Showing 119 spoken Korean phrasesClickion any row for word breakdown & tips
polite

하나 (1)

Native Number 1 (Used for counting items, people, hours)

ha-na

hana (1)

polite

둘 (2)

Native Number 2

dool

dul (2)

polite

셋 (3)

Native Number 3

set

set (3)

polite

넷 (4)

Native Number 4

net

net (4)

polite

다섯 (5)

Native Number 5

da-seot

daseot (5)

polite

여섯 (6)

Native Number 6

yeo-seot

yeoseot (6)

polite

일곱 (7)

Native Number 7

il-gop

ilgop (7)

polite

여덟 (8)

Native Number 8

yeo-deol

yeodeol (8)

polite

아홉 (9)

Native Number 9

ah-hop

ahop (9)

polite

열 (10)

Native Number 10

yeol

yeol (10)

polite

스물 (20)

Native Number 20 (Becomes 스무 before counters/age)

seu-mool

seumul (20)

polite

서른 (30)

Native Number 30

seo-reun

seoreun (30)

polite

마흔 (40)

Native Number 40

ma-heun

maheun (40)

polite

쉰 (50)

Native Number 50

swin

swin (50)

polite

예순 (60)

Native Number 60

ye-soon

yesun (60)

polite

일흔 (70)

Native Number 70

il-heun

ilheun (70)

polite

여든 (80)

Native Number 80

yeo-deun

yeodeun (80)

polite

아흔 (90)

Native Number 90

ah-heun

aheun (90)

polite

영 / 공 (0)

Sino Number 0 (Used for phone numbers, math, scores)

yeong / gong

yeong / gong (0)

polite

일 (1)

Sino Number 1 (Used for money, minutes, dates, floors)

il

il (1)

polite

이 (2)

Sino Number 2

ee

i (2)

polite

삼 (3)

Sino Number 3

sam

sam (3)

polite

사 (4)

Sino Number 4

sa

sa (4)

polite

오 (5)

Sino Number 5

oh

o (5)

polite

육 (6)

Sino Number 6

yook

yuk (6)

polite

칠 (7)

Sino Number 7

chil

chil (7)

polite

팔 (8)

Sino Number 8

pal

pal (8)

polite

구 (9)

Sino Number 9

goo

gu (9)

polite

십 (10)

Sino Number 10

sip

sip (10)

polite

백 (100)

Sino Number 100

baek

baek (100)

polite

천 (1,000)

Sino Number 1,000

cheon

cheon (1,000)

polite

만 (10,000)

Sino Number 10,000 (Base Korean money counting block)

man

man (10,000)

polite

십만 (100,000)

Sino Number 100,000

sing-man

sipman (100,000)

polite

백만 (1,000,000)

Sino Number 1,000,000 (One Million)

baeng-man

baekman (1,000,000)

polite

일억 (100,000,000)

Sino Number 100,000,000 (One Hundred Million)

il-eok

ileok (100,000,000)

polite

한 개

1 piece / 1 item (General object counter)

han gae

han gae

polite

두 개

2 pieces / 2 items

doo gae

du gae

polite

세 개

3 pieces / 3 items

se gae

se gae

polite

네 개

4 pieces / 4 items

ne gae

ne gae

polite

다섯 개

5 pieces / 5 items

da-seot gae

daseot gae

polite

한 명

1 person (People counter)

han myeong

han myeong

polite

두 명

2 people (e.g. at restaurant)

doo myeong

du myeong

polite

세 명

3 people

se myeong

se myeong

polite

네 명

4 people

ne myeong

ne myeong

polite

한 잔

1 cup / 1 glass (Coffee, tea, drinks)

han jan

han jan

polite

두 잔

2 cups / 2 glasses

doo jan

du jan

polite

한 병

1 bottle (Beer, soju, water)

han byeong

han byeong

polite

두 병

2 bottles

doo byeong

du byeong

polite

한 마리

1 whole (Fried chicken or animal counter)

han ma-ri

han mari

polite

두 마리

2 whole chickens

doo ma-ri

du mari

polite

한 그릇

1 bowl (Soup, noodles, rice)

han geu-reut

han geureut

polite

두 그릇

2 bowls

doo geu-reut

du geureut

polite

한 시

1:00 / 1 o’clock (Native number for hours)

han si

han si

polite

두 시

2:00 / 2 o’clock

doo si

du si

polite

세 시

3:00 / 3 o’clock

se si

se si

polite

세 시 삼십 분

3:30 (Native 3 + Sino 30 minutes)

se si sam-sip boon

se si samsip bun

polite

열두 시

12:00 / 12 o’clock (Noon / Midnight)

yeol-doo si

yeoldu si

polite

천 원

1,000 KRW (Approx .75 USD)

cheon won

cheon won

polite

오천 원

5,000 KRW

oh-cheon won

ocheon won

polite

만 원

10,000 KRW (Approx .50 USD)

man won

man won

polite

오만 원

50,000 KRW (Yellow banknote)

oh-man won

oman won

polite

십만 원

100,000 KRW

sing-man won

sipman won

polite

1층

1st Floor (Sino number + 층)

il-cheung

1cheung

polite

2층

2nd Floor

ee-cheung

2cheung

polite

지하 1층

Basement Floor B1 (Subway / Mall)

ji-ha il-cheung

jiha 1cheung

polite

사과 한 개

1 apple (Real-world example: Object + Contracted Native 1 + Counter)

sa-gwa han gae

sagwa han gae

polite

사과 세 개

3 apples (Real-world example: Object + Contracted Native 3 + Counter)

sa-gwa se gae

sagwa se gae

polite

물건 두 개

2 items / 2 objects (Real-world example: Noun + Contracted Native 2 + Counter)

mul-geon du gae

mulgeon du gae

polite

친구 두 명

2 friends (Real-world example: People counter with Native 2)

chin-gu du myeong

chingu du myeong

honorific

손님 세 분

3 guests / 3 customers (Polite/honorific counter for people with Native 3)

son-nim se bun

sonnim se bun

polite

커피 한 잔

1 cup of coffee (Real-world example: Drink + Contracted Native 1 + Counter)

keo-pi han jan

keopi han jan

polite

커피 두 잔

2 cups of coffee (Real-world example: Drink + Contracted Native 2 + Counter)

keo-pi du jan

keopi du jan

polite

커피 세 잔

3 cups of coffee (Real-world example: Drink + Contracted Native 3 + Counter)

keo-pi se jan

keopi se jan

polite

맥주 두 병

2 bottles of beer (Real-world example: Bottle counter with Native 2)

maek-ju du byeong

maekju du byeong

polite

물 두 병

2 bottles of water (Real-world example: Water + Bottle counter)

mul du byeong

mul du byeong

polite

아이스 아메리카노 한 잔

1 Iced Americano (Real-world cafe order example)

a-i-seu a-me-ri-ka-no han jan

aiseu amerikano han jan

polite

라떼 두 잔

2 Lattes (Real-world cafe order example)

ra-tte du jan

ratte du jan

polite

강아지 한 마리

1 puppy / 1 dog (Real-world animal counter with Native 1)

gang-a-ji han ma-ri

gang-aji han mari

polite

고양이 두 마리

2 cats (Real-world animal counter with Native 2)

go-yang-i du ma-ri

goyangi du mari

polite

책 세 권

3 books (Real-world book counter with Native 3)

chaek se gwon

chaek se gwon

polite

차 두 대

2 cars / vehicles (Real-world vehicle/machine counter with Native 2)

cha du dae

cha du dae

polite

양말 세 켤레

3 pairs of socks (Real-world footwear/pairs counter with Native 3)

yang-mal se kyeol-le

yangmal se kyeolle

polite

한 번

Once / 1 time (Frequency counter with Native 1)

han beon

han beon

polite

두 번

Twice / 2 times (Frequency counter with Native 2)

du beon

du beon

polite

스무 살

20 years old (Contracted Native 스물 -> 스무 + 살)

seu-mu sal

seumu sal

polite

스물다섯 살

25 years old (Native 25 + 살)

seu-mul-da-seot sal

seumuldaseot sal

polite

스물여덟 살

28 years old (Native 28 + 살)

seu-mul-yeo-deol sal

seumul-yeodeol sal

polite

서른 살

30 years old (Native 30 + 살)

seo-reun sal

seoreun sal

polite

서른한 살

31 years old (Native 30 + Contracted 1 + 살)

seo-reun-han sal

seoreunhan sal

polite

네 시

4:00 (4 o clock - Native 4 contracted to 네 + Hour 시)

ne si

ne si

polite

다섯 시

5:00 (5 o clock - Native 5 + Hour 시)

da-seot si

daseot si

polite

십오 분

15 minutes (Sino-Korean 15 + Minute 분)

sip-o bun

sibo bun

polite

삼십 분

30 minutes (Sino-Korean 30 + Minute 분)

sam-sip bun

samsip bun

polite

사십오 분

45 minutes (Sino-Korean 45 + Minute 분)

sa-sip-o bun

sasibo bun

polite

십 초

10 seconds (Sino-Korean 10 + Second 초)

sip cho

sip cho

polite

열 시 십오 분

10:15 (Ten Fifteen - Native 10 Hours + Sino-Korean 15 Minutes)

yeol si sip-o bun

yeol si sibo bun

polite

오후 두 시 삼십 분

2:30 PM (Native 2 Hours + Sino-Korean 30 Minutes)

o-hu du si sam-sip bun

ohu du si samsip bun

polite

밤 아홉 시 사십오 분

9:45 PM (Native 9 Hours + Sino-Korean 45 Minutes)

bam a-hop si sa-sip-o bun

bam ahop si sasibo bun

polite

만 이천 원

12,000 KRW (10,000 + 2,000 Won)

man i-cheon won

man icheon won

polite

삼만 오천 원

35,000 KRW (30,000 + 5,000 Won)

sam-man o-cheon won

samman ocheon won

polite

2026년

Year 2026 (Sino-Korean Year counter)

i-cheon-i-sip-yuk nyeon

icheon-isipyuk nyeon

polite

8월 25일

August 25th (Sino-Korean Month & Day)

pal-wol i-sip-o-il

parwol isibo-il

polite

6월 (유월)

June (Special pronunciation: Pronounced yu-wol, NOT yuk-wol)

yu-wol

yuwol

polite

10월 (시월)

October (Special pronunciation: Pronounced si-wol, NOT sip-wol)

si-wol

siwol

polite

302호

Room 302 (Sino-Korean 302 + Room counter 호)

sam-baek-i ho

sambaegi ho

polite

2호선

Subway Line 2 (Sino-Korean 2 + Line counter 호선)

i-ho-seon

ihoseon

polite

100번 버스

Bus #100 (Sino-Korean 100 + Number counter 번)

baek-beon beo-seu

baekbeon beoseu

polite

010 (공일공)

010 (Standard mobile prefix in Korea read as gong-il-gong)

gong-il-gong

gong-il-gong

polite

1인분

1 serving / 1 portion (Sino-Korean 1 + Serving counter)

il-in-bun

irinbun

polite

2인분

2 servings / 2 portions (Sino-Korean 2 + Serving counter)

i-in-bun

iinbun

polite

3인분

3 servings / 3 portions (Sino-Korean 3 + Serving counter)

sam-in-bun

saminbun

polite

물 두 병 주세요.

Please give me 2 bottles of water. (Essential restaurant order pattern)

mul du byeong ju-se-yo

mul du byeong juseyo

polite

커피 두 잔 주세요.

Please give me 2 cups of coffee. (Essential cafe order pattern)

keo-pi du jan ju-se-yo

keopi du jan juseyo

polite

아이스 아메리카노 한 잔 주세요.

1 Iced Americano, please. (Most popular coffee order in Korea)

a-i-seu a-me-ri-ka-no han jan ju-se-yo

aiseu amerikano han jan juseyo

polite

라떼 두 잔 주세요.

Please give me 2 lattes. (Everyday cafe sentence)

ra-tte du jan ju-se-yo

ratte du jan juseyo

polite

삼겹살 2인분 주세요.

Please give me 2 servings of pork belly. (Essential Korean BBQ sentence)

sam-gyeop-sal i-in-bun ju-se-yo

samgyeopsal iinbun juseyo

polite

사과 한 개에 얼마예요?

How much is it for one apple? (Pattern: Item + Number + Counter + 에 얼마예요?)

sa-gwa han gae-e eol-ma-ye-yo?

sagwa han gaee eolmayeyo?

polite

모두 합해서 만 이천 원이에요.

In total, it is 12,000 Won. (Standard store cashier response)

mo-du hap-hae-seo man i-cheon won-i-e-yo

modu haphaeseo man icheon won-ieyo

polite

저는 스물여덟 살이에요.

I am 28 years old. (Natural conversational age introduction)

jeo-neun seu-mul-yeo-deol sal-i-e-yo

jeoneun seumul-yeodeol sarieyo