Korean Numbers 1-100
Korean has two complete number systems and uses both every day. Sino-Korean handles money, dates and minutes; native Korean handles ages, hours and counting things.
Sino-Korean 1 to 10
- 1
-
일
il
eel
- 2
-
이
i
ee
- 3
-
삼
sam
sahm
- 4
-
사
sa
sah
- 5
-
오
o
oh
- 6
-
육
yuk
yook
- 7
-
칠
chil
cheel
- 8
-
팔
pal
pahl
- 9
-
구
gu
goo
- 10
-
십
sip
ship
Sino-Korean by tens
- 10
-
십
sip
ship
- 20
-
이십
isip
ee-SHIP
Two-ten. The pattern never changes
- 30
-
삼십
samsip
sahm-SHIP
- 40
-
사십
sasip
sah-SHIP
- 50
-
오십
osip
oh-SHIP
- 60
-
육십
yuksip
yook-SHIP
- 70
-
칠십
chilsip
cheel-SHIP
- 80
-
팔십
palsip
pahl-SHIP
- 90
-
구십
gusip
goo-SHIP
- 100
-
백
baek
baek
Not ilbaek. One hundred is just baek
Sino-Korean builds with no new words
Below twenty, put ten first: 11 is 십일, sip-il, ten-one.
From twenty up, put the multiplier first: 20 is 이십, i-sip, two-ten.
Then add the unit. 47 is 사십칠, sasip-chil, four-ten-seven. There is nothing new to learn between 20 and 99.
This is the same logic Japanese and Chinese use, so if you know one the arithmetic carries straight over.
- 사십칠47, four-ten-seven
- 팔십이82, eight-ten-two
- 구십구99
Native Korean 1 to 10
- 1
-
하나
hana
HAH-nah
Becomes 한 han in front of a counter
- 2
-
둘
dul
dool
Becomes 두 du in front of a counter
- 3
-
셋
set
set
Becomes 세 se in front of a counter
- 4
-
넷
net
net
Becomes 네 ne in front of a counter
- 5
-
다섯
daseot
DAH-suht
- 6
-
여섯
yeoseot
YUH-suht
- 7
-
일곱
ilgop
EEL-gohp
- 8
-
여덟
yeodeol
YUH-duhl
- 9
-
아홉
ahop
AH-hohp
- 10
-
열
yeol
yuhl
Native Korean by tens
- 20
-
스물
seumul
SUH-mool
Becomes 스무 seumu before a counter
- 30
-
서른
seoreun
SUH-reun
- 40
-
마흔
maheun
MAH-heun
- 50
-
쉰
swin
shwin
- 60
-
예순
yesun
YEH-soon
- 70
-
일흔
ilheun
EEL-heun
- 80
-
여든
yeodeun
YUH-deun
- 90
-
아흔
aheun
AH-heun
The native system stops here. 100 is baek in both
Which system, and when
Sino-Korean is for money, dates, months, minutes, phone numbers, addresses and anything above ninety-nine. If it is written on a price tag, it is Sino-Korean.
Native Korean is for ages, hours on a clock, and counting things: people, bottles, books. It runs out at ninety-nine and hands over to Sino-Korean from a hundred.
Telling the time uses both in the same breath. 세 시 삼십 분 is 3:30, with a native three for the hour and a Sino thirty for the minutes. This catches out every learner once.
The first four native numbers shorten in front of a counter word: 하나 becomes 한, so one person is 한 사람 rather than 하나 사람. Twenty does the same, 스물 becoming 스무.
- 세 시 삼십 분3:30, native hour and Sino minutes
- 스무 살twenty years old, native with the age counter
- 오천 원5,000 won, Sino for money
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