Korean Numbers
Write any whole number in both Korean systems — Sino-Korean and Native Korean — with Hangul and romanization.
isip o — used for dates, prices, phone numbers, minutes, and every large number.
seumul daseot — used for counting things, telling your age, and the hour.
1–10 and the tens, both systems
Sino-Korean on the left, Native Korean on the right.
Korean has two number systems and you must pick the right one. The number 3 is 삼 (sam) in Sino-Korean but 셋 (set) when counting objects. Use Sino-Korean for dates, money, phone numbers, and minutes; use Native Korean for counting things, your age, and the hour. Native is only practical up to 99.
The two Korean number systems, and when each is used
Unlike most languages, Korean runs two complete sets of number words in parallel, and choosing between them is not optional — the wrong set sounds clearly wrong to a native speaker. Which one you use is decided by what you are counting, not by the size of the number.
Sino-Korean numbers (borrowed from Chinese: 일 il, 이 i, 삼 sam …) are used for dates, months, money, phone numbers, addresses, minutes, and every large number. They cover the full range 0 to 99,999,999 and beyond, building on 십 (10), 백 (100), 천 (1,000), and 만 (10,000).
Native Korean numbers (하나 hana, 둘 dul, 셋 set …) are used for counting objects and people, telling your age, and giving the hour of the clock. They only have their own words up to about 99; from 100 up, Koreans switch to Sino-Korean even for counting. A famous split: on a clock, the hour is Native but the minutes are Sino — 세 시 삼십 분 is “3:30”, literally set si (3 o’clock) samsip bun (30 minutes).
Worked example: 25 and 1,234
For 25, Sino-Korean gives 이십오 (isip o, pronounced isibo) — that is what you say for 25 minutes past the hour or ₩25. Native Korean gives 스물다섯 (seumul daseot) — that is what you say for 25 books or 25 years old. A large number like 1,234 is Sino-Korean only: 천이백삼십사 (cheon ibaek samsip sa), built as 천 (1,000) + 이백 (200) + 삼십 (30) + 사 (4).
- 1 Decide the system from the context. Dates, money, phone numbers, and minutes → Sino-Korean. Counting things, your age, and the hour → Native Korean. If the number is 100 or more, use Sino-Korean even for counting.
- 2 For Sino-Korean, group by 10,000 (만). Korean counts in myriads, not thousands. Split off 만 (10,000) first, then read each 4-digit group with 천 (1,000), 백 (100), 십 (10). Drop the leading 1: 1,000 is 천, not 일천.
- 3 Stack the digits in order. Read left to right: 1,234 → 천 + 이백 + 삼십 + 사 = 천이백삼십사 (cheon ibaek samsip sa). 25 → 이십오 (isip o).
- 4 For Native Korean, combine a tens word and a ones word. Pick the tens (스물 = 20, 마흔 = 40 …) and add the ones word: 25 → 스물다섯 (seumul daseot), 45 → 마흔다섯 (maheun daseot). Past 99 there is no everyday Native word — switch to Sino-Korean.
- 5 Shorten the low numbers before a counter. Before a counter word, 하나·둘·셋·넷·스물 shorten to 한·두·세·네·스무: 한 시 (one o’clock), 두 개 (two items), 세 명 (three people).
1–10 and the tens in both systems
Native Korean has its own words only through 99; past that, counting also switches to Sino-Korean, so there is no everyday Native form for 100+.
| Number | Sino-Korean | Native Korean |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 일 (il) | 하나 (hana) |
| 2 | 이 (i) | 둘 (dul) |
| 3 | 삼 (sam) | 셋 (set) |
| 4 | 사 (sa) | 넷 (net) |
| 5 | 오 (o) | 다섯 (daseot) |
| 6 | 육 (yuk) | 여섯 (yeoseot) |
| 7 | 칠 (chil) | 일곱 (ilgop) |
| 8 | 팔 (pal) | 여덟 (yeodeol) |
| 9 | 구 (gu) | 아홉 (ahop) |
| 10 | 십 (sip) | 열 (yeol) |
| 20 | 이십 (isip) | 스물 (seumul) |
| 30 | 삼십 (samsip) | 서른 (seoreun) |
| 40 | 사십 (sasip) | 마흔 (maheun) |
| 50 | 오십 (osip) | 쉰 (swin) |
| 60 | 육십 (yuksip) | 예순 (yesun) |
| 70 | 칠십 (chilsip) | 일흔 (ilheun) |
| 80 | 팔십 (palsip) | 여든 (yeodeun) |
| 90 | 구십 (gusip) | 아흔 (aheun) |
Short forms and the 만 (10,000) grouping
Attributive short forms. When a Native number sits directly in front of a counter, five of them lose their tail: 하나 → 한, 둘 → 두, 셋 → 세, 넷 → 네, and 스물 → 스무. So “one o’clock” is 한 시 (not 하나 시), “two cups” is 두 잔, and “twenty years old” is 스무 살. The standalone forms (하나, 둘 …) are what you count out loud or say in isolation; this tool shows those standalone forms.
Counting in myriads. English groups digits in thousands (1,000 · 1,000,000), but Korean groups them in ten-thousands: the pivot words are 만 (10,000) and 억 (100,000,000). That is why 12,000 is read as 1 만 2 천 — 만이천 (man icheon) — rather than “twelve thousand”. Once you cross 10,000 you count how many 만 you have, then read the remainder underneath it. For the letters behind these words, see the Hangul alphabet reference.