나이 | age |
~어떻게 되세요? | how is your ~ (polite way to ask about personal information) |
생일 | birthday |
오전 | morning, am |
오후 | afternoon, pm |
일주일 | one week |
하루 | one day |
이틀 | two days |
Money
Money is all read using Chinese numbers. The currency for Korean money is -원. The exchange rate is approximately 1300~1400원 per US dollar (as of July 2025).
5000원 [오천 원]
700,000원 [칠십만 원]
A: 이거 얼마예요?
How much is it?
B: 46,000원[사만 오천 원]이에요.
It’s 46,000 won.
Age
Age is expressed using Korean numbers and the counter '-살'. We normally don't switch to Chinese numbers even when referring to large numbers. (In formal written contexts, Chinese numbers can also be used with the counter '-세'.)
19살 [열 아홉 살].
저는 45살[마흔 다섯 살]이에요.
I’m 45 years old.
A: 나이가 어떻게 되세요?
How old are you?
B: 저는 27살[스물 일곱 살]이에요.
I’m 27.
When asking about numbers, we typically use the question word ‘몇(what number~?, How many~?)’. For example, to ask about age, you can say “몇 살이에요?(How old are you?)”. (For more details, read the ‘Question Words’ page)
However, when politely asking about personal information such as age, name, or occupation, the phrase “~ 어떻게 되세요?” is also commonly used. Literally, it means “How does it turn out to be~?”, and it functions as a respectful and indirect way of asking “What is~?” in Korean. For example: “나이가 어떻게 되세요?(How old are you?)” or “이름이 어떻게 되세요?(What is your name?)”
Date&Time
Date — When reading calendars or writing dates in Korean, they are expressed in the order of YY/MM/DD, and all are read using Chinese numbers. Counter '-년' is used for year, '-월' for month, and '-일' for date.
Year
2024년 [이천 이십 사 년]
1993년 [천 구백 구십 삼 년]
→ In Korean, years are not read in two-digit groups like "twenty twenty-four." (2024 → 이천 이십 사 년, not 이십 이십 사 년.)
Month
1월[일월] - January
2월[이월] - Feburary
3월[삼월] - March
…
12월[십이월] - December
→ In Korean, there are no words like January, February... You simply add -월 after the Chinese number. June and October are pronounced a bit softer. 6월(not 육월, but 유월), 10월(not 십월, but 시월).
Day
1일 [일일]
2일 [이일]
…
30일[삼십일]
31일[삼십 일일]
Day of the week
월요일 - Monday
화요일 - Tuesday
수요일 - Wednesday
목요일 - Thursday
금요일 - Friday
토요일 - Saturday
일요일 - Sunday
A: 오늘은 몇 월 며칠이에요?
What month and date is it today?
B: 오늘은 4월 29일이에요.
Today is April 29th.
제 생일은 6월 8일이에요.
My birthday is June 8th.
Time — Hours are read using Korean numbers, while minutes and seconds are read using Chinese numbers. Counter ‘-시’ is used for the hour, ‘-분’ for minute, and ‘-초’ for seconds.
Hour
1시 [한 시] - 1 O’clock
2시 [두 시] - 2 O’clock
3시 [세 시] - 3 O’clock
…
11시 [열한 시] - 11 O’clock
12기 [열두 시] - 12 O’clock
Minute
1분 [일 분] - 1 minute
15분 [십오 분] -15 minute
30분 [삼십 분] - 30 minute
→ The word '반' meaning 'half' is also used. (ex. 1:30 → 한 시 삼십 분O, 한 시 반O, 한 시 반 분X)
A: 지금 몇 시 몇 분이에요?
What time and minute is it now?
B: 지금 오전 8시 27분이에요.
It’s 8:27AM now.
지금은 오후 6시예요.
It’s 6PM now.
The above expressions are ways to read calendars or clocks, not expressions for time periods. When you want to say "I studied for one hour" or "I'm going camping in two days", you need to use slightly different words.
This part doesn’t have strict rules. Still, I’ve tried to organize the rules as simply as possible for beginners, so you can study by following this table.
(In this table, if you see an Arabic numeral, read it using the Chinese number system. For example, 1초→일초, 5분→오분)
unit | expression | explanation | example |
초
(seconds) | 1초, 10초… | 10초 동안 웃었어요.
I laughed for 10 seconds. | |
분
(minutes) | 5분, 20분… | 5분 쉬어요.
Get some rest for 5 minutes. | |
시간
(hours) | 한 시간, 두 시간, 세 시간…
| We use Korean numbers. | 두 시간 수업 했어요.
I had class for two hours. |
일
(days) | 하루, 이틀, 사흘, 나흘… | We use special native Korean words for counting days. However, from ‘사흘(three days)’ onward, it is also natural to use Sino-Korean numbers instead. | 하루 전에 전화하세요.
Call me a day before.
이틀 후에 콘서트에 가요.
I go to the concert in two days.
사흘 동안 여행했어요./삼일 동안 여행했어요.
I traveled for three days. |
주
(weeks) | 일주일, 2주, 3주, 4주…
| Basically, Sino-Korean numbers are used.(ex. 2주, 3주…) For ‘one week’, the fixed term 일주일 is used. | 일주일 동안 공부했어요.
I studied for a week.
2주 뒤에 시험이 있어요.
I have a test in two weeks. |
달
(months) | 한 달, 두 달, 세 달…
1개월, 2개월, 3개월…
| There are both Korean and Sino-Korean expressions.
When using Korean, the counter is ‘-달’, and when using Sino-Korean, the counter is ‘-개월’. | 두 달 동안 한국어를 배웠어요.
I learned Korean for two months.
한국에 2개월 살았어요.
I lived in Korea for two months. |
년
(years) | 1년, 2년, 3년, 4년… | 저는 10년 일했어요.
I worked for 10 years. |
