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 is '-살'. (In formal written contexts Chinese numbers are used with the counter '-세'.) When talking about age, even with large numbers, it's common to use Korean numbers rather than switching to Chinese numbers.
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.
In Korean, ways to ask someone's age vary depending on the level of politeness and the situation. "몇 살이에요?" works in casual settings. The more polite and widely acceptable expression is "나이가 어떻게 되세요?". The phrase "~ 어떻게 되세요?" literally means "How does it turn out to be~?" Though this sounds awkward in English, it's a respectful and indirect way of asking "What is~?" in Korean. It's commonly used to politely inquire about personal details like age, name, or occupation.
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." Instead, each digit is read in order from the thousands place. (ex. 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 number. The months you need to be careful with are June and October. These two months 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? (‘몇 일’ is written as a single word ‘며칠’.)
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 — When reading the clock in Korean, there is something you need to be careful about. That is, 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. In that case, do not add 분 after it (ex. 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. For example, 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, Stil,l I've tried to organize the rules as simply as possible for beginners, so you can study following this table.
(In the table, if written as numbers, read using Chinese numbers; if written in Korean, read exactly as the Korean numbers are written)
unit | expression | explanation | example |
초 (seconds) | 1초, 10초… | ㅤ | 10초 동안 웃었어요. I laughed for 10 seconds. |
분 (minutes) | 5분, 20분… | ㅤ | 5분 쉬어요. Get some rest for 5 minutes. |
시간 (hours) | 한 시간, 두 시간, 세 시간… | ㅤ | 2시간 수업 했어요. I had class for two hours. |
일 (days) | 하루, 이틀, 3일, 4일, 5일… | * We use fixed words for ‘one day(하루)’ and ‘two days(이틀)’. * There are more such fixed terms, but from the ‘three days’ on, it’s also sounds natural to count with Chinese numbers. | 하루 전에 전화하세요. Call me a day before. 이틀 후에 콘서트에 가요. I go to the concert in two days. 3일 동안 여행했어요. I traveled for three days. |
주 (weeks) | 일주일, 2주, 3주, 4주… 한 주, 두 주 | * Chinese system is used. ‘a week(일주일)’ is a fixed expression. * For the first few small numbers (like 한 주, 두 주), it’s also acceptable to use with Korean one. | 일주일 동안 공부했어요. I studied for a week. 2주 뒤에 시험이 있어요. I have a test in two weeks. |
달 (months) | 1개월, 2개월, 3개월… 한 달, 두 달, 세 달… | * There are both Korean and Chinese expressions. * When using Korean, the counter is "-달", and when using Chinese, 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… | ㅤ | 저는 10년 일했어요. I worked for 10 years. |
Money
- 1,200원
- 5,500원
- 25,000원
- 43,990원
- 78,800원
- 162,600원
- 578,400원
Age
- 4살
- 19살
- 26살
- 37살
- 42살
- 58살
Time & Date
- 07:30
- 08:10 AM
- 04:50 PM
- 1998years
- 2024years January 1st
- October 18th
- 24/09/16
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