In this article we will spur out the words for both Korean numbers and Sino-numbers. You’ll need to know both system because they are use in different manner.
Honestly, this will be a torturing process. Sino-korean numbers are easy because you just have to know the basics of 1-10 and also 100, 1000, 10000. But for Korean numbers, they have different terms for the tenths which makes my head whirls even more.
Korean numbers:
Korean numbers are used often to count for things that have smaller quantities not more than 99 cause that’s the max you can count with korean numbers.
| 하나 | 1 |
| 둘 | 2 |
| 셋 | 3 |
| 넷 | 4 |
| 다섯 | 5 |
| 여섯 | 6 |
| 일곱 | 7 |
| 여덟 | 8 |
| 아홉 | 9 |
| 열 | 10 |
| 스물 | 20 |
| 서른 | 30 |
| 마흔 | 40 |
| 쉰 | 50 |
| 예순 | 60 |
| 일흔 | 70 |
| 여든 | 80 |
| 아흔 | 90 |
How it works: Exactly like English.
Eg. If 24 is twenty four in English,
In korean ‘twenty” is 스물 and ‘four’ is 넷.
Thus 24 = 스물넷
Sino- numbers:
Sino-numbers are develop on Chinese numbers that’s why you call them Sino. They are used to count bigger quantities stuff.
| 일 | 1 |
| 이 | 2 |
| 삼 | 3 |
| 사 | 4 |
| 오 | 5 |
| 육 | 6 |
| 칠 | 7 |
| 팔 | 8 |
| 구 | 9 |
| 십 | 10 |
| 백 | 100 |
| 천 | 1000 |
| 만 | 10 000 |
How it works: Exactly like English
Eg. 132 is one hundred and thirty two in English.
In korean, 100=백 30 =삼십 2=이
Thus 132 = 백삼십이
Eg. 379 is three hundred and seventy nine in English.
In korean, 300=삼백 70 =칠십 9=구
Thus 379 = 삼백칠십구
Note: Unlike English, chinese numbers count 5 digit numbers by the ten-thousand (10 000) not by the thousands (1000)
Thus a number like 23456 :
20000=이만 3000=삼천 400=사백 50=오십 6=육
23456 = 이만삼천사백오십육
Leading to a number like 200 000 [which is 20 x 10 000]
to be pronounced as 이십만 . and not 이백천 (english equivalent of two hundred thousand)
Side tips:
- the number 0 is often said 영 except when reading out telephone number it is said as 공.
- In reading telephone number, read the individual Sino-number as it is. However, where there is a hypen (-) it is pronounced as 에. Eg. 234-567 is 이삼사에오육칠.
- When used with counters (ie like two months, the counter is month) the usage of korean numbers or Sino-korean depends on the counters. One big indication is whether the counter is korean or sino-korean word. For example month is 달(korean) and 월 (Sino-korean which means moon). Thus if use with 달 the number used is korean numbers and if used with 월 the numbers used will be Sino-korean.
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