Korean number systems

Understanding Korean Number Systems: Native vs. Sino-Korean

Learning Korean numbers can be confusing because the language uses two number systems: Sino-Korean (한자어 수) and Native Korean (고유어 수). Each has its own usage rules, and sometimes they overlap.


1. Sino-Korean Numbers (한자어 수)

1 – 일 (一)
2 – 이 (二)
3 – 삼 (三)
4 – 사 (四)
5 – 오 (五)
6 – 육 (六)
7 – 칠 (七)
8 – 팔 (八)
9 – 구 (九)
10 – 십 (十)
100 – 백 (百)
1,000 – 천 (千)
10,000 – 만 (萬)

Examples

  • 전화번호: 010-삼이사-오륙칠팔 → Phone number: 010-324-5678
  • 가격: 이만 원 → 20,000 won
  • 날짜: 삼월 십일 → March 10th

2. Native Korean Numbers (고유어 수)

1 – 하나
2 – 둘
3 – 셋
4 – 넷
5 – 다섯
6 – 여섯
7 – 일곱
8 – 여덟
9 – 아홉
10 – 열
20 – 스물
30 – 서른
40 – 마흔
50 – 쉰
60 – 예순
70 – 일흔
80 – 여든
90 – 아흔

Examples

  • 나이: 스물다섯 살 → 25 years old
  • 개수: 사과 다섯 개 → Five apples
  • 시간(시): 세 시 → Three o’clock

3. Usage Differences

  • Age: Native (스물다섯 살)
  • Money: Sino-Korean (오천 원)
  • Dates: Sino-Korean (이월 십육일)
  • Phone numbers: Sino-Korean (공일공)
  • Counting items: Native (사과 세 개)
  • Hours: Native (세 시)
  • Minutes/seconds: Sino-Korean (오십 분, 십초)

4. Important Notes

(1) Number Changes Before Nouns

  • 스물 → 스무 (스무 살)
  • 하나 → 한 (한 개)
  • 둘 → 두 (두 명)
  • 셋 → 세 (세 살)
  • 넷 → 네 (네 시)

(2) Large Numbers Trend

Even when Native Korean numbers could be used, Koreans often switch to Sino-Korean numbers for large values.

  • 쉰다섯 명 (Native, possible)
  • 오십오 명 (Sino-Korean, preferred)

(3) Months and Special Changes

  • 육월 → 유월 (June)
  • 십월 → 시월 (October)

👉 In some dialects (like Gyeongsang-do), people may still say 육월, 십월.


📌 Trivia: Old Native Korean Number Units

Korean once had unique native words for large numbers, now almost unused.

  • 온 = 100
  • 즈믄 = 1,000
  • 골 = 10,000
  • 잘 = 100,000,000 (1억)
  • 울 = 1,000,000,000,000 (1조)

👉 From 골 (만) and above, even native speakers rarely know these terms. Modern Korean always uses Sino-Korean: 만, 억, 조.

Still Surviving in Idioms

  • 골백번countless times
    • 예: “그 얘기 골백번은 들었어.”
  • 골백살to live a very long life
    • 예: “골백살까지 건강하게 살아라.”

Note on “온”

Originally “온” meant a hundred, but later developed into “all, entire”.
This shift is part of a natural linguistic process:

  • Words for large numbers often evolve into words meaning “a lot” or “everything.”
  • Since 100 was once considered a very large quantity, came to mean the whole, the entirety.

✅ Example: 온 세상 (the whole world), 온 가족 (the entire family)


📌 Extra Note: Military and Communication

In the Korean military (especially in artillery and communication units), numbers must be transmitted clearly and without confusion.

Some numbers sound too similar in normal Korean speech:

  • 일 (1) and 칠 (7)
  • 셋 (3) and 넷 (4)

To prevent mistakes, the military uses standardized distinct forms:

  • 하나, 둘, , , 오, 여섯, 칠, 팔, 아홉, 공 (0)

👉 This system ensures that numbers are not misheard during radio communication, reports, or commands.


5. Commonly Seen Chinese Characters for Numbers

You don’t need to memorize every Hanja, but it helps to recognize the most common ones:

  • 一 (일) = 1
  • 二 (이) = 2
  • 三 (삼) = 3
  • 四 (사) = 4
  • 五 (오) = 5
  • 六 (육) = 6
  • 七 (칠) = 7
  • 八 (팔) = 8
  • 九 (구) = 9
  • 十 (십) = 10
  • 百 (백) = 100
  • 千 (천) = 1,000
  • 萬 (만) = 10,000

👉 The use of Hanja has decreased, but Koreans still sometimes mix Chinese characters in official documents, newspapers, calendars, or even on signboards.
Being able to roughly distinguish these numbers can be very helpful, especially if you live in Korea.


Final Thoughts

Mastering Korean numbers means learning two systems side by side.

  • Native numbers for age, items, and hours.
  • Sino-Korean numbers for money, dates, minutes, phone numbers, and large values.
  • Watch for special changes like 스무 살, 유월, 시월.
  • Remember that old native number units (온, 즈믄, 골, 잘, 울) are historically interesting but not used today.
  • In specialized fields like the military, even unique pronunciations are used for accuracy.

And if you can at least recognize the basic Hanja for numbers, it will give you a useful edge in navigating Korean society.


Comments

One response to “Understanding Korean Number Systems: Native vs. Sino-Korean”

  1. Really well written! I like how you broke down the two number systems and gave examples. It makes learning Korean easier. Keep writing more articles like this

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