Part 1 covered the Sino-Korean number system. Now, Part 2 will cover the native Korean number system.
Which number system to use?
There are two types of numbers in Korean: the Sino-Korean number system adapted from the Chinese language (covered in the previous Cramming Korean post), and the native Korean number system. The context when one or the other system is used varies. From every source I have read, there are no hard and fast rules regarding when one system is used and the other is not, which is unfortunate for those of us struggling to learn Korean.
Here are some safe generalizations:
- Sino Korean numbers tend to be used for numbers greater than 100.
- When telling the time, use native Korean for the hour and Sino-Korean for the minutes
- Age is given in native Korean
Native Korean Numbers
1 하나 ha na
2 둘 dul
3 셋 set
4 넷 net
5 다섯 da seot
6 여섯 yeo seot
7 일곱 il gop
8 여덟 yeo deol
9 아홉 a hop
10 열 yeol
20 스물 seu mul
30 서른 seo reun
40 마흔 ma heun
50 쉰 swin
60 예순 ye sun
70 일흔 i reun
80 여든 yeo deun
90 아흔 a heun
As in Chinese and Sino Korean number systems, higher numbers follow this pattern:
11 (ten one) 열하나 yeol ha na
25 (twenty one) 스물하나 seu mul ha na
For numbers greater than 99, the native Korean number system is no longer in use.
Noonas Over Forks 