Cramming Korean: Age

Age seems to be a big deal in Korean culture since it dictates how you speak to someone, among other things.

How old is our Director again?

나이가 어떻게 되세요?

na i ga eo tteot ge doe se yo

How old are you?

You have probably heard about Korean age, which is a year or two older than your standard age. Here’s the formula:

Upon birth, you are one year old.
Come January 1, add another year.
For example, you are born on December 30, 2000, and you are instantly one year old. On January 1, 2001, you are two years old, and not the expected two days old.

To give your age, you use the native Korean number system.

(서른다섯) 살이에요.

(seo reun da seot) sal i e yo.

I am (thirty-five) years old.

Please note that numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 20 change before a noun like 살 sal:
One year old: 하나 ha-na + 살 sal = 한 살 han sal
Two year old: 둘 dul + 살 sal = 두 살 du sal
Three year old: 셋 set + 살 sal = 세 살 se sal
Four year old: 넷 net + 살 sal = 네 살 ne sal
Twenty year old: 스물 seu mul + 살 sal = 스무 살 seu mu sal

To avoid confusion of whether to use Korean age versus standard age, you can simply state the year you were born. When referring to a year, use the Sino-Korean number system.

저는 (천 구백 팔십 일) 년에 태어났어요.

jeo neun (cheon gu bak pal sip il) neon e tae eo na sseo yo.

I was born in (1981).