Sino-Korean Numbers: Money, Dates and Phone Numbers
Use Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼…) for prices in won, big numbers with 만, phone numbers and the twelve months, including 유월 and 시월.
Mr. Gaon · Grammar, vocabulary & TOPIKWhat you will learn in this lesson
- Count from 일 to 구천구백구십구 and beyond
- Read prices in won, including numbers with 만
- Say phone numbers with 공
- Name the twelve months, including the irregular 유월 and 시월
Last time we learned native Korean numbers. Today we learn the second system, Sino-Korean numbers. Good news: this system is very regular. If you know ten small words and a few big units, you can build any number.
When do we use Sino-Korean numbers?
Sino-Korean numbers come from Chinese characters, but they are completely part of Korean today. You use them for:
money (원), phone numbers, dates (year, month, day), minutes and seconds, floors of a building (층), addresses and room numbers, math and measurements like kilograms and centimeters.
As a quick guide: native numbers are for counting things one by one, and Sino-Korean numbers are for numbers that name or measure something.
The basic numbers
| Number | Sino-Korean | Number | Sino-Korean |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 일 | 6 | 육 |
| 2 | 이 | 7 | 칠 |
| 3 | 삼 | 8 | 팔 |
| 4 | 사 | 9 | 구 |
| 5 | 오 | 10 | 십 |
| 100 | 백 | 1,000 | 천 |
| 10,000 | 만 | 0 | 영 / 공 |
read the digits with their units from left to right
- Tens: number + 십. 20 = 이십, 30 = 삼십, 90 = 구십.
- Then add the ones: 11 = 십일, 25 = 이십오, 99 = 구십구.
- Do NOT say 일 before 십, 백, 천 or 만: 10 = 십 (not 일십), 100 = 백, 1,000 = 천, 10,000 = 만.
- Bigger numbers: 365 = 삼백육십오, 2,026 = 이천이십육.
- 십일 [시빌] sibil11
- 십육 [심뉵] sibyuk16
- 사십칠 sasipchil47
- 백오십 [배고십] baegosip150
- 삼백육십오 [삼뱅뉵씨보] sambaegyuksibo365
- 이천이십육 [이처니심뉵] icheonisibyuk2,026
Many sound changes happen when numbers are spoken quickly, like 십육 [심뉵]. Don’t let that scare you. If you say each part clearly, people will understand you. The changes will come naturally with listening.
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Big numbers: Korean counts in groups of four
In English, big numbers are grouped by three digits: thousand, million. Korean groups by four digits, using 만 (10,000).
10,000 = 만
50,000 = 오만
100,000 = 십만
1,000,000 = 백만
10,000,000 = 천만
So when you see a price like 35,000 won, think “35 thousand = 3.5 ten-thousands” and say 삼만 오천 원. This takes some practice, because there is no English word for 만. A good trick: move the comma one place: 3,5000 → 삼만 오천.
Prices in won
| Price | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ₩500 | 오백 원 | [오배권] |
| ₩1,000 | 천 원 | [처눤] |
| ₩4,500 | 사천오백 원 | [사처노배권] |
| ₩10,000 | 만 원 | [마눤] |
| ₩12,000 | 만 이천 원 | [마니처눤] |
| ₩35,000 | 삼만 오천 원 | [삼마노처눤] |
| ₩150,000 | 십오만 원 | [시보마눤] |
In speech, the number and 원 run together, so the final consonant links to 원.
Asking prices
- 이거 얼마예요? igeo eolmayeyo? How much is this?
- 칠천 원이에요. [칠처눠니에요] chilcheon wonieyo. It’s 7,000 won.
- 모두 이만 원이에요. [모두 이마눠니에요] modu iman wonieyo. It’s 20,000 won in total.
- 좀 비싸요. jom bissayo. It’s a bit expensive.
- 카드 돼요? kadeu dwaeyo? Can I pay by card?
Phone numbers
Phone numbers are read digit by digit with Sino-Korean numbers. For zero, use 공. The dash between groups is often read as 에, or people simply pause.
010-2468-1357 → 공일공, 이사육팔, 일삼오칠.
In other places, zero is 영, for example in math, temperatures and sports scores. But for phone numbers, 공 is the normal choice.
When someone tells you a number, it is polite to repeat it back to check.
Phone numbers
- 전화번호가 뭐예요? [전화버노가 뭐예요] jeonhwabeonhoga mwoyeyo? What is your phone number?
- 공일공, 칠팔구공, 삼사오육이에요. [공일공, 칠팔구공, 삼사오유기에요] gongilgong, chilpalgugong, samsaoyugieyo. It’s 010-7890-3456.
- 다시 한번 말해 주세요. [다시 한번 마래 주세요] dasi hanbeon malhae juseyo. Please say it one more time.
The twelve months
Korean months are very easy: number + 월 (month). January is 일월, “month one”. But two months are irregular. 6 + 월 is 유월, not 육월, and 10 + 월 is 시월, not 십월. The final consonant drops to make them easier to say.
To ask “Which month?”, say 몇 월, pronounced [며둴].
Months
| Month | Korean | Month | Korean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 일월 | July | 칠월 |
| February | 이월 | August | 팔월 |
| March | 삼월 | September | 구월 |
| April | 사월 | October | 시월 |
| May | 오월 | November | 십일월 |
| June | 유월 | December | 십이월 |
유월 and 시월 are the only irregular months.
Native or Sino-Korean?
- 사과 세 개 sagwa se gae three apples Counting things → native.
- 삼천 원 samcheon won 3,000 won Money → Sino-Korean.
- 스무 살 seumu sal 20 years old Age → native (in daily speech).
- 이 층 i cheung the 2nd floor Floors → Sino-Korean.
- 유월 yuwol June Not 육월.
At a clothing shop
Words for this lesson
- 원 won won (Korean currency)
- 얼마 eolma how much
- 전화번호 [전화버노] jeonhwabeonho phone number
- 층 cheung floor (of a building)
- 월 wol month (with numbers)
- 비싸다 bissada to be expensive
- 싸다 ssada to be cheap
- 모두 modu all, in total
Check quiz
Q1. How do you say 100 in Sino-Korean?
Q2. How do you read ₩25,000?
Q3. What is June?
Q4. What is October?
Q5. How do you say 0 in a phone number?
Q6. Which needs a Sino-Korean number?
Excellent! Next time you see a price tag, read it in Korean. In the next lesson, we put both number systems together to tell the time and the date.
Key points
- Sino-Korean numbers: 일 이 삼 사 오 육 칠 팔 구 십, 백, 천, 만.
- Don’t add 일 before 십, 백, 천, 만.
- Korean groups big numbers by 만 (10,000): 35,000 = 삼만 오천.
- Money, phone numbers, dates, minutes and floors use Sino-Korean numbers.
- Zero is 공 in phone numbers, 영 in math and scores.
- June = 유월, October = 시월.
Recommended official free resources
- Korean Spelling & Standard Pronunciation rules — National Institute of Korean Language
- EPS-TOPIK Korean self-study — HRD Korea
🔢 Number and unit reference table and reading converter →
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