Korean Numbers Converter
Korean counts two different ways. Type a number and see both — plus which one you actually need.
Sino-Korean (한자어)
이십오
isipo
money · dates · minutes · phone numbers
Native Korean (고유어)
스물다섯
seumuldaseot
age · counting things · the hour
Which system do I use?
| Money (won) | Sino | 5,000원 → 오천 원 |
| Phone numbers | Sino | 010-1234 → 공일공 일이삼사 |
| Dates & months | Sino | March 3 → 삼월 삼일 |
| Minutes & seconds | Sino | 3:20 → 세 시 이십 분 |
| Floors, addresses | Sino | 5th floor → 오 층 |
| Age | Native | 25 years old → 스물다섯 살 |
| Counting things | Native | 3 apples → 사과 세 개 |
| The hour | Native | 3 o'clock → 세 시 |
| People | Native | 4 people → 네 명 |
The rule that makes it click
Learners try to memorise two full sets and give up. There's a shortcut: native numbers stop at 99, and they're used for things you can physically count or point at — people, bottles, years of age, o'clock. Everything abstract or large — money, dates, phone numbers, floors, minutes — is Sino-Korean.
One more quirk worth knowing: Korean groups large numbers in ten-thousands (만), not thousands. 10,000 is 만, 100,000 is 십만 (ten 만), and a million is 백만 (hundred 만). This is why converting won prices in your head feels awkward at first — the comma positions don't match the words.
Dealing with prices? The won converter has real Korean prices →
FAQ
- Why does Korean have two number systems?
- One is native Korean (하나, 둘, 셋), the other was borrowed from Chinese centuries ago (일, 이, 삼). Both survived because they settled into different jobs — native numbers for counting physical things and age, Sino-Korean for money, dates and anything large.
- Which one do I use for telling time?
- Both, in the same sentence. The hour is native and the minutes are Sino-Korean: 3:20 is 세 시 이십 분 — 'se si' for three o'clock, 'isip bun' for twenty minutes. This trips up every learner at first.
- Why does 하나 become 한?
- Native numbers change form before a counter word. 하나 → 한, 둘 → 두, 셋 → 세, 넷 → 네, 스물 → 스무. So it's 한 개 (one item), never 하나 개.