Sino Korean numbers for prices, dates, and minutes

01 / Understand

Recognize the Sino Korean series

Korean uses two important number systems in everyday life. The Sino Korean series begins 일, 이, 삼, 사, 오, 육, 칠, 팔, 구, 십. The name describes the historical relationship of these number words to Chinese vocabulary. They are Korean words with Korean pronunciations, not an instruction to pronounce them in Mandarin. You can learn and use them entirely in Hangul without first learning Chinese characters.

The native Korean series begins 하나, 둘, 셋 and appears in many counting expressions. Neither series is a more polite version of the other. The choice usually depends on the expression, unit, or purpose. A learner who knows both words for three still needs to learn which one fits three minutes and which one fits three cups. Start by connecting each number expression to its practical job.

For this lesson, focus on Sino Korean numbers in quantities, prices, dates, and minutes. Read the unit along with the number whenever one is present. 일 분 means one minute, while 일월 means January. The same initial number participates in different expressions. Cover the English glosses, identify the unit, and retrieve the meaning of the entire phrase. That practice is more useful than reciting a number list without recognizing where the numbers will be used.

02 / Understand

Build tens and ones with place value

십 is ten. For eleven through nineteen, put the ones number after 십: 십일 is eleven, 십이 is twelve, and 십오 is fifteen. Twenty is 이십, literally two tens. Thirty is 삼십, and forty is 사십. Add a ones number after the tens when needed, as in 이십삼 for twenty three. The order follows the size of the place values, from tens to ones.

This order distinguishes 이십 from 십이. The first has two tens and means twenty; the second has ten plus two and means twelve. Looking only for familiar syllables is not enough. Say the numerical value after reading the whole expression, and work backward by building a Korean expression from a written numeral. Alternating those directions helps reveal whether you understand the structure or have memorized only one reading sequence.

Connected pronunciation can differ from the isolated syllable shapes. In 십이, the final consonant links forward, and in 십육 there is a nasal sound change. The reading guide simnyuk reflects the latter pronunciation. Hangul spelling still preserves 십육. The romanization is a support for recognizing the word, not a reason to respell the Korean form. Practice short number contrasts slowly, then say the complete quantity naturally.

03 / Understand

Add hundreds thousands and ten thousands

백 means a hundred, 천 means a thousand, and 만 means ten thousand. Put a multiplier before a unit when needed: 이백 is two hundred, 삼천 is three thousand, and 이만 is twenty thousand. In ordinary quantity reading, a single hundred, thousand, or ten thousand normally appears as 백, 천, or 만 without an initial 일. Learn the short basic forms first.

Within a quantity, say the place values that are present. 백오 is one hundred five: the tens position is empty, so you do not insert a spoken zero between 백 and 오. 이천삼백 is two thousand three hundred. This differs from reading a code as separate digits, where a zero can be meaningful and must be preserved. Decide whether you are communicating an amount or a digit sequence before you read it aloud.

The unit 만 makes ten thousand an important grouping point. English often treats that amount as ten thousands, but the Korean expression uses one 만 unit. For a first shopping conversation, practice familiar amounts such as 천, 오천, and 만 before combining many units at once. If you lose track of a long amount, break it into its values and reconstruct it. Accurate grouping matters more than speed when another person needs to understand a price or total.

04 / Understand

Give a price with won and a polite ending

Prices in Korean won use the Sino Korean series followed by 원. 삼천 원 is three thousand won, and 오천 원 is five thousand won. These are practice amounts, not claims about current prices. In the Hangul words used here, keep a space before the currency unit. A printed menu may show digits instead, but the number still needs an appropriate Korean reading in conversation.

이게 얼마예요? asks how much this costs. A full polite answer can be 삼천 원이에요. The currency noun 원 ends in a consonant, so the noun identification ending is 이에요. You can answer briefly with the amount when the context is clear, but the complete sentence gives useful practice in connecting a number phrase to a predicate.

Do not use the native number expression 세 천 원 for three thousand won. The price is built from Sino Korean units, so 삼천 원 is the intended amount. Likewise, do not confuse the price question with a quantity question. 얼마예요? asks for the cost in this shopping context; 몇 개예요? asks how many items. Before answering, determine whether the listener needs an amount of money or a count of things.

05 / Understand

Read months and calendar dates carefully

Calendar month names use the Sino Korean series with 월. January is 일월, February is 이월, and March is 삼월. Two common exceptions need to be learned as complete words: June is 유월, and October is 시월. Do not preserve the final consonant of 육 or 십 in the spelling of those month names. The change belongs to these established words, not to every number before every unit.

Calendar days use a Sino Korean number with 일. 사월 오일 is April fifth. The order is month before day, so a listener hears the larger calendar unit first. If a year is included, it precedes the month and day and uses 년. 이천이십오 년 names the year 2025. This is a reading example and does not depend on what year it currently is.

Listen and read carefully when the number itself includes 일. 십일 alone can mean the number eleven, but 십일 as ten plus the calendar unit 일 can mean the tenth day in an appropriate date. An explicit month and the surrounding conversation help resolve the role. The eleventh day needs eleven followed by the day unit, as in 십일 일. Work with a complete date rather than assuming that an isolated syllable sequence has only one possible interpretation.

06 / Understand

Use Sino Korean numbers for minutes

Clock minutes use the Sino Korean series with 분. 오 분 means five minutes, 십오 분 means fifteen minutes, and 삼십 분 means thirty minutes. The minute expression can occur as part of a clock time or describe a quantity of minutes, depending on the surrounding sentence. The number system does not change simply because the minutes belong to an appointment time.

Clock hours use the native Korean system in the ordinary twelve hour pattern taught here. 두 시 십오 분 is two fifteen: 두 belongs to the hour expression, while 십오 belongs to the minutes. This is a normal combination of two systems in one phrase. Do not try to make the entire time uniform by replacing both numbers with the same series.

Attach a time particle to the end of the whole expression when it supplies the time of an action. 두 시 십오 분에 가요 says that the understood person goes at two fifteen. The minute unit remains 분, and 에 follows it. Keep the structure visible as hour, minute, particle, and predicate. Later you can add a day or a morning or afternoon expression when the conversation needs that precision.

07 / Understand

Distinguish a digit sequence from a quantity

Telephone numbers are normally read as individual digits using the Sino Korean series, with 공 commonly used for zero. 영 is another word for zero and is useful in numerical contexts. For a short practice digit sequence such as 205, a digit reading is 이 공 오. The quantity two hundred five is 이백오. The written digits alone do not tell you which communicative task is intended.

When checking a digit sequence, repeat the individual digits in the same order and keep any zero. When checking a quantity, restate its value using the relevant units. The listener can then confirm the information you actually intended, instead of guessing whether a short sequence represents an amount or an identifying code.

A numbered label can also differ from a count of repeated events. 일 번 can mean number one, while 한 번 means once in the native counting pattern. These expressions demonstrate why the following unit and the situation matter. Learn the meaning of a complete expression rather than declaring that one spelling of a counter always requires the same series in every use.

Before speaking a number, identify whether it is a quantity, price, date, minute value, or digit sequence. Choose the relevant series and unit, then check the value from left to right. Finally, put the number phrase into a short message that someone could act on. Practice a price and a meeting time from memory, and explain why the clock hour differs from the minutes. This makes number recall part of communication rather than a separate recital.

Notice the difference

Common mistakes

From understanding to using

Make your own example.

Try these without answer choices. Say your answer aloud or write it below, then compare your reasoning with the model.