Sino-Korean numbers come from Chinese and can count infinitely. They're used for money, dates, phone numbers, addresses, and mathematical contexts.
Basic Numbers 1-10
Core Numbers
| Number | Korean | Hanja | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 일 | 一 | il |
| 2 | 이 | 二 | i |
| 3 | 삼 | 三 | sam |
| 4 | 사 | 四 | sa |
| 5 | 오 | 五 | o |
| 6 | 육 | 六 | yuk |
| 7 | 칠 | 七 | chil |
| 8 | 팔 | 八 | pal |
| 9 | 구 | 九 | gu |
| 10 | 십 | 十 | sip |
Note: All single syllables, very regular system
Tens (10-90)
Pattern: Number + 십
Multiply by 10:
- 10: 십 (sip)
- 20: 이십 (i-sip) - 2 × 10
- 30: 삼십 (sam-sip) - 3 × 10
- 40: 사십 (sa-sip) - 4 × 10
- 50: 오십 (o-sip) - 5 × 10
- 60: 육십 (yuk-sip) - 6 × 10
- 70: 칠십 (chil-sip) - 7 × 10
- 80: 팔십 (pal-sip) - 8 × 10
- 90: 구십 (gu-sip) - 9 × 10
Numbers 11-99
Pattern: Tens + Ones
Add ones place after tens:
- 11: 십일 (sip-il) - 10 + 1
- 25: 이십오 (i-sip-o) - 20 + 5
- 37: 삼십칠 (sam-sip-chil) - 30 + 7
- 49: 사십구 (sa-sip-gu) - 40 + 9
- 56: 오십육 (o-sip-yuk) - 50 + 6
- 68: 육십팔 (yuk-sip-pal) - 60 + 8
- 73: 칠십삼 (chil-sip-sam) - 70 + 3
- 84: 팔십사 (pal-sip-sa) - 80 + 4
- 92: 구십이 (gu-sip-i) - 90 + 2
Hundreds (100-900)
Pattern: Number + 백
백 (baek) = hundred:
- 100: 백 (baek)
- 200: 이백 (i-baek) - 2 × 100
- 300: 삼백 (sam-baek) - 3 × 100
- 400: 사백 (sa-baek) - 4 × 100
- 500: 오백 (o-baek) - 5 × 100
- 600: 육백 (yuk-baek) - 6 × 100
- 700: 칠백 (chil-baek) - 7 × 100
- 800: 팔백 (pal-baek) - 8 × 100
- 900: 구백 (gu-baek) - 9 × 100
Compound Numbers with Hundreds
Add tens and ones:
- 123: 백이십삼 (baek-i-sip-sam)
- 456: 사백오십육 (sa-baek-o-sip-yuk)
- 789: 칠백팔십구 (chil-baek-pal-sip-gu)
Thousands (1,000-9,000)
Pattern: Number + 천
천 (cheon) = thousand:
- 1,000: 천 (cheon)
- 2,000: 이천 (i-cheon)
- 3,000: 삼천 (sam-cheon)
- 5,000: 오천 (o-cheon)
- 8,000: 팔천 (pal-cheon)
- 9,000: 구천 (gu-cheon)
Larger Numbers
3,456: 삼천사백오십육 (sam-cheon-sa-baek-o-sip-yuk)
- 3,000 + 400 + 50 + 6
7,892: 칠천팔백구십이 (chil-cheon-pal-baek-gu-sip-i)
- 7,000 + 800 + 90 + 2
Ten Thousands (만)
Important Unit: 만 (man)
만 = 10,000 (not "ten thousand" but one unit):
- 10,000: 만 (man)
- 20,000: 이만 (i-man)
- 50,000: 오만 (o-man)
- 100,000: 십만 (sip-man) - 10 × 만
This is KEY: Korean groups by 10,000s, not 1,000s like English
Examples with 만
- 25,000: 이만 오천 (i-man o-cheon)
- 37,500: 삼만 칠천오백 (sam-man chil-cheon-o-baek)
- 120,000: 십이만 (sip-i-man)
- 500,000: 오십만 (o-sip-man)
Hundred Thousands and Millions
Pattern Continues
100,000: 십만 (sip-man) - 10 × 만 1,000,000: 백만 (baek-man) - 100 × 만 10,000,000: 천만 (cheon-man) - 1,000 × 만
Hundred Million: 억 (eok)
억 = 100,000,000:
- 100,000,000: 억 (eok)
- 200,000,000: 이억 (i-eok)
- 1,000,000,000: 십억 (sip-eok)
Common Usage
Money (원)
Korean currency:
- 1,000원: 천 원 (cheon won)
- 5,000원: 오천 원 (o-cheon won)
- 10,000원: 만 원 (man won)
- 50,000원: 오만 원 (o-man won)
Note: Very common in daily life
Dates
Years, months, days:
- 2024년: 이천이십사 년 (i-cheon-i-sip-sa nyeon)
- 3월: 삼월 (sam-wol) - March
- 15일: 십오일 (sip-o-il) - 15th day
Time (Minutes/Seconds)
Not hours!:
- 30분: 삼십 분 (sam-sip bun) - 30 minutes
- 45초: 사십오 초 (sa-sip-o cho) - 45 seconds
Phone Numbers
Read digit by digit:
- 010: 공일공 (gong-il-gong)
- 1234: 일이삼사 (il-i-sam-sa)
- 5678: 오육칠팔 (o-yuk-chil-pal)
Note: 0 is read as 공 (gong) or 영 (yeong)
Addresses
Buildings, floors, rooms:
- 3층: 삼 층 (sam cheung) - 3rd floor
- 101호: 백일 호 (baek-il ho) - room 101
- 25번지: 이십오 번지 (i-sip-o beonji) - address #25
Special Zero
영 (yeong) or 공 (gong)
Both mean zero:
- 영 (yeong): mathematical zero
- 공 (gong): casual, phone numbers
Usage:
- 0도: 영 도 (0 degrees)
- 010: 공일공 (phone number)
Pronunciation Note: 육 (6)
Changes to 육/륙
육 (yuk) becomes 륙 (ryuk) after certain sounds:
Standard: 육십 (yuk-sip) - 60 After ㄴ: 십륙 (sim-nyuk) - 16 NOT 십육
Common in: 6, 16, 26, 36, 46, 56, 66, 76, 86, 96
Large Number Summary
| Number | Korean | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 십 | sip |
| 100 | 백 | baek |
| 1,000 | 천 | cheon |
| 10,000 | 만 | man |
| 100,000 | 십만 | sip-man |
| 1,000,000 | 백만 | baek-man |
| 10,000,000 | 천만 | cheon-man |
| 100,000,000 | 억 | eok |
Practice Examples
Money Sentences
- 커피가 오천 원이에요 (Coffee is 5,000 won)
- 만 원 있어요? (Do you have 10,000 won?)
- 삼만 원 주세요 (Please give me 30,000 won)
Date Sentences
- 오늘은 삼월 십오일이에요 (Today is March 15th)
- 이천이십사 년에 졸업했어요 (I graduated in 2024)
Time Sentences
- 삼십 분 후에 만나요 (Let's meet in 30 minutes)
- 사십오 초 남았어요 (45 seconds remain)
Phone Number
- 제 번호는 공일공-일이삼사-오육칠팔이에요 (My number is 010-1234-5678)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 일십 (for 10)
Don't add 일 before 십
✅ Correct: 십 (for 10)
Just 십 alone
❌ Incorrect: 일백 (for 100)
Don't add 일 before 백
✅ Correct: 백 (for 100)
Just 백 alone
❌ Incorrect: 일천 (for 1,000)
Don't add 일 before 천
✅ Correct: 천 (for 1,000)
Just 천 alone
❌ Incorrect: 일만 (for 10,000)
Don't add 일 before 만
✅ Correct: 만 (for 10,000)
Just 만 alone
Quick Reference: 1-100
1-10: 일, 이, 삼, 사, 오, 육, 칠, 팔, 구, 십
11-19: 십일, 십이, 십삼... 십구
20-29: 이십, 이십일, 이십이... 이십구
30-99: Same pattern with 삼십, 사십, 오십...
Key Takeaways
- ✅ Infinite range: Can count to any number
- ✅ Multiplicative system: Very logical and regular
- ✅ Groups by 10,000: 만 is key unit (not 1,000)
- ✅ Used for: Money, dates, phones, addresses, math
- ✅ No 일 before: Don't say 일십, 일백, 일천, 일만
- ✅ Simple once learned: Very systematic and predictable
Sino-Korean numbers are essential for daily life in Korea. They're more regular and easier than native Korean numbers once you understand the multiplicative pattern. Practice with money and dates to master them quickly!