Sino Korean Numbers, Counting in Korean

The first thing you need to know about Korean numbers is that there is actually two ways to count them: Sino-Korean and Native Korean.

Each counting system have different use cases.

Do not worry, we will explain everything clearly so that you don’t get lost!

Sino Korean Numbers

In this lesson we will focus sino-korean numbers, which are quite easy to remember.

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To form numbers larger than 10, we combine the digit with one of the numbers above.

Now form higher numbers, we combine the digit with the word for 10, this way:

With this, we can add a digit to form:

We can keep using the pattern we saw above for 100, 1000, 10.000 etc...:

Although it becomes a bit harder, the pattern stays the same:

Of course, you will need a bit of practice before mastering these numbers naturally.

Keep training yourself with our practice questions!

You might think that we are starting to go really high, is it really necessary?

Well, you are kind of right. Such high numbers are rarely used in everyday life.

Usually, the only case where you will encounter them is when talking about housing price.

The word for a hundred million is 억, and you can combine it with another digit just like before:

In Korean, both 공 (gong) and 영 (yeong) can represent the number 0, but they are used in different contexts:

Usage: This is the standard way to say the number 0 in most contexts, including mathematics, counting, and measurements.
Example:
- 0 in mathematics: 영 (yeong)
- Temperature: 영하 10도 (yeong-ha sip-do) for -10°C

Usage: This term is used primarily in contexts related to phone numbers, addresses, and certain specific instances where a single digit 0 needs to be distinctly articulated.
Example:
- Phone number: 010-1234-5678 is read as 공-일-공-일-이-삼-사-오-육-칠-팔 (gong-il-gong il-i-sam-sa o-yuk-chil-pal)

After you took time to memorize all these terms, let's see in which real-life situations they are used:

Addresses:
- For stating floor numbers in buildings and apartment numbers.
Phone Numbers:
- When reading phone numbers, every digit is said one by one.
Measurements:
Sports Scores:
- Scores in games and sports are often expressed in Sino-Korean.
Public Transportation:
- For bus numbers, train numbers, and other public transportation schedules.
Counting money
Timers and Sports Timings:
- Used a lot in order to tell time, we will get to this in a next lesson!

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