Korean Cardinal Numbers
Korean cardinal numbers are the numbers used for counting and expressing quantity.
They answer the question:
“How many?”
Korean is unique because it uses two different number systems:
- Native Korean numbers
- Sino-Korean numbers
Both systems are used for counting, but they are used in different situations.
Examples:
| Number | Native Korean | Sino-Korean |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 하나 (hana) | 일 (il) |
| 2 | 둘 (dul) | 이 (i) |
| 3 | 셋 (set) | 삼 (sam) |
Native Korean Cardinal Numbers 1–20
Native Korean numbers are commonly used when counting objects, people, and hours when telling time.
| Number | Korean | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 하나 | hana |
| 2 | 둘 | dul |
| 3 | 셋 | set |
| 4 | 넷 | net |
| 5 | 다섯 | daseot |
| 6 | 여섯 | yeoseot |
| 7 | 일곱 | ilgop |
| 8 | 여덟 | yeodeol |
| 9 | 아홉 | ahop |
| 10 | 열 | yeol |
| 11 | 열하나 | yeol-hana |
| 12 | 열둘 | yeol-dul |
| 13 | 열셋 | yeol-set |
| 14 | 열넷 | yeol-net |
| 15 | 열다섯 | yeol-daseot |
| 16 | 열여섯 | yeol-yeoseot |
| 17 | 열일곱 | yeol-ilgop |
| 18 | 열여덟 | yeol-yeodeol |
| 19 | 열아홉 | yeol-ahop |
| 20 | 스물 | seumul |
You can also view the full number chart here:
Sino-Korean Cardinal Numbers 1–20
Sino-Korean numbers are used for:
- dates
- money
- phone numbers
- minutes and seconds
- large numbers
| Number | Korean | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 일 | il |
| 2 | 이 | i |
| 3 | 삼 | sam |
| 4 | 사 | sa |
| 5 | 오 | o |
| 6 | 육 | yuk |
| 7 | 칠 | chil |
| 8 | 팔 | pal |
| 9 | 구 | gu |
| 10 | 십 | sip |
| 11 | 십일 | sip-il |
| 12 | 십이 | sip-i |
| 13 | 십삼 | sip-sam |
| 14 | 십사 | sip-sa |
| 15 | 십오 | sip-o |
| 16 | 십육 | sip-yuk |
| 17 | 십칠 | sip-chil |
| 18 | 십팔 | sip-pal |
| 19 | 십구 | sip-gu |
| 20 | 이십 | i-sip |
Sino-Korean Numbers 21–99
Sino-Korean numbers follow a clear pattern.
Examples:
21 = 이십일 (i-sip-il)
24 = 이십사 (i-sip-sa)
37 = 삼십칠 (sam-sip-chil)
48 = 사십팔 (sa-sip-pal)
59 = 오십구 (o-sip-gu)
The structure is generally:
ten + unit
Example:
42 = 사십이 (sa-sip-i)
67 = 육십칠 (yuk-sip-chil)
Korean Tens
| Number | Korean | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 이십 | i-sip |
| 30 | 삼십 | sam-sip |
| 40 | 사십 | sa-sip |
| 50 | 오십 | o-sip |
| 60 | 육십 | yuk-sip |
| 70 | 칠십 | chil-sip |
| 80 | 팔십 | pal-sip |
| 90 | 구십 | gu-sip |
These combine with the numbers 1–9 to create larger numbers.
Example:
45 = 사십오 (sa-sip-o)
Korean Hundreds
Korean hundreds follow a consistent pattern.
Examples:
100 = 백 (baek)
200 = 이백 (i-baek)
300 = 삼백 (sam-baek)
These numbers combine with smaller numbers to form larger values.
Example:
245 = 이백사십오
i-baek sa-sip-o
Korean Thousands
Examples:
1,000 = 천 (cheon)
2,000 = 이천 (i-cheon)
10,000 = 만 (man)
Korean numbers continue to follow consistent patterns as they increase.
Examples of Korean Cardinal Numbers
Example sentence:
책이 세 권 있습니다.
Romanization:
chaek-i se gwon iss-seum-ni-da
Meaning:
There are three books.
Another example:
가격은 오십 원입니다.
Romanization:
gagyeok-eun o-sip won-im-ni-da
Meaning:
The price is fifty won.
Practice Korean Cardinal Numbers
You can practice Korean numbers using the interactive tools below.