My Korean Diary ❤

[Beginner level] Lesson 7: Native Korean Numbers

We are back with another number lesson! In lesson 4, I introduced to you the Sino-Korean system and today I'm going to introducing the Native Korean number system.

Having two separate ways of counting different things might look too complicated, and I will be surprised if you can memorize all the numbers at once and never forget them, but if you keep practicing the numbers in context, you will find it much easier in time. 

So today, I'm going to introduce the native Korean numbers, and ONLY going to cover how to say your age in Korean. If you can say how old you are in Korean after listening to this lesson, this lesson will have achieved its goal. 

Now let's have a look at some Native Korean numbers. There are cases where Sino-Korean numbers are used, cases where Native Korean numbers are used, and there are also some cases where Sino-Korean numbers and native Korean numbers are used together. 

For example:

1. When you tell the time, you have to use Native Korean numbers to say the hour and Sino-Korean numbers to say the minute and seconds.   

 2. When you say your age in everyday conversations, you use Native Korean numbers, but in some very formal settings like in the court of law or in a formal report, Sino-Korean numbers are used to express your age.

3. When you are counting years, you can use either Sino-Korean numbers or Native Korean numbers, but the words that you use for counting the years change depending on whether you use Sino-Korean numbers and Native Korean numbers.

So how do you determine which number system to use in which situation? You don't have to try to, and you can't really generalize the usages of the two different number systems. It is best to just learn to use the different number systems along with the fitting context.   

Now, let us go over the native Korean numbers and practice saying how old we are. 

NATIVE KOREAN NUMBERS:

⭐ 1 - 하나 [ha-na]                                                                             ⭐ 6 - 여섯 [yeo-seot]

⭐ 2 - 둘 [dul]                                                                                       ⭐ 7 - 일곱 [il-gop]

⭐ 3 - 셋 [set]                                                                                        ⭐ 8 - 여덟 [yeo-deol]

⭐ 4 - 넷 [net]                                                                                       ⭐ 9 - 아홉 [a-hop]

⭐ 5 - 다섯 [da-seot]                                                                         ⭐ 10 - 열 [yeol]
 

From 11 to 19 is simple. You just put the number 10 and add another number after it.     

EXAMPLE:

⭐ 열 (10) + 하나 (1) = 열하나 [yeol-ha-na] (11)

⭐ 열 (10) + 아홉 (9) = 열아홉 [yeol-a-hop] (19)  

⭐ 20 스물 [seu-mul]      

The same rule as above for 11 through 19 applies to 21-29, 31-39, 41-49, and etc.  

⭐ 30 서른 [seo-reun]

⭐ 40 마흔 [ma-heun]

⭐ 50 쉰 [shwin]

⭐ 60 예순 [ye-sun]

⭐ 70 일흔 [i-reun]

⭐ 80 여든 [yeo-deun]

⭐ 90 아흔 [a-heun]      

Now, here is an interesting piece of information.  

From numbers 1 through 99, the usage of Native Korean numbers is generally very distinctively different from the usage of Sino-Korean numbers, but for bigger units like 100, 1,000, 10,000 and etc., the words for these bigger numbers in the native Korean numbers are no longer used and only Sino-Korean numbers are used.           

So, 100 in the Sino-Korean number is 백 [baek], and even when you need to use the Native Korean number, you use the same word.  

And when you want to say 101, 102, and etc., you need to combine the systems together.      

⭐ 101 - 백 [baek] (Sino-Korean) + 하나 [hana] (Native Korean)

⭐ 205 - 이 [i] (Sino-Korean) + 백 [baek] (Sino-Korean) + 다섯 [daseot] (Native Korean)  

Let's have a look at how to talk about the age.      

There are two ways of saying the age, but here, let's look at the more ordinary and everyday fashion.  

You say a native Korean number and add 살 [sal] after it.

But the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 20 change forms before a noun.      

⭐ 1 하나 [ha-na] ➡ 한 [han] 살

⭐ 2 둘 [dul] ➡ 두 [du] 살

⭐ 3 셋 [set] ➡ 세 [se] 살

⭐ 4 넷 [net] ➡ 네 [ne] 살

• • •

⭐ 20 스물 [seu-mul] ➡ 스무 [seu-mu] 살

⭐ 21 스물 [seu-mul] ➡ 스물한 [seu-mul-han] 살

• • •

The following are from age 1 through 100 in native Korean numbers, followed by the AGE COUNTER 살 [sal].   

한 살 (1), 두 살, 세 살, 네 살, 다섯 살, 여섯 살, 일곱 살, 여덟 살, 아홉 살, 열 살 (10), 열한 살 (11), 열두 살, 열세 살, 열네 살, 열다섯 살, 열여섯 살, 열일곱 살, 열여덟살, 열아홉 살, 스무 살 (20), 스물한 살 (21), 스물두 살, 스물세 살, 스물네 살, 스물다섯 살, 스물여섯 살, 스물일곱 살, 스물여덟 살, 스물아홉 살, 서른 살 (30), 서른한 살 (31), 서른두 살, 서른세 살, 서른네 살, 서른다섯 살, 서른여섯 살, 서른일곱 살, 서른여덟 살, 서른아홉 살, 마흔 살 (40), 마흔한 살 (41), 마흔두 살, 마흔세 살, 마흔네 살, 마흔다섯 살, 마흔여섯 살, 마흔일곱 살, 마흔여덟 살, 마흔아홉 살, 쉰 살 (50), 쉰한 살(51), 쉰두 살, 쉰세 살, 쉰네 살, 쉰다섯 살, 쉰여섯 살, 쉰일곱 살, 쉽여덟 살, 쉰아홉 살, 예순 살 (60), 예순한 살 (61), 예순두 살, 예순세 살, 예순네 살, 예순다섯 살, 예순여섯 살, 예순일곱 살, 예순여덟 살, 예순아홉 살, 일흔 살 (70), 일흔한 살 (71), 일흔두 살, 일흔세 살, 일흔네 살, 일흔다섯 살, 일흔여섯 살, 일흔일곱 살, 일흔여덟 살, 일흔아홉 살, 여든 살 (80), 여든한 살 (81), 여든두 살, 여든세 살, 여든네 살, 여든다섯 살, 여든여섯 살, 여든일곱 살, 여든여덟 살, 여든아홉 살, 아흔 살 (90), 아흔한 살 (91), 아흔두 살, 아흔세 살, 아흔네 살, 아흔다섯 살, 아흔여섯 살, 아흔일곱 살, 아흔여덟 살, 아흔아홉 살, 백 살 (100) 

Found your age? 

Now, say the age and add 이에요 [i-e-yo] after that.   

⭐ 한 살이에요.(han sal-i-e-yo) 
➡ I am one year old.

⭐ 열 살이에요.(yeol sal-i-e-yo)  
➡ I am ten years old.

⭐ 스무 살이에요.(seu-mu sal-i-e-yo)
➡ I am twenty years old.

⭐ 서른 살이에요.(seo-reul sal-i-e-yo)  
➡ I am thirty years old.