Big numbers in Korean
English counts large numbers in thousands: thousand, million, billion. Korean counts them in ten-thousands: 만 man, then 억, then 조. Once that is in place, every large number is a small number with a unit after it.
The ladder
| Figure | Korean | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 천 cheon | a thousand |
| 10,000 | 만 man | ten thousand |
| 100,000 | 십만 simman | a hundred thousand |
| 1,000,000 | 백만 baengman | a million |
| 10,000,000 | 천만 cheonman | ten million |
| 100,000,000 | 억 eok | a hundred million |
| 1,000,000,000 | 십억 sibeok | a billion |
| 10,000,000,000 | 백억 baegeok | ten billion |
| 100,000,000,000 | 천억 cheoneok | a hundred billion |
| 1,000,000,000,000 | 조 jo | a trillion |
Shaded rows are the new units. Everything between them is 십, 백 or 천 of the unit below.
Reading a large figure
- Count four digits in from the right and mark the split: 456,789 becomes 45 | 6789.
- Read the left group as an ordinary number and add 만: 사십오만.
- Read the right group as usual: 육천칠백팔십구.
Written in Hangul, the two groups take a space between them, as the Korean spelling rules (한글 맞춤법 제44항) prescribe: 사십오만 육천칠백팔십구 sasiboman yukcheonchilbaekpalsipgu. The same number is often seen closed up, and both are understood.
The traps
- A hundred thousand is ten 만. 십만 simman, not a hundred thousands.
- A million is a hundred 만. 백만 baengman, said with an m sound in the middle (baengman).
- No 일 before 만 in a bare 10,000, the usual spoken form: 만 man. But 십일만 sibilman keeps its 일, because there it is a digit.
- Zeros are silent, even whole empty groups: 100,050 is 십만 오십 simman osip, and 10,001 is 만 일 man il.
Read any figure to a million
사십오만 육천칠백팔십구
Native Korean stops at 99. Above that, Korean uses the Sino-Korean number.
The worksheet generator on the printable page has ranges for 10,000 to 100,000 and 100,000 to 1,000,000, with counting runs that cross 만 and 십만. For prices, the money page uses the same grouping.
Questions teachers and learners ask
How do you say a million in Korean?
백만 (baengman), literally a hundred 만, since Korean counts in ten-thousands. Two million is 이백만, ten million is 천만. There is no separate word for a million the way English has one; the next new unit after 만 is 억, a hundred million.
How do you say ten thousand in Korean?
만 (man). It is a unit of its own, not "ten thousands", and it is the key to every larger number: 20,000 is 이만, 100,000 is 십만. A bare 10,000 is usually just 만, as 1,000 is just 천; 일만 is also correct and appears in formal amounts.
Why does Korean group by four digits when figures are written in threes?
The spoken system is older than the comma. Korean, like Chinese and Japanese, names powers of ten thousand (만, 억, 조), so a number is said in groups of four digits. Figures are written with the international comma every three digits, so reading a long figure means regrouping it: 234,567 is 23 | 4567, 이십삼만 사천오백육십칠.
How are large numbers written in Korean news?
Often as figures with Hangul units at each four-digit step: 3억 5천만 원 for 350,000,000 won, or 12억 3456만. This mixed style follows the same grouping as speech, and the spelling rules space it the same way, by 만.
An independent learning site, not affiliated with the National Institute of Korean Language or any Korean government body. Rules and forms are quoted from the published sources named on each page; if your textbook or teacher prefers another accepted form, theirs is the one to follow in class.