Counting in Korean
To count to ten in Korean you need two counts, because Korean has two. The native count, 하나, 둘, 셋, is the one for counting things aloud. The Sino-Korean count, 일, 이, 삼, is the one that builds every larger number.
- 1일il
- 2이i
- 3삼sam
- 4사sa
- 5오o
- 6육yuk
- 7칠chil
- 8팔pal
- 9구gu
- 10십sip
- 1하나hana
- 2둘dul
- 3셋set
- 4넷net
- 5다섯daseot
- 6여섯yeoseot
- 7일곱ilgop
- 8여덟yeodeol
- 9아홉ahop
- 10열yeol
Counting aloud: the native count
하나 hana, 둘 dul, 셋 set: this is the count for objects, people, and the “one, two, three” before something happens. Children learn it first at home.
Before a counter word the first four shorten: 한 개, 두 개, 세 개, 네 개 (one to four items), then 다섯 개 with no change. More on counters.
Building numbers: the Sino-Korean count
일 il, 이 i, 삼 sam: one syllable each, and the parts every larger number is made of. 십삼 sipsam is ten and three, 삼백 sambaek is three hundreds.
Used for dates, money, minutes, phone numbers and floors, and for any number from 100 up. The full system.
On to 20
Eleven to nineteen work the same way in both systems: the word for ten, then the unit, written together. Twenty is where they differ in kind. Sino-Korean multiplies (이십 isip, two tens); native Korean has a new word (스물 seumul).
| Figure | Sino-Korean | Native Korean |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 일il | 하나hana |
| 2 | 이i | 둘dul |
| 3 | 삼sam | 셋set |
| 4 | 사sa | 넷net |
| 5 | 오o | 다섯daseot |
| 6 | 육yuk | 여섯yeoseot |
| 7 | 칠chil | 일곱ilgop |
| 8 | 팔pal | 여덟yeodeol |
| 9 | 구gu | 아홉ahop |
| 10 | 십sip | 열yeol |
| 11 | 십일sibil | 열하나yeolhana |
| 12 | 십이sibi | 열둘yeoldul |
| 13 | 십삼sipsam | 열셋yeolset |
| 14 | 십사sipsa | 열넷yeollet |
| 15 | 십오sibo | 열다섯yeoldaseot |
| 16 | 십육simnyuk | 열여섯yeollyeoseot |
| 17 | 십칠sipchil | 열일곱yeollilgop |
| 18 | 십팔sippal | 열여덟yeollyeodeol |
| 19 | 십구sipgu | 열아홉yeorahop |
| 20 | 이십isip | 스물seumul |
Three things to listen for
- The double l. In 열넷 yeollet, 열여섯 yeollyeoseot and 열일곱 yeollilgop the ㄹ of 열 runs into the next word and you hear an l twice, which is why the romanization doubles it.
- The r in nineteen. 열아홉 yeorahop is said as if the ㄹ began the next syllable: yeo-ra-hop.
- Sixteen in Sino-Korean. 십육 simnyuk sounds like simnyuk, not sip-yuk. The pronunciation page explains the rule.
Ready for the rest? Korean numbers 1 to 100 has both systems in one table, and the worksheet generator makes 1 to 10 and 1 to 20 sheets in either count.
Questions teachers and learners ask
Which count do Koreans use when counting out loud?
Native Korean: 하나, 둘, 셋. It is the count you hear before a group photo, when a teacher counts a class down, or when someone counts objects on a table. The Sino-Korean 일, 이, 삼 is used when the number is a label or a quantity measured in units, such as a page number, a floor, minutes or money.
What does "hana dul set" mean?
It is one, two, three in native Korean, 하나, 둘, 셋, written in the Latin alphabet. In Revised Romanization the words are hana, dul and set. You will hear it as a countdown, and in songs and dance practice where a beat is counted in.
How do you say "one" in Korean?
There are three forms. 일 is the Sino-Korean digit (일 층, the first floor). 하나 is the native number on its own, when counting or answering "how many". 한 is the native form directly before a counter word: 한 개 (one item), 한 명 (one person), 한 시 (one o’clock).
How do you count from 11 to 20?
In Sino-Korean, put a digit after 십: 십일, 십이, up to 십구, then 이십 for 20. In native Korean, put a native unit after 열: 열하나, 열둘, up to 열아홉, then the new word 스물 for 20. Both are written as one word.
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.