Korean money: saying prices in won
Prices are Sino-Korean numbers followed by 원, the won. The only real hurdle is size: Korean counts large amounts in ten-thousands, so most prices are said as so many 만 plus the rest.
Banknotes
| Note | Said as |
|---|---|
| 1,000원 | 천 원 cheon won |
| 5,000원 | 오천 원 ocheon won |
| 10,000원 | 만 원 man won |
| 50,000원 | 오만 원 oman won |
Coins in everyday use
| Coin | Said as |
|---|---|
| 10원 | 십 원 sip won |
| 50원 | 오십 원 osip won |
| 100원 | 백 원 baek won |
| 500원 | 오백 원 obaek won |
The 50,000 won note, issued by the Bank of Korea from 2009, is the largest. One-won and five-won coins exist but are rarely seen in change.
Prices from the shop to the car showroom
| Price | Said as |
|---|---|
| 800원 | 팔백 원 palbaek won |
| 2,500원 | 이천오백 원 icheonobaek won |
| 4,500원 | 사천오백 원 sacheonobaek won |
| 15,000원 | 만 오천 원 man ocheon won |
| 38,000원 | 삼만 팔천 원 samman palcheon won |
| 125,000원 | 십이만 오천 원 sibiman ocheon won |
| 1,000,000원 | 백만 원 baengman won |
Reading a price in three steps
- Split the figure at the ten-thousands: 125,000 becomes 12 | 5000.
- Read the left part with 만: 십이만. Read the right part as usual: 오천.
- Add 원: 십이만 오천 원.
In Hangul, the number and 원 are written with a space; in figures they are joined, 125,000원. Try any amount below, then see big numbers for the step up to 억, a hundred million, where house prices live.
십이만 오천
Native Korean stops at 99. Above that, Korean uses the Sino-Korean number.
Questions teachers and learners ask
Which numbers are used for money in Korean?
Sino-Korean, followed by 원 (won): 천 원, 오천 원, 만 원. Native numbers are not used for prices. Because Korean groups large numbers by ten thousand, 10,000 won is 만 원 and 50,000 won is 오만 원, which is also how people name the banknotes.
How do you say 15,000 won?
만 오천 원: one 만 (ten thousand) and five thousand. English speakers often reach for "fifteen thousand", which Korean does not have. Think of the price as so many 만 plus the rest: 38,000 is three 만 and eight thousand, 삼만 팔천 원.
How do you ask how much something costs?
Point and say 얼마예요? (How much is it?) or, more fully, 이거 얼마예요? (How much is this?). The answer comes back as a Sino-Korean number with 원, and in shops and markets prices are also written in figures, such as 15,000원.
Does this page give exchange rates?
No. It covers how prices are said and written in Korean. For what a won is worth in another currency, use a bank or a currency service, since the rate changes daily.
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.