Korean phone numbers
A phone number is read one digit at a time in Sino-Korean, with 공 gong for zero. That makes it the easiest Korean number to say, once you have 공 in place of 영.
Numbers you will see
| Number | What it is | Read as |
|---|---|---|
| 010 | Mobile prefix | 공일공 gongilgong |
| 02 | Seoul area code | 공이 gongi |
| 051 | Busan area code | 공오일 gongoil |
| 112 | Police | 일일이 iriri |
| 119 | Fire and ambulance | 일일구 irilgu |
| 1330 | Korea Travel Hotline | 일삼삼공 ilsamsamgong |
Read any number
공일공, 일이삼사, 오육칠팔gongilgong, irisamsa, oyukchilpal
Saying your own number
Group the digits as they are written and leave a short gap at each hyphen: 공일공, 일이삼사, 오육칠팔. To ask for someone’s number: 전화번호가 어떻게 되세요? (What is your phone number?).
The digits are the Sino-Korean ones from the Sino-Korean page, read singly, so there is nothing to build. Listen for 육 (6) and 구 (9), which learners sometimes confuse at speed, and for 일 (1) against 이 (2).
Questions teachers and learners ask
Why is zero 공 in a phone number?
공 is the zero people use when reading digits one at a time: phone numbers, room numbers, account numbers. The number zero in maths or a measurement is 영. Both are Sino-Korean; 공 comes from the character for "empty" and is easier to hear clearly in a string of digits.
Are phone numbers read digit by digit?
Yes, as a rule, in Sino-Korean: 010-1234-5678 is 공일공, 일이삼사, 오육칠팔, with a short break between the groups. Some speakers fill that break with the particle 에, so you may hear 공일공에 일이삼사. You will occasionally hear a group read as a whole number, but digit by digit is the safe way to say and to understand a number.
What do Korean mobile numbers start with?
010. New mobile numbers have been issued on 010 since 2004 and the older prefixes (011, 016, 017, 018, 019) have been phased out, so a Korean mobile number is 010 followed by eight digits. Landline numbers start with an area code such as 02 for Seoul or 051 for Busan. From abroad the country code is +82 and the leading 0 is dropped.
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.