Pronunciation and romanization of Korean numbers
Korean spells each part of a number the same way wherever it appears, but the parts change their sound where they meet. Revised Romanization, the official system, writes the sound rather than the spelling, which is why the romanization on this site sometimes looks unlike the Hangul above it.
Where numbers change their sound
| Number | Written | Said | Romanized | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 십육 | [심뉵] | simnyuk | An n is added before 육 after a consonant (ㄴ insertion), and the ㅂ of 십 turns to m before it. |
| 106 | 백육 | [뱅뉵] | baengnyuk | The same insertion; ㄱ turns to ng before n. |
| 1,000,000 | 백만 | [뱅만] | baengman | ㄱ before ㅁ becomes ng (nasal assimilation). |
| 100,000 | 십만 | [심만] | simman | ㅂ before ㅁ becomes m. |
| 60,000 | 육만 | [융만] | yungman | ㄱ before ㅁ becomes ng. |
| 11 | 십일 | [시빌] | sibil | The final ㅂ moves onto the following vowel and is voiced: b. |
| 14 | 열넷 | [열렏] | yeollet | ㄹ followed by ㄴ is said as a double l. |
| 16 | 열여섯 | [열려섣] | yeollyeoseot | An n is inserted before 여, then becomes l after ㄹ. |
| 19 | 열아홉 | [여라홉] | yeorahop | The ㄹ moves onto the vowel of 아홉 and sounds as r. |
| 60 | 육십 | [육씹] | yuksip | ㅅ after ㄱ is tensed. Revised Romanization does not write tensing. |
The rules, briefly
- Liaison. A final consonant before a vowel is said as the start of the next syllable: 십일 sibil, 백일 baegil.
- Nasal assimilation (표준 발음법 제18항). ㄱ and ㅂ become ng and m before ㄴ or ㅁ: 백만 baengman, 십만 simman.
- ㄹ assimilation (제20항). ㄴ next to ㄹ is said as ㄹ: 열넷 yeollet.
- ㄴ insertion (제29항). Between parts of a compound, an n sound is added before a syllable starting with i or y: 십육 simnyuk, 열일곱 yeollilgop. Sino-Korean 일 and 이 do not take it: 십이 is sibi.
- Tensing (육십 is said [육씹]) is real but not written in Revised Romanization.
Revised Romanization treats each written word on its own, so a number spaced by 만 is romanized in two parts: 이만 삼천사백오십육 is iman samcheonsabaegosimnyuk.
The vowels of the number words
Approximate IPA values for standard Seoul Korean; the two e vowels ㅐ and ㅔ have merged for most younger speakers.
| Letter | Romanized | IPA | In |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | a | [a] | 삼, 하나 |
| ㅓ | eo | [ʌ] | 천, 서른 |
| ㅗ | o | [o] | 오, 아홉 |
| ㅜ | u | [u] | 구, 둘 |
| ㅡ | eu | [ɯ] | 스물, 마흔 |
| ㅣ | i | [i] | 일, 십 |
| ㅐ / ㅔ | ae / e | [e] | 백, 셋 |
| ㅕ | yeo | [jʌ] | 열, 여섯 |
| ㅠ | yu | [ju] | 육 |
| ㅖ | ye | [je] | 예순 |
| ㅟ | wi | [wi] | 쉰 |
Every romanization on this site, in the tables, the 1 to 100 chart and the printable PDF, comes from one routine that applies these rules, and the checking page describes how it is tested against a second, independent one.
Questions teachers and learners ask
What is Revised Romanization?
The official way of writing Korean in the Latin alphabet in South Korea, issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2000 (current text 2014). It replaced McCune-Reischauer for road signs, textbooks and official use. It uses no apostrophes or accent marks, and it writes the standard pronunciation, so a sound change at a join shows up in the spelling: 십육 is simnyuk.
Why is 16 simnyuk and not sipyuk?
Because that is how 십육 is said. The standard pronunciation inserts an n sound before 육 when the syllable before ends in a consonant, and the p of 십 then becomes m in front of that n. Revised Romanization writes the result. The Hangul spelling does not change: 십육 is written with 육.
Is romanization a good guide to pronunciation?
A rough one. It tells you which Korean sound is meant, but the letters do not have their English values: eo is a sound between the o of "hot" and the u of "hut", eu is an unrounded u with spread lips, and g, d, b at the start of a word are lighter than in English. Learners do best moving to Hangul early; the romanization on this site is a bridge, printed under the Hangul rather than instead of it.
Why do 이 (2) and 일 (1) sound so alike?
They differ only in the final ㄹ of 일, which is said as a light l. In a fast string such as a phone number the l can be hard to catch, which is why careful speakers slow down at those digits. In larger numbers the position usually settles it.
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.