Chapter 12: Sino-Korean Numbers — From Phone Calls to Prices
In Korean language, it doesn't just have two number systems. Those systems have sub-rules. Even the zero changes depending on context. 영 (yeong) when you're being formal or mathematical. 공 (gong) when you're reading a phone number aloud.
Why Two Systems?
Quick Recap from Chapter 11:
Native Korean (하나, 둘, 셋): Warm, personal, used for counting people, age, hours.
Sino-Korean (일, 이, 삼): Formal, technical, used for dates, money, phone numbers, mathematics.
Why? Because a thousand years ago, Chinese culture flowed into Korea and brought its numbers with it. Korean didn't discard its own numbers, it kept both systems. Now they coexist, each serving a different purpose.
When you're telling someone your age, you're intimate: "스물한 살" (native Korean, twenty-one years old). But when you're writing it on a form? Formal: "이십일 세" (sino-Korean, twenty-one years).
This is what makes Korean both ancient and modern. Sino-Korean numbers are the language of technology, finance, and bureaucracy.
Part 1: Sino-Korean Numbers 0–10
Unlike native Korean numbers (which sound melodic), Sino-Korean numbers are short and sharp. Each syllable is one sound, designed for efficiency and clarity.
Key Observation: Sino-Korean numbers are much shorter than native Korean. 일 (one) vs. 하나 (hana). 이 (two) vs. 둘 (dul). This efficiency is by design — they evolved in contexts where speed and clarity matter.
Part 2: Sino-Korean Numbers 11–20 & The Tens
Pattern: 10 + ones digit. Simple. No changes like native Korean. 십 (10) + 일 (1) = 십일 (11).
The Tens: 20–100,000
Sino-Korean makes big numbers easy. Once you hit 100, you don't repeat syllables. You use new words: 백 (100), 천 (1,000), 만 (10,000).
Key Pattern: Once you hit 만 (10,000), you restart the count. 100,000 = 십 (10) + 만 (10,000).
Combined Numbers: Real-World Examples
Part 3: Real-World Applications
Phone Numbers: Where 공 Matters
Example: 010-9842-3567
How to say it:
공-일-공 / 구-팔-사-이 / 삼-오-육-칠
gong-il-gong / gu-pal-sa-i / sam-o-yuk-chil
Why 공? Because when you're reading a phone number aloud, you want clarity and speed. 영 sounds like it could be part of a longer word. 공 is sharp, unmistakable — especially important when you're reciting digits quickly.
Prices: The Heart of Shopping
Shopping Dialogue
가 (A): "이 커피는 얼마예요?" (How much is this coffee?)
What does this coffee cost?
나 (B): "오천 원입니다." (It's 5,000 won.)
오 (5) + 천 (thousand) = 5,000
가: "그리고 그 샌드위치는?" (And that sandwich?)
나: "팔천이백 원입니다." (8,200 won.)
팔 (8) + 천 (thousand) + 이 (2) + 백 (hundred) = 8,200
Dates: Reading the Calendar
Korean Dates Always Use Sino-Korean Numbers
Format: 년 (year) / 월 (month) / 일 (day)
Example 1: 2024년 10월 15일
이천이십사 년 시월 십오 일
icheon-isibsa nyeon si-wol sibo-il
Example 2: 1995년 7월 22일
천구백구십오 년 칠 월 이십이 일
cheon-gubaek-guship-o nyeon chil-wol isib-i-il
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In Korean, 10월 is pronounced and written as 시월 (not 십월) because of a natural linguistic process called Euphemy (smoothness of sound / ease of pronunciation).
Here is the detailed breakdown of why the ㅂ is dropped:
1. Ease of Pronunciation (발음의 편의성)
2. Standard Korean Language Rules (한글 맞춤법)
Comparison: Months vs. Days
| Meaning | Standard Korean | Pronunciation | Rule |
| October (10th Month) | 시월 | Si-wol | ㅂ is dropped |
| 10th Day (or 10 Days) | 십일 | Ship-il $\rightarrow$ [시빌] | ㅂ moves over (Liaison) |
| June (6th Month) | 유월 | Yu-wol | ㄱ is dropped |
| 6th Day (or 6 Days) | 육일 | Yug-il $\rightarrow$ [유길] | ㄱ moves over (Liaison) |
Pronouncing a closed syllable ending with a hard stop like ㅂ (ship) immediately followed by a vowel starting with ㅇ (wol) creates a clunky, harsh transition ([십월 -> 시븰]).
Over centuries of spoken Korean, people naturally dropped the final ㅂ before 월 (Month) to make the words flow smoothly and effortlessness when speaking:
6월 (육 + 월): The ㄱ drops -> 유월 (Yu-wol, not Yug-wol)
10월 (십 + 월): The ㅂ drops -> 시월 (Si-wol, not Ship-wol)
Because "시월" and "유월" became the universal standard in spoken Korean, the National Institute of Korean Language officially codified this into the written grammar rules.
When the numbers 육 (6) and 십 (10) are combined with specific words like 월 (month), their final consonants are dropped to reflect their actual, natural pronunciation in both writing and speech.
Notice how this rule applies only to months (월), while days (일) retain the original consonant:
문법 연습 (Grammar Practice)
Exercise 1: 숫자를 읽으십시오 (Read the Numbers)
Write these numbers in Korean (Sino-Korean) and then read them aloud:
1. 24
_____________________________
2. 55
_____________________________
3. 99
_____________________________
4. 234
_____________________________
5. 5,650
_____________________________
Exercise 2: 대화를 완성하십시오 (Complete the Dialogue)
Fill in the price or number using Sino-Korean. Follow the example:
Example:
가: "이 책은 얼마예요?" (How much is this book?)
나: "만원입니다." (It's 10,000 won.)
1. 가: "이 커피라떼는?" (How much for this coffee latte?)
나: "___________ 원입니다." (______ won.) [Price: 4,500]
2. 가: "저는 스물다섯 살인데, 님는?" (I'm 25, what about you?)
나: "저는 ___________ 세예요." (I'm ______.) [Age: 23]
3. 가: "오늘은 몇 월 몇 일이에요?" (What's today's date?)
나: "___________ 월 ___________ 일입니다." (It's ______ month, ______ day.) [Date: October 8]
4. 가: "새 노트북의 가격은?" (What's the price of the new laptop?)
나: "___________ 원입니다." (It's ______ won.) [Price: 1,500,000]
Exercise 3: 전화번호를 읽으십시오 (Read the Phone Numbers)
Write out how you'd say these phone numbers aloud in Korean. Remember: use 공 for zero!
Example: 010-3842-5567 = 공-일-공 / 삼-팔-사-이 / 오-오-육-칠
1. 010-4521-3309
_____________________________
2. 02-6954-8772
_____________________________
3. 031-2706-4819
_____________________________
📖 Reading Comprehension: 쇼핑 (Shopping)
Read this shopping scene. Pay attention to prices and quantities. Then answer the questions.
제주 카페에서 (At a Café in Jeju)
점원: "어서오세요! 뭘 도와드릴까요?" (Welcome! What can I help you with?)
손님 (Customer): "커피 두 잔이랑 케이크 한 개 주세요." (I'll have two coffees and one cake.)
점원: "아메리카노요? 라떼요?" (Americano or latte?)
손님: "아메리카노 하나 라떼 하나 주세요" ( One Americano and one Latte please.)
점원: "아메리카노 한 잔은 삼천 원이고, 라떼 한 잔은 오천오백 원이에요. 케이크는 칠천 원입니다." (One Americano is 3,000 won, one latte is 5,500 won. The cake is 7,000 won.)
손님: "그럼 전부 얼마에요?" (So what's the total?)
점원: "팔천오백 + 칠천 = 만팔천오백 원입니다!" (8,500 + 7,000 = 18,500 won!)
Exercise 4: 질문에 답하십시오 (Answer the Questions)
1. 아메리카노 한 잔은 얼마예요?
How much is one Americano?
_______________________________________
2. 라떼 한 잔은 몇 원이에요?
How much is one latte?
_______________________________________
3. 케이크의 가격은?
What's the price of the cake?
_______________________________________
4. 전부 얼마예요?
What's the total?
_______________________________________
Exercise 5: 맞으면 O, 틀리면 X (True/False)
Write O (correct) or X (incorrect):
1. 아메리카노는 삼천 원입니다.
The Americano is 3,000 won.
O X
2. 라떼는 오천오백 원입니다.
The latte is 5,500 won.
O X
3. 케이크는 오천 원입니다.
The cake is 5,000 won.
O X
만 (10,000): In Korean, 만 is special. After 만, the counting system resets — unlike English where we keep building (hundred thousand, million, billion). This reflects an old East Asian understanding of numbers based on units of 만. It's why Korean prices often feel "round" around the 만 mark.
Bringing It All Together
You now know both Korean number systems:
Between Chapters 11 and 12, you can now count anything, anywhere, anytime. You can read prices. You can give your phone number. You can understand dates and times. These are the tools that let you participate in Korean life.
Your Turn: Real-World Practice
Try this exercise: Write down five real items from your life (your age, today's date, a price of something you bought, a phone number). Now say them out loud in Korean using Sino-Korean numbers.
예: "저는 이십팔 세이입니다."
Share in the comments: Tell us your phone number (or make one up!) in Korean. Say it the way you would to someone on the phone, using 공 for zero.
💭 From Wookie
Sino-Korean numbers are the language of modern Korea. When you're shopping, calling someone, paying rent, dating on a calendar — you're using these numbers.
Overwhelmed by both number systems? That's normal. Practice one first, then the other. Your brain will integrate them naturally.
📚 Answer Key
Exercise 1 Answers (Reading Numbers):
- 이십사 (isibsa)
- 오십오 (osibo)
- 구십구 (gusipgu)
- 이백삼십사 (ibaegsamsibi-sa)
- 오천육백오십 (ocheon-yubaek-osip)
Exercise 2 Answers (Dialogues):
- 사천오백 원입니다.
- 이십삼 세예요.
- 십월 팔일입니다.
- 백오십만 원입니다. (or 일백오십만)
Exercise 3 Answers (Phone Numbers):
- 공-일-공 / 사-오-이-일 / 삼-삼-공-구
- 공-이 / 육-구-오-사 / 팔-칠-칠-이
- 공-삼-일 / 이-칠-공-육 / 사-팔-일-구
Exercise 4 Answers (Reading Comprehension):
- 삼천 원입니다.
- 오천오백 원입니다.
- 칠천 원입니다.
- 만팔천오백 원입니다.
Exercise 5 True/False Answers:
- O (Correct)
- O (Correct)
- X (Incorrect — the cake is 7,000 won, not 5,000)
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