Korean Cardinal Numbers
Korean cardinal numbers are the numbers used for counting and expressing quantity.
They answer the question:
“How many?”
Korean is unique because it uses two different number systems:
- Native Korean numbers
- Sino-Korean numbers
Both systems are used for counting, but they are used in different situations.
Examples:
| Number | Native Korean | Sino-Korean |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 하나 (hana) | 일 (il) |
| 2 | 둘 (dul) | 이 (i) |
| 3 | 셋 (set) | 삼 (sam) |
Native Korean Cardinal Numbers 1–20
Native Korean numbers are commonly used when counting objects, people, and hours when telling time.
| Number | Korean | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 하나 | hana |
| 2 | 둘 | dul |
| 3 | 셋 | set |
| 4 | 넷 | net |
| 5 | 다섯 | daseot |
| 6 | 여섯 | yeoseot |
| 7 | 일곱 | ilgop |
| 8 | 여덟 | yeodeol |
| 9 | 아홉 | ahop |
| 10 | 열 | yeol |
| 11 | 열하나 | yeol-hana |
| 12 | 열둘 | yeol-dul |
| 13 | 열셋 | yeol-set |
| 14 | 열넷 | yeol-net |
| 15 | 열다섯 | yeol-daseot |
| 16 | 열여섯 | yeol-yeoseot |
| 17 | 열일곱 | yeol-ilgop |
| 18 | 열여덟 | yeol-yeodeol |
| 19 | 열아홉 | yeol-ahop |
| 20 | 스물 | seumul |
You can also view the full number chart here:
Sino-Korean Cardinal Numbers 1–20
Sino-Korean numbers are used for:
- dates
- money
- phone numbers
- minutes and seconds
- large numbers
| Number | Korean | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 일 | il |
| 2 | 이 | i |
| 3 | 삼 | sam |
| 4 | 사 | sa |
| 5 | 오 | o |
| 6 | 육 | yuk |
| 7 | 칠 | chil |
| 8 | 팔 | pal |
| 9 | 구 | gu |
| 10 | 십 | sip |
| 11 | 십일 | sip-il |
| 12 | 십이 | sip-i |
| 13 | 십삼 | sip-sam |
| 14 | 십사 | sip-sa |
| 15 | 십오 | sip-o |
| 16 | 십육 | sip-yuk |
| 17 | 십칠 | sip-chil |
| 18 | 십팔 | sip-pal |
| 19 | 십구 | sip-gu |
| 20 | 이십 | i-sip |
Sino-Korean Numbers 21–99
Sino-Korean numbers follow a clear pattern.
Examples:
21 = 이십일 (i-sip-il)
24 = 이십사 (i-sip-sa)
37 = 삼십칠 (sam-sip-chil)
48 = 사십팔 (sa-sip-pal)
59 = 오십구 (o-sip-gu)
The structure is generally:
ten + unit
Example:
42 = 사십이 (sa-sip-i)
67 = 육십칠 (yuk-sip-chil)
Korean Tens
| Number | Korean | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 이십 | i-sip |
| 30 | 삼십 | sam-sip |
| 40 | 사십 | sa-sip |
| 50 | 오십 | o-sip |
| 60 | 육십 | yuk-sip |
| 70 | 칠십 | chil-sip |
| 80 | 팔십 | pal-sip |
| 90 | 구십 | gu-sip |
These combine with the numbers 1–9 to create larger numbers.
Example:
45 = 사십오 (sa-sip-o)
Korean Hundreds
Korean hundreds follow a consistent pattern.
Examples:
100 = 백 (baek)
200 = 이백 (i-baek)
300 = 삼백 (sam-baek)
These numbers combine with smaller numbers to form larger values.
Example:
245 = 이백사십오
i-baek sa-sip-o
Korean Thousands
Examples:
1,000 = 천 (cheon)
2,000 = 이천 (i-cheon)
10,000 = 만 (man)
Korean numbers continue to follow consistent patterns as they increase.
Examples of Korean Cardinal Numbers
Example sentence:
책이 세 권 있습니다.
Romanization:
chaek-i se gwon iss-seum-ni-da
Meaning:
There are three books.
Another example:
가격은 오십 원입니다.
Romanization:
gagyeok-eun o-sip won-im-ni-da
Meaning:
The price is fifty won.
Practice Korean Cardinal Numbers
You can practice Korean numbers using the interactive tools below.
Try Our Korean Numbers Translate Tool
Test Your Knowledge. Take the Korean Numbers Quiz
Related Korean Pages
Further reference: National Institute of Korean Language.