Lesson 2

Lesson 2. Native Korean Numbers

The first chapter was about Sino-Korean numbers, or the number system influenced by Chinese. Let’s build upon that by comparing Sino-Korean numbers to their native Korean equivalents from 0 to 10.

Notes

• The ㅂ is silent in 여덟 (8).
• Zero is only expressed using Sino-Korean numbers.
• 하나 is the only number commonly used (usually) as a female name.

Unlike Sino-Korean numbers, some native Korean numbers (1, 2, 3, and 4) change slightly when placed in front of a noun.

• 하나 ▷ 한 [han]
• 둘 ▷ 두 [du]
• 셋 ▷ 세 [se]
• 넷 ▷ 네 [ne]

The other numbers stay the same even when they are used in front of other nouns.

Examples:
하나 + 사람 (person) ▷ 한 사람 (one person)
다섯 + 사람 (person) ▷ 다섯 사람 (five people)

With native Korean numbers, you can form numbers greater than 10 in the same manner as Sino-Korean numbers. The only exception is that 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 have designated names rather than just multiplying 2×10, 3×10, etc.

Other than this minor detail, forming numbers such as 21, 33, 56, or 79 is done exactly the same way as with Sino-Korean numbers or in English.

Examples:
25 = 20 + 5 = 스물 + 다섯 = 스물 다섯 [seu-mul da-seot]
38 = 30 + 8 = 서른 + 여덟 = 서른 여덟 [seo-reun yeo-deol]

From 10 to 90
10 열 [yeol]
20 스물 [seu-mul]
30 서른 [seo-reun]
40 마흔 [ma-heun]
50 쉰 [swin]
60 예순 [ye-sun]
70 일흔 [il-heun]
80 여든 [yeo-deun]
90 아흔 [a-heun]

How to say “one hundred” and bigger numbers in native Korean

From 1 through 99, the usage of native Korean numbers is distinct from the usage of Sino-Korean numbers. However, for larger figures like 100, 1,000, 10,000, etc., native Korean numbers are not used; only Sino-Korean numbers are. If you want to say numbers like 102, 115, or 132 using native Korean numbers, you need to combine the two number systems.

Example:
132 = 100 + 30 + 2 = 백 (Sino-Korean) + 서른 (native Korean) + 둘 (native Korean) = 백서른둘
Since this is inconvenient and native Korean numbers tend to be a syllable or two longer, bigger numbers are almost always expressed through Sino-Korean numbers.

Native Korean Numbers
1 하나
2 둘
3 셋
4 넷
5 다섯
6 여섯
7 일곱
8 여덟
9 아홉
10 열
11 열하나 [yeol-ha-na]
12 열둘 [yeol-ttul]
13 열셋 [yeol-sset]
14 열넷 [yeol-let]
15 열다섯 [yeol-tta-seot]
16 열여섯 [yeol-lyeo-seot]
17 열일곱 [yeo-ril-gop / yeol-lil-gop]
18 열여덟 [yeo-ryeo-deol / yeol-lyeo-deol]
19 열아홉 [yeo-ra-hop]
20 스물 [seu-mul]
21 스물하나 [seu-mul-ha-na]
22 스물둘 [seu-mul-ttul]
23 스물셋 [seu-mul-sset]
24 스물넷 [seu-mul-let]
25 스물다섯 [seu-mul-tta-seot]
26 스물여섯 [seu-mul-lyeo-seot]
27 스물일곱 [seu-mu-ril-gop]
28 스물여덟 [seu-mul-lyeo-deol]
29 스물아홉 [seu-mu-ra-hop]
30 서른 [seo-reun]
31 서른하나 [seo-reun-ha-na]
32 서른둘 [seo-reun-dul]
33 서른셋 [seo-reun-set]
34 서른넷 [seo-reun-net]
35 서른다섯 [seo-reun-da-seot]
36 서른여섯 [seo-reun-nyeo-seot]
37 서른일곱 [seo-reu-nil-gop]
38 서른여덟 [seo-reun-nyeo-deol]
39 서른아홉 [seo-reu-na-hop]
40 마흔 [ma-heun]
41 마흔하나 [ma-heun-ha-na]
42 마흔둘 [ma-heun-dul]
43 마흔셋 [ma-heun-set]
44 마흔넷 [ma-heun-net]
45 마흔다섯 [ma-heun-da-seot]
46 마흔여섯 [ma-heun-nyeo-seot]
47 마흔일곱 [ma-heu-nil-gop]
48 마흔여덟 [ma-heun-nyeo-deol]
49 마흔아홉 [ma-heu-na-hop]
50 쉰 [swin]
51 쉰하나 [swin-ha-na]
52 쉰둘 [swin-dul]
53 쉰셋 [swin-set]
54 쉰넷 [swin-net]
55 쉰다섯 [swin-da-seot]
56 쉰여섯 [swin-nyeo-seot]
57 쉰일곱 [swi-nil-gop]
58 쉰여덟 [swin-nyeo-deol]
59 쉰아홉 [swi-na-hop]
60 예순 [ye-sun]
61 예순하나 [ye-sun-ha-na]
62 예순둘 [ye-sun-dul]
63 예순셋 [ye-sun-set]
64 예순넷 [ye-sun-net]
65 예순다섯 [ye-sun-da-seot]
66 예순여섯 [ye-sun-nyeo-seot]
67 예순일곱 [ye-su-nil-gop]
68 예순여덟 [ye-sun-nyeo-deol]
69 예순아홉 [ye-su-na-hop]
70 일흔 [il-heun]
71 일흔하나 [il-heun-ha-na]
72 일흔둘 [il-heun-dul]
73 일흔셋 [il-heun-set]
74 일흔넷 [il-heun-net]
75 일흔다섯 [il-heun-da-seot]
76 일흔여섯 [il-heun-nyeo-seot]
77 일흔일곱 [il-heu-nil-gop]
78 일흔여덟 [il-heun-nyeo-deol]
79 일흔아홉 [il-heu-na-hop]
80 여든 [yeo-deun]
81 여든하나 [yeo-deun-ha-na]
82 여든둘 [yeo-deun-dul]
83 여든셋 [yeo-deun-set]
84 여든넷 [yeo-deun-net]
85 여든다섯 [yeo-deun-da-seot]
86 여든여섯 [yeo-deun-nyeo-seot]
87 여든일곱 [yeo-deu-nil-gop]
88 여든여덟 [yeo-deun-nyeo-deol]
89 여든아홉 [yeo-deu-na-hop]
90 아흔 [a-heun]
91 아흔하나 [a-heun-ha-na]
92 아흔둘 [a-heun-dul]
93 아흔셋 [a-heun-set]
94 아흔넷 [a-heun-net]
95 아흔다섯 [a-heun-da-seot]
96 아흔여섯 [a-heun-nyeo-seot]
97 아흔일곱 [a-heu-nil-gop]
98 아흔여덟 [a-heun-nyeo-deol]
99 아흔아홉 [a-heu-na-hop]

When are native Korean numbers used?

You can expect to hear and use native Korean numbers when:

• Talking about age (e.g. 한 살, 두 살, 열 살, 서른한 살)
• Saying the hour (not the minute) when telling the time (e.g. 한 시, 두 시)
• Counting the frequency of doing something or how many times you have done something (e.g. 한 번, 두 번)
• Counting during dance practice (e.g. 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷)
• Soldiers count while marching (e.g. 하나, 둘, 하나, 둘)
• When you say the idiomatic expression "하나부터 열까지 [ha-na-bu-teo yeol-kka-ji]”, which literally means “from 1 to 10”, implying “everything” or “anything.”

Examples:
하나부터 열까지 다 가르쳐 줘야 돼요? [ha-na-bu-teo yeol-kka-ji da ga-reu-cheo jwo-ya dwae-yo?]
= Do I have to tell you everything?

하나부터 열까지 마음에 안 들어요. [ha-na-bu-teo yeol-kka-ji ma-eu-me an deo-reo-yo.]
= I don’t like anything about that person.