Published Nov 2, 2025 • Beginner guide · EEAT-optimized

🔢 Korean Numbers Made Easy: Sino vs Native Explained for Beginners

Did you know Korean has two number systems? One is used for money, dates, phone numbers. The other is used for age, people, items, and counting things.

This quick guide shows you the difference, when to use each, and how to avoid the most common mistakes new learners make.

한국어 숫자는 한자어 수와 고유어 수 두 가지가 있어요. 언제, 어떻게 쓰는지 쉽게 정리해 드립니다.

📑 Table of Contents (open/close)

1. Difference at a Glance
2. Sino-Korean Numbers (한자어 수)
3. Native Korean Numbers (고유어 수)
4. When to Use Which?
5. Common Mistakes & Fixes
6. Quick Practice
7. Quick FAQ

1) Difference at a Glance

Sino-Korean (한자어 수)	Native Korean (고유어 수)
일, 이, 삼, 사, 오…	하나, 둘, 셋, 넷, 다섯…
Money, dates, minutes, phone numbers	Age, people, items, hours
Based on Chinese characters	Pure Korean origin

2) Sino-Korean Numbers (일·이·삼…)

Used most in daily life when reading numbers as digits:

• 📅 Dates → 3월 15일 (sam-wol sip-o-il)
• 📱 Phone numbers → 공일공-사이삼-육칠팔팔
• 💰 Money → 5,000원 (o-cheon won)

0~10: 영, 일, 이, 삼, 사, 오, 육, 칠, 팔, 구, 십

3) Native Korean Numbers (하나·둘·셋…)

Used for counting things + age + hours:

• 👶 Age → 스무 살 (20 years old)
• 🕒 Time → 세 시 (3 o’clock)
• 🍎 Items → 사과 두 개 (2 apples)

1~10: 하나, 둘, 셋, 넷, 다섯, 여섯, 일곱, 여덟, 아홉, 열

4) When to Use Which?

• ❗ Age → Native (스물두 살) BUT 서른 살 ➜ NO “살” in paperwork (use 만 age)
• ⌚ Time → Hour = Native / Minutes = Sino → 세 시 십오 분
• 🛍 Counting items → Native + counter → 책 세 권, 커피 두 잔
• 📅 Dates & years → Sino → 2025년 11월 2일

5) Common Mistakes & Fixes

• 🚫 “두 시 오 분” ✔️ (correct) / “이 시 오 분” ❌
• 🚫 “스물 하나 살” ❌ / ✔️ “스물한 살” (numbers combine)
• 🚫 “열한 개” → ✔️ “열한 개” (keep Native form)

Tip: If counting things/age/time hours → likely Native.

6) Quick Practice

Try speaking these aloud:

• 📞 My number is 010-3456-7788 → Sino
• ⏰ The meeting is at 4:30 → 네 시 삼십 분
• 🧁 I bought 3 cakes → 케이크 세 개 샀어요
• 👦 I’m 19 years old → 열아홉 살이에요

7) Quick FAQ

Q. Do Koreans mix both in one sentence?
✅ Yes — very common. Example: “세 시 십 분.”

Q. Which one should I learn first?
📌 Learn Native 1–10 + Sino 1–10, then expand.

Q. Do children learn both systems in school?
✅ Yes. It’s natural for Koreans to switch depending on context.