Native Korean numbers

Korea's own numbers, older than the Chinese loans. They're used for counting things and for age and hours — and in everyday life they stop at 99.

1 to 10

• 1하나hana
• 2둘dul
• 3셋set
• 4넷net
• 5다섯daseot
• 6여섯yeoseot
• 7일곱ilgop
• 8여덟yeodeol
• 9아홉ahop
• 10열yeol

Tens

• 20스물seumul
• 30서른seoreun
• 40마흔maheun
• 50쉰swin
• 60예순yesun
• 70일흔ilheun
• 80여든yeodeun
• 90아흔aheun

Native numbers aren't used above 99 in daily life — switch to Sino-Korean.

Short forms before a counter

• 하나 → 한 han — 한 개 (one thing)
• 둘 → 두 du — 두 명 (two people)
• 셋 → 세 se — 세 시 (three o'clock)
• 넷 → 네 ne — 네 마리 (four animals)
• 스물 → 스무 seumu — 스무 살 (twenty years old)

Use it for

• • Counting things with a counter: 사과 세 개, 친구 두 명
• • Age in everyday speech: 스물다섯 살
• • Hours on the clock: 네 시 (four o'clock)
• • How many times: 두 번 (twice)
• • Hours of duration: 세 시간 (three hours)

Common mistakes

• Before a counter, 1–4 and 20 shorten: 한·두·세·네·스무 — so 한 개, not 하나 개.
• Native numbers stop at 99 in daily use; for 100 and up, switch to Sino-Korean (백 명).
• Hours are native but minutes are Sino: 3:30 is 세 시 삼십 분.
• With 살 (age) it's native — 스무 살, not 이십 살.