Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 2 - Korean for Beginners #1 (Lessons 31 to 60) ᚛ Lesson 40 - Tell the time in Korean
Tell the time in Korean
Telling the time in Korean is not a difficult task, but it is necessary to navigate between the language's two number systems. That means:
- hours use pure Korean numbers
- minutes and seconds use Sino-Korean numbers
Counting hours in Korean
To count hours, we use pure Korean numbers, placing them before the word 시.
For example:
- 5:00 is said 5시, that is 다섯 시.
- 7:00 is said 7시, that is 일곱 시.
Note that pure Korean numbers that end in 1, 2, 3, or 4 lose their final character in order to make pronunciation flow more smoothly:
- 1 - 하나 becomes 한
- 2 - 둘 becomes 두
- 3 - 셋 becomes 세
- 4 - 넷 becomes 네
This rule not only applies for hours, but also for any time a pure Korean number is used to number something, which we will see in more detail in the next chapter.
Some examples:
|
2:00 |
2시 |
두 시 |
|
3:00 |
3시 |
세 시 |
|
6:00 |
6시 |
여섯 시 |
|
8:00 |
8시 |
여덟 시 |
|
10:00 |
10시 |
열 시 |
|
11:00 |
11시 |
열한 시 |
If you want to specify the exact hour, you can use the term 정각.
9시 정각
→ 9 o’clock sharp. / Exactly 9 o’clock.
Count minutes in Korean
To count minutes, we use Sino-Korean numbers, placing them in front of the word 분.
For example:
- 45min is said 45분, that is 사십오 분.
- 22min is said 22분, that is 이십이 분.
Write the time in Korean
In Korean, the time is told in the following format:
[pure Korean number]시 [Sino-Korean number]분
|
1:12 |
1시 12분 |
한 시 십이 분 |
|
3:58 |
3시 58분 |
세 시 오십팔 분 |
|
7:08 |
7시 8분 |
일곱 시 팔 분 |
|
9:33 |
9시 33분 |
아홉 시 삼십삼 분 |
|
11:47 |
11시 47분 |
열한 시 사십칠 분 |
To say "thirty", we can say 반.
|
2:30 |
2시 반 |
두 시 반 |
To ask the time and respond, the following phrases are possible.
몇 시예요?
→ What time is it?
3시예요.
→ It is 3:00.
1시 20분이에요.
→ It is 1:20.
The 12-hour system and specifying the time of day.
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Exercises
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Traveling to South Korea can be an unforgettable experience. But when you don’t speak Korean, everything gets more complicated: ordering in a restaurant or café becomes stressful, you can’t understand signs or directions, asking for help in case of trouble is nearly impossible, and most importantly, you miss out on the very essence of a successful trip to Korea: connecting with the locals.
Since English - Korean machine translators can’t always be trusted (the two languages work in completely different ways), it’s essential to prepare yourself in advance to fully enjoy your trip to South Korea!
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