Lesson Objectives
- Learn the 15 native Korean number roots (1–20, plus 30 · 40 · 50 · 60 · 70 · 80 · 90)
- Understand the 5 irregular short forms used before counters (한 두 세 네 스무)
- Learn 7 essential counters: 개 명 잔 권 마리 장 번
- Know exactly when to use native Korean vs Sino-Korean numbers
- Build natural counting phrases: 사과 세 개, 커피 두 잔, 사람 다섯 명
Building on Lesson 14
Lesson 14 covered Sino-Korean numbers — the system used for money, dates, and minutes. Today is the second system: Native Korean (고유어 숫자). These are older Korean-origin words used for counting objects, stating hours, and expressing age. Both systems coexist — you need both. This lesson completes the picture.
Same number, two completely different words
1–10 fully compared. Notice that native Korean numbers are generally longer and less regular than Sino-Korean. They also have short contracted forms used before counters — these appear in Part 3.
| # | Native Korean | Sino-Korean (L14) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 하나ha-na | 일il |
| 2 | 둘dul | 이i |
| 3 | 셋set | 삼sam |
| 4 | 넷net | 사sa |
| 5 | 다섯da-seot | 오o |
| 6 | 여섯yeo-seot | 육yuk |
| 7 | 일곱il-gop | 칠chil |
| 8 | 여덟yeo-deol | 팔pal |
| 9 | 아홉a-hop | 구gu |
| 10 | 열yeol | 십sip |
하나부터 열까지 — One to Ten
Say each number aloud, then tap to reveal the romanization and short form used before counters.
👆 Say it — then tap to reveal pronunciation and short form
열하나 to 스물 — 11 through 20
Native Korean teens are formed like Sino-Korean — 열 (10) + unit. But 20 has its own word: 스물 (seumul). Tap to see.
30 = 서른 (seo-reun) · 40 = 마흔 (ma-heun) · 50 = 쉰 (shwin) · 60 = 예순 (ye-sun) · 70 = 일흔 (il-heun) · 80 = 여든 (yeo-deun) · 90 = 아흔 (a-heun)
These are irregular words — each one is its own root with no pattern. Native Korean numbers are only commonly used up to 99, after which Sino-Korean takes over for most contexts.
Before a counter, 4 numbers shorten
When a native Korean number is immediately followed by a counter word, the first four numbers — and 스물 — contract into shorter forms. This is one of the trickiest parts of the system. Tap each card to reveal the short form.
👆 Think of the short form — then tap to reveal
7 essential counter words
Korean uses counter words (similar to "a cup of", "a piece of" in English) between the noun and the number. Structure: noun + number + counter. Each counter applies to a specific category of thing.
👆 Tap each counter to expand with examples
Total items in your active deck
Two number systems complete. Adding native numbers and 7 counters puts you past 75 items — and unlocks the ability to talk about quantities of almost anything.
The decision table
This is the most important reference in today's lesson. When you encounter a number in Korean, you need to know which system it belongs to. Here is the complete guide.
| Situation | Number system | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Counting objects | Native Korean | 사과 세 개sa-gwa se gae |
| Hours of the clock | Native Korean | 세 시se si — 3 o'clock |
| Minutes | Sino-Korean | 삼십 분sam-sip bun — 30 minutes |
| Age | Native Korean | 스물다섯 살seu-mul-da-seot sal — 25 years old |
| Money (원) | Sino-Korean | 오천 원o-cheon won — 5,000 won |
| Dates (month / day) | Sino-Korean | 삼월 십오일sam-wol si-bo-il — March 15 |
| People (명 counter) | Native Korean | 네 명ne myeong — four people |
| Phone numbers / addresses | Sino-Korean | 010-팔삼-사오육칠digit by digit |
| School grades / floors | Sino-Korean | 삼 층sam cheung — 3rd floor |
If you're counting physical things or people with a counter word → Native Korean.
If you're dealing with money, time (minutes), dates, or institutional numbering → Sino-Korean.
Hours are the trickiest: hours = Native, minutes = Sino. 두 시 삼십 분 = 2:30. Two different systems in one time expression.
Build the full counting phrase — then tap to check
Each card gives you the quantity and thing in English. Construct the complete Korean counting phrase (noun + number + counter). Remember: short forms for 1–4 and 스물.
👆 Build the phrase — then tap to reveal
왜 두 가지 숫자? — Why Two Number Systems?
Native Korean numbers are the original counting system — they predate writing and reflect how Koreans counted before Chinese influence arrived with Buddhism and Confucian scholarship around the 4th century. Sino-Korean numbers came with Chinese script and were adopted for formal, institutional, and mathematical contexts. Over centuries, the two systems settled into distinct roles rather than one replacing the other.
Today the divide is largely intuitive for native speakers, but for learners it requires deliberate practice. A useful way to think about it: Native Korean is the system you use when you're in the physical world, counting tangible things and describing real time (hours, age). Sino-Korean is the system you use when you're in institutional or abstract space — money, calendars, phone numbers, addresses. The overlap is small. When in doubt and something sounds wrong, it's usually a system mismatch.
📚 Lesson 16 Homework
Before Lesson 17…
Write 하나 둘 셋 넷 다섯 여섯 일곱 여덟 아홉 열 from memory — then write the five short forms underneath: 한 두 세 네 (스무). These 15 items are the core of this lesson. If any letter is wrong, write the correct version 5 times.
Count real objects around you right now using the correct counter. Find three things you'd count with 개, one person to count with 명, and say what time it is in Korean using 시 and 분. Spoken out loud.
Add all 7 counters to your flashcard deck with a concrete example for each. The example is more important than the definition — it gives the counter context. Aim: see the counter, hear the category it applies to.
Practice the two-system time expression: pick five random times (eg. 4:15, 7:45, 12:30, 9:05, 11:20) and say them in Korean. Remember: hours = Native, minutes = Sino. Getting 2:30 right as 두 시 삼십 분 is the test.
Lesson 17 preview: Days of the week, months, and calendar vocabulary. You'll need your Sino-Korean numbers for months (삼월 = March) and your sense of the calendar to place vocabulary like 어제 (yesterday), 오늘 (today), 내일 (tomorrow), and 주말 (weekend). Very satisfying lesson — the language starts mapping onto real life.