30. Numerals

There are two sets of numerals in Korean. The first set is native Korean numerals, (1 to 99), and the second set is Sino-Korean numerals (i.e., borrowed from Chinese), from zero to infinity.

Native Korean Numbers

Before nouns and counting words, the numerals 하나 /hana/, 둘 /tuɭ/, 셋 /sʰet/, 넷 /net/ and 스물 /sʰɯmuɭ/ are shortened to 한 /han/, 두 /tu/, 세 /sʰe/, 네 /ne/ and 스무 /sʰɯmu/.

Chinese Numbers

The names of tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. are formed according to the scheme: prime number + 10, 100, 1000 и т. д.

For example:

삼십 /sʰam ɕʰip/ – 30; 오십 /o ɕʰip/ – 50; 구백 /ku bɛk/ – 900, 이천 /i t͡ɕʰʌ̹n/ – 2000

Compound numerals are formed according to the same pattern as with Korean numerals:

삼십오 /sʰam ɕʰibo/ – 35; 구십일 /ku ɕʰibiɭ/ – 91; 이백팔십사 /ibɛk pʰaɭɕip sʰa/ – 284; 육백삼십 /jukpɛk sʰamɕʰip/ – 630

Note the difference in the digits. Whereas in English, ‘thousand’ is followed by ‘million’, in Korean, ‘thousand’ is followed by ‘ten thousand’ (만), and then ‘one hundred million’ (억). Thus, ‘million’ in Korean would be 백만 /pɛŋman/ ‘one hundred man’.

31. Ordinal Numbers

Korean ordinal numbers are formed from cardinal numbers with the ending 째 /t͡ɕt͡ɕɛ = t͡ɕ͈ɛ/: 둘째 /ˈtuɭt͡ɕ͈ɛ/ ‘second’; 다섯째 /tasʰʌ̹tt͡ɕ͈ɛ/ ‘fifth’; 스물째 /sʰɯmuɭt͡ɕ͈ɛ/ ‘twentieth’. The exception is the word for ‘first’ – 첫째 /t͡ɕʰʌ̹tt͡ɕ͈ɛ/.

Chinese ordinal numbers are formed with the prefix 제 /t͡ɕe/: 제일 /t͡ɕeiɭ/ ‘first’; 제삼 /t͡ɕesʰam/ ‘third’; 제육 /t͡ɕejuk/ ‘sixth’.

32. Dates

The names of the months in Korean are formed according to the model:

Chinese numeral + 월 /wʌ̹ɭ/ ‘month’:

일월 (정월)		January
이월		February
삼월		March
사월		April
오월		May
유월		June
칠월		July
팔월		August
구월		September
시월		October
십일월		November
십이월		December

However, if we want to say ‘one month’, ‘three months’, etc., we should use not the Chinese word 월 /wʌ̹ɭ/, but the native Korean word 달 /taɭ/ with the Korean numeral: 한 달 /han taɭ/ etc.

The whole date is written in Korean in the following sequence: year + month + day. For example, ‘28 August 1998’ would be 천구백구십팔년 팔월 이십팔일 /t͡ɕʰʌ̹ngubɛk kuɕʰippʰaɭɭʌ̹n pʰarwʌ̹ɭ iɕʰip pʰariɭ/.

년 /ɲʌ̹n, njʌ̹n/ ‘year’

일 /iɭ/ ‘day’

33. Days of the Week

In Korean, the days of the week are formed by adding to the word 요일 /joiɭ/ ‘day of the week’ one of the hieroglyphic names of the elements in Korean traditional philosophy.

34. Time

The words 시 /ɕʰi/ ‘hour’; 분 /pun/ ‘minute’; 초 /t͡ɕʰo/ ‘second’. Korean numerals are used to indicate hours, while Chinese numerals are used to indicate minutes and seconds. For example:

다섯시 이십오분 /tasʰʌ̹ɕʰ ɕʰi iɕʰibo bun/ – 5 hours 25 minutes

The word 반 /pan/ is used to express the meaning of half an hour: 여섯시 반 (jʌ̹sʰʌ̹ɕ ɕ͈i pan) is 6 hours and 30 minutes. The first half of the day is called 오전 /ˈod͡ʑʌ̹n/, the second half of the day is 오후 /ohu/. For example: 오후 세시 /ohu sʰeɕʰi/ – 3 p.m.

The word 시간 /ɕʰigan/ is used to denote an hour as a time span, and the word 동안 /toŋan/ ‘during’.

During/For three hours (and) ten minutes – 세시간 십분 동안 /sʰe ɕʰigan ɕʰip pun toŋan/.

35. Counters

Unlike English, in Korean most nouns are uncountable. Therefore, when counting, it is necessary to use so-called ‘counting words’ (also: count words, counters, classifiers). Here are the most common ones:

명		(counter) for people (polite 분 /pun/)
마리		any type of animals, such as cats, birds, and even fish
대		for automobiles and planes
기		for devices, instruments
권		for books
장		for flat objects
자루		for pencils, brushes, thin cylindrical objects
알		for round objects
송이		for flowers
병		for bottles
잔		for cups, glasses
갑		for cases, packs etc.
벌		for clothes
켤레		for paired objects

The almost universal word 개 (kɛ/gɛ) ‘item, piece’ is used in counting many objects.

The word 사람 /ˈsʰaram/, like other words referring to people, can be used without a counting word, that is, it is countable.

The counting complex is formed in the following ways:

1) Noun + numeral + counting word.

방 두 개 /pan tu gɛ/ – two rooms (room two items)

고양이 세 마리 /kojaŋi sʰe mari/ – three cats (cat three items)

The case ending is added to the last word of the counting complex: 연필 두 자루를 봅니다 /jʌ̹npʰiɭ tu t͡ɕarurɯɭ pomnida/ ‘I see two pencils’.

2) Numeral + counting word + particle 의 /e/ + noun.

두 개의 방 /tu gɛe pan/ – two rooms

세 마리의 고양이 /sʰe marie kojaŋi/ – three cats

This form is usually used in written language.

In interrogative sentences, the question word 몇 /mjʌ̹t/ ‘how many’ takes the place of the numeral:

고양이 몇 마리가 방에 있습니까? /kojaŋi mjʌ̹t mariga paŋe issɯmnikka?/ How many cats are (there) in the room?

학생 몇 명이 교실에 있습니까? /haksɛŋ mjʌ̹t mjʌ̹ŋe kjoɕʰire issɯmnikka?/ How many students are (there) in the classroom?