Korean Numbers — How to Count in Korean (Native vs Sino)

Learning Korean Numbers — How to Count in Korean (Native vs Sino) is one of the very first skills you need as a beginner, and here is the honest truth: Korean actually has two completely separate number systems. Yes, two. Before you panic, take a breath — both systems only take a few hours to learn, and once you understand when to use each one, everything falls into place beautifully. Thousands of my students have cracked this in a single study session, and you absolutely can too.

The first system is called Sino-Korean — numbers borrowed from Chinese centuries ago. The second is the Native Korean system, which is purely Korean in origin. Think of it like English having both “one, two, three” AND “first, second, third” — two sets of words for numbers, each used in different situations. In Korean, you use Sino-Korean for things like prices, phone numbers, dates, and floors of a building. You use Native Korean for counting objects, people, and telling someone your age in casual speech.

In this lesson, you will learn both systems from absolute zero — every number written in Korean script (한글), romanized so you can read it immediately, and broken into English sounds so your mouth knows exactly what to do. By the end, you will be counting confidently in Korean. Let’s go!

The Korean Alphabet — A 30-Second Orientation

Korean is written in a script called 한글 (hangeul) [HAN-gul] — “the Korean alphabet.” Do not worry about mastering it right now. Every Korean word in this lesson comes with a romanization (English letters showing pronunciation) AND an English phonetic guide using only familiar English sounds. You have everything you need to start speaking Korean numbers today.

Sino-Korean Numbers — For Prices, Dates & Phone Numbers

The Sino-Korean number system is the one you will use most often when dealing with money, dates, minutes, months, and phone numbers. The great news? It is incredibly logical — once you know 1 through 10, building larger numbers is just simple addition and multiplication. For example, 11 is literally “ten-one” (십일), 20 is “two-ten” (이십), and 35 is “three-ten-five” (삼십오). No irregular forms. Pure logic.

To build numbers beyond 10 in Sino-Korean, you simply combine: 십 (sip) [SHEEP] — “ten” + the digit. So 15 becomes 십오 (sibo) [SHEEP-oh] — “fifteen,” and 100 is 백 (baek) [BAEK] — “one hundred.” This system truly rewards you the more you learn.

Native Korean Numbers — For Counting Objects & Ages

Native Korean numbers are used when you count physical things — books, people, cups of coffee — and when stating your age informally. They only go up to 99 in everyday use, and the most important ones are 1 through 10. Fair warning: these are less predictable than Sino-Korean, so you do need to memorize them individually. But with the phonetic guides below, you will have them down faster than you think.