LEARN + KOREAN / Note 14 TOPIK I
What Time Is It? (몇 시예요?)
a
Every hint so far about native versus Sino-Korean numbers pays off here. The hour uses native numbers, the same ones from 하나 주세요: 한 시, 두 시, 열두 시. The minutes switch to Sino-Korean, the 일, 이, 삼 set: 일 분, 이십 분, 오십구 분. One clock, two number systems, and no way around learning both.
The Hour
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
han si | 1 o'clock |
du si | 2 o'clock |
se si | 3 o'clock |
ne si | 4 o'clock |
daseot si | 5 o'clock |
yeoseot si | 6 o'clock |
ilgop si | 7 o'clock |
yeodeol si | 8 o'clock |
ahop si | 9 o'clock |
yeol si | 10 o'clock |
yeolhan si | 11 o'clock |
yeoldu si | 12 o'clock |
In Real Life
This is the one sentence where the two number systems actually collide: 여덟 시 이십 분 (8:20) is native Korean for the hour immediately followed by Sino-Korean for the minutes, in the same breath. There’s no partial credit for mixing them up, native numbers never label minutes and Sino-Korean numbers never label the hour.
From, Until, When It Starts
부터 (from) and 까지 (until) bracket a time range. 시 attaches straight to the hour for a single point in time.
In Real Life
오전/오후 (AM/PM) mostly shows up when there’s real ambiguity, a train schedule, an exam time, a formal appointment. In everyday conversation Koreans lean on context the same way English speakers do: “meet you at 7” doesn’t need “PM” attached if it’s obviously evening.
Vocabulary
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
ojeon | AM |
ohu | PM |
si | hour |
bun | minute |
ban | half past |
achim | morning |
jeomsim | lunch |
jeonyeok | dinner |
neutda | to be late |
iljjik | early |
ittaga | later, in a bit |
got | soon |