Korean Age
The Korean age system differs from the international system, resulting in unique cultural and linguistic patterns for expressing age.
Understanding Korean Age
In Korea, there are two main systems:
- 한국 나이 (hanguk nai) — traditional Korean age.
- 만 나이 (man nai) — international age.
How Korean Age Works
Korean age calculation follows these rules:
- A baby is considered 1 year old at birth.
- Everyone gets one year older on January 1st.
- Your Korean age is typically 1-2 years older than your international age.
For instance, if someone is born on December 31st, they are considered 1 year old on that day. They turn 2 years old the following day (January 1st), despite being technically only 2 days old.
Why Do Koreans Count Age Differently?
The Korean age system originates from East Asian cultural traditions, where age counted from conception rather than birth. This cultural background has maintained the Korean age counting even today, especially for social and cultural reasons. Despite recent trends to adopt international age more widely in official contexts, Korean age is still widely recognized in daily life, especially when it comes to interactions that involve respect and seniority.
Formal vs Casual Age Expression
In Korean, age can be expressed in two main ways:
살 (sal) — used in casual situations with Native Korean numbers.
세 (se) — used in formal situations with Sino-Korean numbers.
Here are examples of how age is expressed at different honorific levels. Note that 살 (sal) is used in casual speech, while 세 (se) is used in formal contexts:
| Example | Writing | Pronunciation | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 years old | 5살 | 다섯 살 | |
| 25 years old | 25살 | 스물다섯 살 | |
| 45 years old | 45살 | 마흔다섯 살 |
| Example | Writing | Pronunciation | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 years old | 5세 | 오 세 | |
| 25 years old | 25세 | 이십오 세 | |
| 45 years old | 45세 | 사십오 세 |
Quick Summary Table
| Example | Writing | Pronunciation | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 years old (casual) | 스물 살 | seymul sal | |
| 25 years old (formal) | 이십오 세 | i-sip-o se | |
| 100 years old (casual) | 백 살 | baek sal | |
| 100 years old (formal) | 백 세 | baek se |