Sino-Korean Numbers

Sino-Korean numbers originate from a Chinese-based numbering system introduced to Korea through historical and cultural exchanges. This system is used for a wide range of applications, including dates, money, measurements, counting large quantities, and math.

Basic Numbers (0-10)

Note:

• 영 (yeong) is used for temperature and math
• 공 (gong) is used for phone numbers and sequences

Forming Numbers (11-99)

Each multiple of ten is formed by combining a basic number with 십 (sip).

Forming numbers up to 99

Combine multiples of 10 with base numbers.

Building Larger Numbers

As numbers increase, Sino-Korean numbers follow a structured pattern based on place values, simplifying the formation and reading of large numbers.

Key number names to remember:

Hundreds (100-999)

Numbers from 100 to 999 are formed using 백 (baek), which means "hundred". The pattern is: [number of] + 백 + [tens and ones].

Thousands (1,000-9,999)

Numbers from 1,000 to 9,999 use 천 (cheon), which means "thousand". The pattern is: [number of] + 천 + [hundreds, tens, and ones].

Ten Thousands (10,000-99,999)

만 (man), which means 'ten thousand', is used for numbers from 10,000:

Note: For the number 10,000, 만 is used instead of 일만.

Number Formation Visualization

How Sino-Korean numbers are structured using place values:

Compare with the resulting numbers:

Key points to remember when forming large numbers:

• 만 (10,000) serves as the primary grouping unit.
• 일 is omitted before place values (십, 백, 천, 만, 억). It is only used in the ones place (e.g. 십일).
• Zero digits and their place values are skipped when reading the number.