Time in Korean

To express time in Korean, both Native Korean and Sino-Korean number systems are used, each serving distinct purposes.

Telling Time

Hours

Hours are expressed with Native Korean numbers, using 시 (si) for 'hour'.

ExampleWritingPronunciationPlay
1 o'clock한 시han si
2 o'clock두 시du si
3 o'clock세 시se si
12 o'clock열두 시yeoldu si

Minutes

Minutes are expressed with Sino-Korean numbers, using 분 (bun) for 'minute'.

ExampleWritingPronunciationPlay
10 minutes십 분sip bun
15 minutes십오 분sip-o bun
30 minutes삼십 분sam-sip bun
45 minutes사십오 분sa-sip-o bun

Time Periods

To indicate AM or PM, the words 오전 (ojeon) and 오후 (ohu) are used before the time.

ExampleWritingPronunciationPlay
AM오전ojeon
PM오후ohu

Examples

ExampleWritingPronunciationPlay
8:30 AM오전 여덟 시 삼십 분ojeon yeodeol si sam-sip bun
2:15 PM오후 두 시 십오 분ohu du si sip-o bun
11:45 AM오전 열한 시 사십오 분ojeon yeolhan si sa-sip-o bun
7:10 PM오후 일곱 시 십 분ohu ilgop si sip bun
Score: 0/5
How do you say '3:30 PM' in Korean?

Counting Time

When counting duration of time, name for hours changes to 시간 (si-gan). Key points to remember:

  • 시간 (si-gan) is used for counting hours
  • 분 (bun) is used for counting minutes
  • Hours use Native Korean numbers with 시간
  • Minutes use Sino-Korean numbers with 분

Counting Hours

ExampleWritingPronunciationPlay
1 hour한 시간han si-gan
2 hours두 시간du si-gan
3 hours세 시간se si-gan
10 hours열 시간yeol si-gan

Counting Minutes

ExampleWritingPronunciationPlay
1 minute일 분il bun
5 minutes오 분o bun
10 minutes십 분sip bun
30 minutes삼십 분sam-sip bun

Using 'Half an Hour'

In Korean, 반 (ban) is used to indicate 'half' both when telling time and to express duration. For example:

  • 한 시간 반 means 1.5 hours
  • 두 시간 반 means 2.5 hours
  • 세 시 반 means 3:30
  • 네 시 반 means 4:30
Score: 0/11
What does '한 시간 반' mean?
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