In Korean there are two number systems: the Sino-Korean and the Native Korean or Pure Korean. Which numbering system you use depends on what you are counting.
In this lesson we will learn the Sino Korean numbering system.
The Sino Korean numbering system is used when counting:
age, date, phone numbers, addresses, floors in a building, money, temperature, measurement (such as distance, height, weight, volume), minutes, seconds, but not hours. The Sino Korean numbering system is is also the preferred system for high numbers (over 100)
The Native Korean numbering system, on the other hand, is used for counting:
hours, people and things, and age. (Both systems can be used for telling your age)
So let's learn this Sino Korean numbering system. It's really simple. I can teach you numbers 1 to 999,999,999,999 and you only have to memorize 14 words and do some simple math. When I say simple math I mean REALLY simple math, the easiest math you can imagine.
ALRIGHT! Let's start with zero.
Zero is either yeong or gong. Use yeong most of the time, but people often say gong for things like phone numbers. Much like in English when we often say "oh" instead of zero. You can remember that zero is yeong because, well, if your age is zero, then you are very "young". You can remember zero is gong because a gong is a metal disk that you can hit to make a noise, and its shape is round like a number zero.
Now let's look at the numbers from one to ten. Once we get to ten I'll tell you a little story to help you memorize these first ten numbers easily.
To make it easier to remember these numbers I have a story that you can use. To be honest, I got this idea from another person. Her video is linked HERE and she tells the story, probably, better than I do. OKAY, this is The Story of Young, Silly Sam. Young, silly Sam saw something and said
"oh, yuck!"
His friends, who are accustomed to his over reactions, said
"Chill, pal."
But he insisted, and pointed to was he saw while exclaiming
"GOO SHEEP!"
When his friends turned to look they saw sheep covered in goo.
So let's go over that again:
Young, Silly Sam saw "oh, yuck!" "chill, pal." "GOO SHEEP!"
Now you do have that remember that it is "eel", and not "sill"; and that it is "yook", and not "yuck"; also "cheel", and not "chill". But this story helped me remember the numbers.
Beyond ten is where the simple math comes in. Eleven is just ten plus one. So we call it ten-one:
sip-il 십일
Remember this word? I have used it as an example before. When we have a syllable that begins with a nothing consonant it is pronounced as if the consonant from the bottom of the previous syllable has moved in to the place where the nothing consonant is. Eleven is pronounced "shee-beel" si-bil
and twelve? We call that ten-two: shi-bi 십이
and so on:
This numbering system is beautifully predictable.
Now, how do we say 20? Well, 20 is 2 multiplied by 10 so we call it two-ten.
i-sip
How do we say 21? The same way we do in English. We say 20 then we say 1.
ee sheep eel oh but pronunciation rules
ee shee beel REMEMBER: no sheep eels. eel + sheep = no love
It goes on as predicted.
Then we get to thirty. Well to say twenty we said two-ten. Take a guess at how you say thirty. Yup three-ten
sam sheep
then we can count 31-39 the same method we used 21-29
I bet you won't be surprised to see what the pattern is for multiples of ten up to 90:
Now we're at 100
You can count 100-199 by adding the numbers 1-99 onto baek.
For Example:
Now, to say two hundred it's just like English: say two and say hundred:
i baek
300? sam baek
you now know how to count to 999.
But how do we say thousand?
all the way up! But, let's stop 9,000. Because we can't use this pattern for multiples of 1000 over 9,000.
To say ten thousand we can't do it like English and say ten and thousand. We get a whole new word:
and you can still keep going after that!
up to 1,000,000 and we can still keep the pattern going!
We continue with this pattern: just sticking bigger and bigger numbers in front of tenthousand, or in front of man.
Until we get to tenthousand tenthousand. Man man? NO!
tenthousand multiplied by tenthousand is 100,000,000
and we call that "eok"
You can now say all the numbers up to 999,999,999,999.
You just keep putting bigger numbers infront of eok.
When you get to 1 billion that's si-beok.
How do we say 999,999,999,999
Let's figure it out. First how many 100millions? how many eoks?
answer: 9,999. How do find that number quickly? Well you can think: where is the 100 millions column in this number?
999,999,999,999 right here! and take all the digits in front of that.
999,999,999,999
goocheon goobaek gooship goo eok
That's how many eoks, and now how many mans? How many tenthousands?
Find that 10thousands column and take every digit up to the 100millions digit.
999,999,999,999
goocheon goobaek gooship goo man
and the last part of the number
999,999,999,999
goocheon goobaek gooship goo
So altogether lets say the highest numbr we know in Korean
goocheon goobaek gooship goo eok
goocheon goobaek gooship goo man
goocheon goobaek gooship goo
So, those commas that we like to use in our numbers didnt really help us with the Sino Korean numbering system did they? In English we get a new word every three digits :
999,999,999,999
billion, million, thousand
but in Sino Korean we get a new word every 4 digits. It would be so much easier to see how to pronounce a large number if you put the commas like this
9999,9999,9999
eok, man
But they don't do that! They do it the way we do. Go figure!
Let's review the vocabulary really quick.
Use the story to help you remember how to count to 10. Counting is relatively easy, but being able to recall the numbers at random is something else. You'll know you've really got a hold on this vocabulary when you can recite a list of numbers like this:
Here are some large numbers. figure out how to say them in Korean if you like. Answers are below. If you want more practice you can, of course, come up with your own numbers.
Next lesson is on the Native Korean numbering system. Thanks for studying with me.
Watch The Lesson Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLlaE1fASiw
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