Telling Time and Dates in Korean Without Getting Confused

Making plans, catching trains, and booking restaurants all require time and dates. Korean has a clear system for these, but it mixes the two number systems in a way that can trip up learners. This guide walks through each piece step by step.

Hours: native Korean numbers

Hours use native Korean numbers with the counter 시.

• 한 시 (one o'clock), 두 시, 세 시, 네 시, 다섯 시, 여섯 시
• 일곱 시, 여덟 시, 아홉 시, 열 시, 열한 시, 열두 시

• 지금 몇 시예요?

  [jigeum myeot sieyo]

  What time is it now?

• 세 시예요.

  [se sieyo]

  It's three o'clock.

Minutes: Sino-Korean numbers

Minutes use Sino-Korean numbers with 분.

• 네 시 십오 분이에요.

  [ne si sibo bunieyo]

  It's four fifteen.

• 일곱 시 사십 분에 만나요.

  [ilgop si sasip bune mannayo]

  Let's meet at seven forty.

For half past, you can say 삼십 분 or simply 반 (half).

• 두 시 반에 출발해요.

  [du si bane chulbalhaeyo]

  We leave at two thirty.

Morning, afternoon, evening

Korean usually uses words instead of a.m. and p.m. in conversation.

• 새벽: early morning, before dawn
• 아침: morning
• 오전: a.m., before noon
• 점심: lunchtime, midday
• 오후: p.m., afternoon
• 저녁: evening
• 밤: night

• 오후 두 시에 회의가 있어요.

  [ohu du sie hoeuiga isseoyo]

  I have a meeting at two in the afternoon.

• 밤 열한 시에 자요.

  [bam yeolhan sie jayo]

  I go to bed at eleven at night.

Days of the week

• 월요일 (Monday), 화요일 (Tuesday), 수요일 (Wednesday), 목요일 (Thursday)
• 금요일 (Friday), 토요일 (Saturday), 일요일 (Sunday)

The first syllables come from the moon, fire, water, wood, metal, earth, and sun.

• 오늘 무슨 요일이에요?

  [oneul museun yoirieyo]

  What day is it today?

• 금요일이에요.

  [geumyoirieyo]

  It's Friday.

Months: Sino-Korean numbers plus 월

Months are simply Sino-Korean numbers with 월. Two months change slightly: June is 유월, not 육월, and October is 시월, not 십월.

• 삼월

  [samwol]

  March

• 유월

  [yuwol]

  June

• 시월

  [siwol]

  October

• 십이월

  [sibiwol]

  December

Dates: Sino-Korean numbers plus 일

Dates follow the order year, month, day, with 년, 월, and 일.

• 오늘은 구월 이십팔 일이에요.

  [oneureun guwol isippallirieyo]

  Today is September twenty-eighth.

• 생일이 몇 월 며칠이에요?

  [saengiri myeot wol myeochirieyo]

  What's the date of your birthday?

The question word for the date is 며칠 (what date). It is also used to ask "how many days."

Relative time words

• 그저께 (the day before yesterday), 어제 (yesterday), 오늘 (today)
• 내일 (tomorrow), 모레 (the day after tomorrow)
• 지난주 (last week), 이번 주 (this week), 다음 주 (next week)

• 모레 시간 있어요?

  [more sigan isseoyo]

  Are you free the day after tomorrow?

Duration

To say how long something takes, use 시간 (hours) with native numbers and 분 (minutes) with Sino-Korean numbers.

• 두 시간 삼십 분 걸려요.

  [du sigan samsip bun geollyeoyo]

  It takes two and a half hours.

• 몇 시간 걸려요?

  [myeot sigan geollyeoyo]

  How many hours does it take?

Practice idea

Look at your schedule for the week and say each plan in Korean: the day, the time, and the activity. For example, "Tuesday at six in the evening, I have yoga."

• 화요일 저녁 여섯 시에 요가를 해요.

  [hwayoil jeonyeok yeoseot sie yogareul haeyo]

  On Tuesday at six in the evening, I do yoga.

Time and dates combine everything you know about numbers. Practice them daily with real plans, and you will be ready to make appointments and catch trains in Korean.