Two number systems
Korean has two sets of numbers, and choosing the right one is one of the most common listening mistakes in the EPS-TOPIK.
- Sino-Korean (일, 이, 삼, 사, 오...) for money, phone numbers, dates, minutes and floors: 삼만 오천 원 (35,000 won), 유월 십오일 (15 June).
- Native Korean (하나, 둘, 셋, 넷...) for counting things and people, for hours and for age: 사과 세 개 (three apples), 네 시 (4 o'clock), 스무 살 (20 years old).
Time uses both at once: 네 시 삼십 분 is 4:30, with a native number for the hour and a Sino-Korean number for the minutes.
Sound changes to listen for
- Before a counter, native numbers get shorter: 하나 → 한, 둘 → 두, 셋 → 세, 넷 → 네, 스물 → 스무.
- June and October change: 유월 (not 육월) and 시월 (not 십월).
- Big numbers group by 10,000 (만), not by 1,000. 35,000 is 삼만 오천: "three ten-thousands, five thousand".
How to practise
Choose a type, listen, and type the number in digits. Times can be typed as 4:30, dates as month/day. After each answer you see how it is written and said, with a short note on the rule. Ten questions make a round.
The sounds come from your device's Korean voice, so no audio files need to download. If your device has no Korean voice, the text is shown instead and you can practise reading.