Cours de coréen ᚛ Level 2 - Korean for Beginners #1 (Lessons 31 to 60) ᚛ Leçon 40 - Tell the time in Korean
Tell the time in Korean
Telling the time in Korean is not a difficult task, but it is necessary to navigate between the language's two number systems. That means:
- hours use pure Korean numbers
- minutes and seconds use Sino-Korean numbers
Counting hours in Korean
To count hours, we use pure Korean numbers, placing them before the word 시.
For example:
- 5:00 is said 5시, that is 다섯 시.
- 7:00 is said 7시, that is 일곱 시.
Note that pure Korean numbers that end in 1, 2, 3, or 4 lose their final character in order to make pronunciation flow more smoothly:
- 1 - 하나 becomes 한
- 2 - 둘 becomes 두
- 3 - 셋 becomes 세
- 4 - 넷 becomes 네
This rule not only applies for hours, but also for any time a pure Korean number is used to number something, which we will see in more detail in the next chapter.
Some examples:
|
2:00 |
2시 |
두 시 |
|
3:00 |
3시 |
세 시 |
|
6:00 |
6시 |
여섯 시 |
|
8:00 |
8시 |
여덟 시 |
|
10:00 |
10시 |
열 시 |
|
11:00 |
11시 |
열한 시 |
If you want to specify the exact hour, you can use the term 정각.
9시 정각
→ 9 o’clock sharp. / Exactly 9 o’clock.
Count minutes in Korean
To count minutes, we use Sino-Korean numbers, placing them in front of the word 분.
For example:
- 45min is said 45분, that is 사십오 분.
- 22min is said 22분, that is 이십이 분.
Write the time in Korean
In Korean, the time is told in the following format:
[pure Korean number]시 [Sino-Korean number]분
|
1:12 |
1시 12분 |
한 시 십이 분 |
|
3:58 |
3시 58분 |
세 시 오십팔 분 |
|
7:08 |
7시 8분 |
일곱 시 팔 분 |
|
9:33 |
9시 33분 |
아홉 시 삼십삼 분 |
|
11:47 |
11시 47분 |
열한 시 사십칠 분 |
To say "thirty", we can say 반.
|
2:30 |
2시 반 |
두 시 반 |
To ask the time and respond, the following phrases are possible.
몇 시예요?
→ What time is it?
3시예요.
→ It is 3:00.
1시 20분이에요.
→ It is 1:20.
The 12-hour system and specifying the time of day.
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Exercises
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Les nombres font partie des bases indispensables de toute langue, mais en coréen, ils représentent souvent un véritable obstacle. Deux systèmes de nombres coexistent et s’emploient dans des contextes précis qu’il faut connaître. Leur prononciation, influencée par des phénomènes propres au coréen, déroute souvent les apprenants. Et, sans comprendre les classificateurs numériques, il devient impossible d’utiliser correctement les nombres au quotidien : dire son âge, commander des plats, fixer un rendez-vous, indiquer un prix…
La formation Les nombres coréens et leurs secrets vous donne toutes les clés pour surmonter ces difficultés. Vous y apprendrez à distinguer et utiliser les deux systèmes de nombres, à prononcer naturellement grâce aux audios natifs, à employer sans erreur les classificateurs, et à manier les nombres dans des situations concrètes comme l’heure, la date, les quantités ou encore les mathématiques. Des points de culture et anecdotes viennent enrichir le contenu pour rendre l’apprentissage vivant et pertinent.
Pour garantir des résultats durables, 5 modules d’entraînement illimité vous permettent de pratiquer autant que nécessaire, jusqu’à ce que les nombres en coréen deviennent un réflexe !
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