Are you able to tell time in the Korean language? Being able to tell time in Korean will become a very useful skill that you can learn when you socialize with the people around you. In this post, we will explore how to tell time in Korean so that you can plan a meeting with your Korean friends or co-workers or describe your daily routine to them.

Have you been struggling with numbers and telling time in Korean? If you are not familiar with Korean numbering systems or need to review them, please follow this link to help with your understanding of Korean numbers and how to tell time, SOS: HELP with Korean Numbers and Counters.

“지금 몇 시예요? (What time is it now?)”

The Pure Korean numbers are used to tell ____ 시 (the hours), and the Sino Korean numbers are used to tell ____ 분 (the minutes) and ____ 초 (the seconds). Therefore, 2:30 is 두 시 삼십 분. I understand that these two different numbering systems seem somewhat complicated for now, but pretty soon you will be able to tell time in Korean without thinking about the numbering systems. Just remember, practice makes perfect.

Are you ready to check your understanding? Can you tell the following time?

1. 6:30
2. 12:45
3. 5:15
4. 7:00
5. 10:25

 

Are you ready to check your answers?

1. 여섯 시 삼십 분 = 여섯 시  반
2. 열두 시 사십오  분
3. 다섯 시 십오  분
4. 일곱 시
5. 열 시 이십오  분

 

Furthermore, you can add  오전 (a.m.)  or 오후 (p.m.) before the hours to specify whether you are talking about morning or afternoon hours, such as 오전 6시 30분 (6:30 a.m.)  or 오후 5시 15분 (5:15 p.m.).

ex) 몇 시에 한국어를 공부해요?  (What time do you study Korean?)

              오후 5시에 한국어를 공부해요. (I study Korean at 5:00 p.m.)

I hope this post will help you to become familiar with telling time in Korean.

감사합니다! (Thank you!)