Introduction
Have you ever wanted to schedule a meeting, book a ticket, or tell a friend when your birthday is but struggled with expressing dates and times in Korean? Worry no more! This guide will take you through the essentials of mastering dates and times in Korean, complete with example sentences and tips to help you sound like a pro.
1. Understanding the Korean Calendar System
In Korea, dates are written in the YYYY.MM.DD format. Koreans use numerical abbreviations, unlike English, where months are often written out as words. Let’s break it down.
1.1 Year
(년, nyeon)
The year
is always expressed numerically, followed by "년."
l 2025년 – 이천이십오년
2025년은 아주 특별한 한 해가 될 것입니다. (2025 will be a very special year.)
l 1999년 – 일천구백구십구년 or 천구백구십구년
1999년에 뭐 했어요? (What did you do in 1999?)
1.2 Month
(월, wol)
Months
are expressed using the numbers 1 to 12, followed by "월."
l 1월 - 일월 → January
1월은 한 해를 시작하는 첫번째 달입니다. (January is the first month to start the year.)
l 6월 - 유월 → June
한국의 6월(유월)은 날씨가 더워지기 시작합니다. (The weather starts
to get hot in Korea in June.)
l 10월 - 시월 → October
10월 1일은
국군의 날입니다.
(October 1st is Armed Forces Day.)
l 12월 - 십이월 → December
12월은 겨울이 시작되며, 날씨가 추워지기 시작합니다. (December begins
winter, and the weather gets colder.)
📌 Only "유월" (June) and "시월" (October) have irregular pronunciation, while the others follow a regular pronunciation pattern.
- "일월" (January), "이월" (February), "삼월" (March), "사월" (April), "오월" (May), "칠월" (July), "팔월" (August), "구월" (September), "십일월" (November), "십이월" (December)
- "유월" (June) is pronounced as [유월] instead of [육월] (which would be expected based on the standard reading of "육" for six).
- "시월" (October) is pronounced as [시월] instead of [십월] (which would be expected based on the standard reading of "십" for ten).
1.3 Day (일, il)
The day
is written with numbers, followed by "일."
l 15일 - 십오일
돌아오는 15일에 혹시 약속 있어? 나와 함께 영화보지 않을래? (Do you have any
plans on the 15th? Would you like to watch a movie with me?)
1.4 Full Date
When combining all three forms a clear and concise format.
l 2025년 1월 15일 - 이천이십오년
일월 십오일
2025년
1월 15일은 내 서른 번째 생일입니다. (January 15, 2025 is my 30th birthday.)
🗣️ Below is
the audio file of the example sentences above.
2. Talking About Time
Koreans
use the 24-hour clock for official purposes, but casual conversations often
rely on the 12-hour clock with appropriate context.
2.1 Hours
(시, si)
Hours
are counted from 1 to 12 (or 0 to 24 for the 24-hour clock), followed by "시."
l 3시 -세시 → 3 o’clock
1시 – 한시, 2시 – 두시, 3시
– 세시, 4시 – 네시, 5시 – 다섯시, 6시
– 여섯시,
7시 – 일곱시, 8시 – 여덟시, 9시
– 아홉시, 10시 – 열시, 11시 – 열한시, 12시
– 12시
l 15시 - 십오시 → 3 PM (24-hour format)
13시 –
십삼시, 14시 – 십사시, 15시 – 십오시, 16시
– 십육시, 17시 – 십칠시, 18시 – 십팔시,
19시 –
십구시, 20시 – 이십시, 21시 – 이십일시, 22시
– 이십이시, 23시 – 이십삼시, 24시 – 이십사시
2.2 Minutes
(분, bun)
Minutes
are indicated with numbers followed by "분."
l 3시 30분 (세시 삼십분) → 3:30
내일 오후 3시 30분에
회사에서 중요한 발표가 있습니다. (There will be an important
announcement at the company tomorrow at 3:30 PM.)
l 15시 45분 (십오시 사십오분) →
3:45 PM
오늘 15시 45분에
연병장에 모이라는 중대장님 지시가 있었습니다. (There was an order from the
company commander to assemble at the parade ground today at 15:45.)
2.3 Seconds
(초, cho)
For
exact timings, "초" is used.
l 3시 30분 15초 - 세시
삼십분 십오초 → 3:30:15
정확하게 3시 30분 15초에 가스레인지 불을 끄세요. (Turn off the gas stove precisely at 3:30:15.)
3. Key Phrases for Dates and Times
To
effectively use dates and times in Korean, memorize these common expressions:
3.1 Asking the Date
l 오늘은 몇 년 몇 월 몇 일입니까? (What year, month, and day is it today?)
Response:
오늘은 2025년 1월 3일입니다. (Today is January 3, 2025.)
3.2 Asking the Time
l 지금 몇 시예요? (What time is it now?)
Response:
지금은 9시 15분이에요. (It’s
9:15 now.)
3.3 Setting an Appointment
l 회의는 언제예요? (When is the meeting?)
Response:
회의는 2025년 1월 4일 오후 2시예요. (The meeting is on January 4,
2025, at 2 PM.)
🗣️ Below is
the audio file of the example sentences above.
4. Days of the Week
In
Korean, days of the week are based on Chinese characters and end with "요일" (yoil).
l 월요일 (wol-yoil): Monday
l 화요일 (hwa-yoil): Tuesday
l 수요일 (su-yoil): Wednesday
l 목요일 (mok-yoil): Thursday
l 금요일 (geum-yoil): Friday
l 토요일 (to-yoil): Saturday
l 일요일 (il-yoil): Sunday
Example
Sentences
l 오늘은 무슨 요일이에요? (What day of the week is it today?)
Response:
오늘은 금요일이에요. (Today is Friday.)
l 주말에 뭐 할 거예요? (What are you doing on the weekend?)
Response:
토요일에 친구를 만날 거예요. (I’m meeting a friend
on Saturday.)
5. Expressing Specific Timeframes
Here are
some valid time-related words:
l 어제 (eoje): yesterday
l 오늘 (oneul): today
l 내일 (naeil): tomorrow
l 모레 (more): the day after tomorrow
l 지난주 (jinanju): last week
l 이번 주 (ibeon ju): this week
l 다음 주 (daeum ju): next week
Example
Sentences
l 이번 주 금요일에 영화 보러
갈래요? (Do you want to go see
a movie this Friday?)
l 어제 밤에 늦게 잤어요. (I went to bed late last
night.)
6. Idiomatic Expressions Involving Time
Korean
often uses idiomatic phrases that involve dates and times.
l 시간은 금이다. (Time is gold.)
l 시간이 빨리 지나가요. (Time flies.)
l 약속 시간을 지켜요. (Keep the appointment time.)
🗣️ Below is the audio file of the example sentences above.
Conclusion
Learning to express dates and times in Korean is a vital skill that opens the door to seamless communication. Whether planning a trip to Korea, scheduling meetings, or just chatting with friends, mastering these expressions will enhance your fluency and confidence. So, don’t just mark this as another blog post—make it the start of your Korean journey to precision and style!
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