✅Beginner 5: How to Tell the Time in Korean – Hours, Minutes, and Phrases

📘 Beginner 5: How to Tell the Time in Korean – Hours, Minutes, and Phrases

Welcome to Day 5 of your Korean learning journey! ⏰ Today, we’ll learn how to tell time in Korean – from asking “What time is it?” to saying “It’s 3:30 PM.” Knowing how to read and say time is essential in daily life, from making appointments to catching a train.

We’ll cover both hours (시) and minutes (분), plus the essential time-related phrases you’ll use every day.

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📌 Hours and Minutes in Korean

To tell time in Korean, we use:

• ⏰ Native Korean numbers for hours
• ⏰ Sino-Korean numbers for minutes

Structure:

• [Hour] 시 + [Minute] 분
• e.g., 세 시 삼십 분 (se si sam-sip bun) = 3:30

🕐 Native Korean Numbers (Hours)

Number	Korean	Romanization
1	한 시	han si
2	두 시	du si
3	세 시	se si
4	네 시	ne si
5	다섯 시	da-seot si
6	여섯 시	yeo-seot si
7	일곱 시	il-gop si
8	여덟 시	yeo-deol si
9	아홉 시	a-hop si
10	열 시	yeol si
11	열한 시	yeol-han si
12	열두 시	yeol-du si

🕤 Sino-Korean Numbers (Minutes)

Number	Korean	Romanization
10	십 분	sip bun
15	십오 분	sip-o bun
20	이십 분	i-sip bun
30	삼십 분	sam-sip bun
45	사십오 분	sa-sip-o bun

⏲️ Useful Time Phrases

• 지금 몇 시예요? (ji-geum myeot si-ye-yo?) – What time is it now?
• 세 시예요. (se si-ye-yo) – It’s 3 o’clock.
• 네 시 삼십 분이에요. (ne si sam-sip bun-i-e-yo) – It’s 4:30.
• 오전 (o-jeon) – AM
• 오후 (o-hu) – PM
• 오후 다섯 시예요. – It’s 5 PM.

🕘 Sample Time Reading Practice

• 9:10 AM → 오전 아홉 시 십 분 (o-jeon a-hop si sip bun)
• 12:45 PM → 오후 열두 시 사십오 분 (o-hu yeol-du si sa-sip-o bun)
• 6:00 PM → 오후 여섯 시 (o-hu yeo-seot si)

💬 Time in a Real-Life Dialogue

👧 민지: 지금 몇 시예요?
🧑 준호: 오후 네 시 삼십 분이에요.
👧 민지: 고마워요!

🧪 Mini Quiz – Can You Tell Time?

1. How do you say “It’s 2:30”?
   a) 두 시 삼십 분
   b) 이 시 반
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 두 시 삼십 분

2. What is “오전 열 시”?
   a) 10 PM
   b) 10 AM
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 10 AM

3. What is “지금 몇 시예요?” in English?
   a) What day is it?
   b) What time is it?
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) What time is it?

✅ Conclusion

⏳ Great job! You’ve learned how to ask and tell the time in Korean!

• ✔️ Use native numbers for hours and Sino-Korean for minutes
• ✔️ Practice daily with real-life examples
• ✔️ Add 오전/오후 for AM and PM

Now you’re ready to make plans, meet friends, and follow schedules all in Korean!

📘 Coming Up Next

Tomorrow: Day 6: Talking About Your Daily Routine in Korean
We’ll use time expressions and common verbs to describe your daily life in Korean.

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