Korean · TOPIK Band 1 · Chapter 16
몇 시예요?What time is it?
Telling the time. Korean uses NATIVE numbers (한, 두, 세…) for the hour and SINO numbers (일, 이, 삼…) for the minute. E.g. 세 시 십 분 (3:10), 두 시 반 (2:30, 반 = half). The question is "몇 시예요?". Parts of the day: 오전 (a.m.), 오후 (p.m.), 아침, 점심, 저녁, 지금. New words: 시, 분, 반, 지금, 오전, 오후, 아침, 점심, 저녁, 시간. Hangul corner: reading time words with 받침 (몇, 점심, 저녁).
Dialogue
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한 시? 일 시?
- Jieun마이클씨,지금몇시예요?Michael, what time is it now?
- Michael일시예요.It's one o'clock. (slip: the hour takes a native number — say 한 시, not 일 시)
- Jieun시에는고유어숫자예요:한시.The hour uses a native number: 한 시.
- Michael아,한시예요.점심시간이에요.Ah, it's one o'clock. It's lunchtime.
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오전이에요? 오후예요?— Morning or Afternoon?
- Minsu지은씨,지금몇시예요?Jieun, what time is it now?
- Jieun두시십오분이에요.It's 2:15.
- Minsu오후예요?지금아침아니에요?It's afternoon? Isn't it morning now?
- Jieun아니에요.지금오후예요.점심시간이에요.No. It's afternoon now. It's lunchtime.
Vocabulary
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- 시
nouno'clock, hour
- 분
nounminute
- 반
nounhalf (past)
- 지금
adverbnow
- 오전
nouna.m., morning
- 오후
nounp.m., afternoon
- 아침
nounmorning; breakfast
- 점심
nounnoon; lunch
- 저녁
nounevening; dinner
- 시간
nountime; hour (duration)
Grammar
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Telling time: 시 (native) + 분 (Sino)
Explanation
Korean time mixes two number systems. Before "시" (hour) you use NATIVE numbers: 한 시, 두 시, 세 시, 네 시, 다섯 시… (note the shortened forms 하나→한, 둘→두, 셋→세, 넷→네). Before "분" (minute) you use SINO numbers: 일 분, 십 분, 삼십 분. So 3:10 = 세 시 십 분, 2:30 = 두 시 삼십 분 = 두 시 반 (반 = half). The question is "몇 시예요?" (몇 = how many). Put 오전/오후 in front: 오전 아홉 시 (9 a.m.), 오후 두 시 (2 p.m.). English speakers often wrongly use Sino numbers for the hour (일 시) — the hour must be native.
Examples
- 지금 몇 시예요? — 세 시예요.What time is it now? — It's three o'clock.
- 오전 아홉 시 삼십 분이에요.It's 9:30 a.m.
- 오후 두 시 반이에요.It's 2:30 p.m.
- 지금 저녁 여덟 시예요.It's eight in the evening now.
Hangul
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한글: 시간 단어의 받침— Hangul: 받침 in Time Words
Use the romanization for support and read the times:
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