Time Expressions in Korean

In Brief

Korean mixes two number systems when telling time: use a native Korean number + 시 for the hour, but a Sino-Korean number + 분 for the minutes. Thus, 3:30 is 세 시 삼십 분. Weekdays have fixed names, while numbered months and calendar dates use Sino-Korean numbers with 월 and 일.

Overview

Time expressions are among the most useful A1 building blocks. They let you arrange a meeting, read opening hours, say what day it is, and describe a routine. Korean uses familiar units such as hours and minutes, but English-speaking learners must get used to choosing between two Korean number systems inside a single clock time.

The core pattern is 세 시 삼십 분: 세 is the shortened native Korean form used before a counter (a word that counts a type of thing), 시 means “hour/o’clock,” 삼십 is Sino-Korean “thirty,” and 분 means “minute.” Numbered months and dates instead stay with Sino-Korean numbers: 삼월 십일일 means “March 11.”

Korean generally puts a time phrase before the action: 아침 일곱 시에 일어나요 means “I wake up at seven in the morning.” The particle 에 marks the time when an event happens. English relies heavily on separate words such as “at,” “on,” and “in”; Korean often uses the same particle 에 for all three ideas.

How It Works

Telling the hour: native Korean numbers + 시

For clock hours, place a native Korean number before 시. The numbers 1–4 and 20 take shortened forms before counters such as 시.

Time	Korean	Form to notice
1:00	한 시	하나 → 한
2:00	두 시	둘 → 두
3:00	세 시	셋 → 세
4:00	네 시	넷 → 네
5:00	다섯 시	unchanged
6:00	여섯 시	unchanged
7:00	일곱 시	unchanged
8:00	여덟 시	unchanged
9:00	아홉 시	unchanged
10:00	열 시	unchanged
11:00	열한 시	열 + 한
12:00	열두 시	열 + 두

Everyday Korean usually treats the clock as a twelve-hour system and adds context when needed:

Korean	Meaning	Example
오전	a.m.; before noon	오전 아홉 시 — 9 a.m.
오후	p.m.; after noon	오후 세 시 — 3 p.m.
아침	morning	아침 일곱 시 — 7 in the morning
낮	daytime	낮 두 시 — 2 in the afternoon/daytime
저녁	evening	저녁 여섯 시 — 6 in the evening
밤	night	밤 열한 시 — 11 at night

오전 and 오후 are common in schedules and appointments. 아침, 저녁, 밤 sound natural when describing daily life. Do not combine every possible label: choose the one that makes the time clear.

Adding minutes: Sino-Korean numbers + 분

Minutes use Sino-Korean numbers, even though the hour uses native Korean numbers.

Time	Korean	Breakdown
2:05	두 시 오 분	two + hour; five + minutes
4:10	네 시 십 분	four + hour; ten + minutes
7:15	일곱 시 십오 분	seven + hour; fifteen + minutes
9:30	아홉 시 삼십 분	nine + hour; thirty + minutes
11:45	열한 시 사십오 분	eleven + hour; forty-five + minutes

A leading zero is not spoken: 8:05 is 여덟 시 오 분, not “zero five minutes.” The word 분 can be omitted when the minute value is obvious in casual conversation, especially in a direct answer, but keeping it is safest for beginners.

For half past the hour, 반 (“half”) is very common:

• 두 시 반 — 2:30, literally “two o’clock and a half”
• 오후 여섯 시 반 — 6:30 p.m.

Both 두 시 반 and 두 시 삼십 분 are correct. The first is shorter and very natural; the second is precise and fits formal announcements or schedules.

Asking and answering the time

Use 몇 시 for “what time.” 몇 means “how many/what number” before a counter.

• 지금 몇 시예요? — What time is it now?
• 세 시 십 분이에요. — It is 3:10.
• 회의가 몇 시에 시작해요? — What time does the meeting start?
• 오전 열 시에 시작해요. — It starts at 10 a.m.

Notice the difference between 시예요 and 시에. In 세 시예요, 예요 identifies the time: “It is three.” In 세 시에 시작해요, 에 marks when the starting happens: “It starts at three.”

Marking when something happens with 에

Attach 에 to a specific time point before an action:

time + 에 + action

• 일곱 시에 일어나요. — I wake up at seven.
• 월요일에 일해요. — I work on Monday.
• 삼월에 한국에 가요. — I go to Korea in March.

With several time units, Korean normally moves from larger to smaller: 월요일 오전 아홉 시에 (“on Monday at 9 a.m.”). The particle usually appears once, after the complete time phrase.

Some common time words normally appear without 에: 오늘 (today), 내일 (tomorrow), 어제 (yesterday), and 지금 (now).

• 내일 만나요. — See you tomorrow.
• 어제 공부했어요. — I studied yesterday.
• 지금 시작해요. — We are starting now.

For a beginner, treat these as fixed high-frequency patterns: do not add 에 to them when they simply say when an event occurs.

Days of the week

Korean weekday names end in 요일 (“day of the week”). Learn them as a set.

Korean	English
월요일	Monday
화요일	Tuesday
수요일	Wednesday
목요일	Thursday
금요일	Friday
토요일	Saturday
일요일	Sunday

To ask the day, use 무슨 요일 (“what day of the week”):

• 오늘은 무슨 요일이에요? — What day is it today?
• 오늘은 목요일이에요. — Today is Thursday.

The topic particle 은/는 marks what the sentence is about. In 오늘은, it frames the sentence as “as for today.” This differs from 에, which connects a time to an event.

Months and calendar dates

Numbered months use a Sino-Korean number followed by 월. Calendar dates use a Sino-Korean number followed by 일. Here 일 means “day/date”; it has the same written form as the Sino-Korean number one.

Month	Korean	Month	Korean
January	일월	July	칠월
February	이월	August	팔월
March	삼월	September	구월
April	사월	October	시월
May	오월	November	십일월
June	유월	December	십이월

Two month names are irregular: June is 유월, not 육월, and October is 시월, not 십월. These shorter forms are standard, not merely casual pronunciation.

Dates follow the pattern month + date:

• 삼월 일일 — March 1
• 오월 십오일 — May 15
• 십이월 이십오일 — December 25

Ask for the date with 몇 월 며칠:

• 오늘은 몇 월 며칠이에요? — What is today’s date?
• 칠월 십일이에요. — It is July 10.

며칠 means “what date/how many days.” The standard form is 며칠, not 몇 일 when asking for the calendar date.

Essential relative time words

Korean	English	Typical pattern
오늘	today	오늘 만나요 — meet today
내일	tomorrow	내일 가요 — go tomorrow
어제	yesterday	어제 왔어요 — came yesterday
지금	now	지금 해요 — do it now
아침	morning	아침에 먹어요 — eat in the morning
점심	lunchtime/lunch	점심에 만나요 — meet at lunchtime
저녁	evening/dinner	저녁에 공부해요 — study in the evening
밤	night	밤에 자요 — sleep at night
이번 주	this week	이번 주에 시작해요 — start this week
다음 주	next week	다음 주에 만나요 — meet next week
지난주	last week	지난주에 갔어요 — went last week

Unlike 오늘, 내일, 어제, broader periods such as 아침, 저녁, 다음 주 commonly take 에 when they locate an event.

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
지금 세 시 삼십 분이에요.	It is 3:30 now.	Native 세 for the hour; Sino-Korean 삼십 for minutes
오전 아홉 시에 수업이 시작해요.	Class starts at 9 a.m.	에 marks the starting time
두 시 반에 카페에서 만나요.	Let’s meet at the café at 2:30.	반 means “half past”
영화가 오후 일곱 시 십오 분에 시작해요.	The movie starts at 7:15 p.m.	A precise scheduled time
지금 몇 시예요?	What time is it now?	몇 시 asks the clock time
오늘은 월요일이에요.	Today is Monday.	은 makes today the topic
금요일에 친구를 만나요.	I meet a friend on Friday.	A weekday takes 에 before an action
내일 만나요.	See you tomorrow.	No 에 after 내일
어제는 비가 왔어요.	It rained yesterday.	는 adds yesterday as a topic or contrast
아침에 일어나요.	I wake up in the morning.	A general part of the day commonly takes 에
생일은 오월 십오일이에요.	My birthday is May 15.	Month + calendar date
오늘은 몇 월 며칠이에요?	What is today’s date?	Standard question for the date
회의는 화요일 오전 열 시예요.	The meeting is Tuesday at 10 a.m.	A noun can be identified with a time using 예요
다음 주 토요일에 한국에 가요.	I am going to Korea next Saturday.	Larger period comes before weekday

Common Mistakes

Using Sino-Korean numbers for the hour

• Wrong: 삼 시에 만나요.
• Right: 세 시에 만나요.
• Why: Clock hours use native Korean numbers. Before 시, 셋 shortens to 세.

Using native Korean numbers for minutes

• Wrong: 세 시 서른 분이에요.
• Right: 세 시 삼십 분이에요.
• Why: Minutes use Sino-Korean forms such as 십, 이십, 삼십, even in the same phrase as a native Korean hour.

Forgetting the shortened hour forms

• Wrong: 하나 시, 둘 시, 셋 시, 넷 시
• Right: 한 시, 두 시, 세 시, 네 시
• Why: Native numbers 1–4 change before counters. 시 functions as a counter for clock hours.

Adding 에 after 오늘, 내일, or 어제

• Wrong: 내일에 만나요.
• Right: 내일 만나요.
• Why: These everyday relative-time words normally do not need 에 when they directly tell when something happens.

Confusing 에 with 이에요/예요

• Wrong: 지금 세 시에. when you mean “It is three now.”
• Right: 지금 세 시예요.
• Why: 에 links a time to an event; 이에요/예요 completes an identification sentence. Compare 세 시에 시작해요 (“It starts at three”).

Forming June and October mechanically

• Wrong: 육월, 십월
• Right: 유월, 시월
• Why: The standard month names for June and October drop the final consonant of 육 and 십.

Usage Notes

Korean often leaves out information that context already supplies. If someone asks 몇 시에 만나요?, the answer can simply be 두 시에요 in casual spelling and speech, though the standard copular form is 두 시예요 (“It’s at two”). A full answer such as 두 시에 만나요 makes the sentence structure especially clear for learners.

In timetables, digital displays, tickets, and official announcements, you may see a 24-hour value such as 14시 30분. Such values are commonly read with Sino-Korean numbers—십사 시 삼십 분—especially in formal or technical contexts. In ordinary conversation, speakers are more likely to say 오후 두 시 반. Keep the beginner rule—native numbers for conversational clock hours—as your default, and learn 24-hour readings as a schedule style.

Spacing helps make time expressions readable: write 세 시, 십 분, and 두 시 반 with spaces between the number and the time noun. Real-world signs and compact schedules may omit spaces, but learner writing should follow standard spacing.

Be aware that 분 has another common meaning: it is an honorific noun for “person.” Context distinguishes 십 분 (“ten minutes”) from 그분 (“that person,” respectfully).

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these points at A1, but they complete the larger system.

A time expression can describe either a point in time or a duration. 세 시에 means “at three o’clock,” while 세 시간 means “for three hours/three hours.” Duration uses 시간, not 시:

Point on the clock	Duration
한 시에 시작해요. — It starts at one.	한 시간 공부해요. — I study for one hour.
세 시에 끝나요. — It ends at three.	세 시간 걸려요. — It takes three hours.

Durations in hours also use native Korean numbers before 시간. Durations in minutes use Sino-Korean numbers + 분: 이십 분 걸려요 (“It takes twenty minutes”).

Korean can express approximate times with words such as 쯤 (“about/around”): 세 시쯤 만나요 means “Let’s meet around three.” It can also mark a range with 부터 (“from”) and 까지 (“until/to”): 아홉 시부터 다섯 시까지 일해요 means “I work from nine to five.” These markers replace the need to translate English prepositions one by one.

For noon and midnight, 정오 means “noon” and 자정 means “midnight.” 낮 열두 시 and 밤 열두 시 are also understandable in everyday speech, but 정오 and 자정 avoid ambiguity in formal information.

When a date includes a year, the order is largest to smallest: 2026년 7월 11일. Years are read with Sino-Korean numbers, followed by 년. This same large-to-small ordering also appears in full time stamps: year, month, date, weekday, part of day, hour, and minute.

Practice Tips

1. Build mixed-number pairs. Pick five digital times each day and say them aloud: for 4:25, deliberately switch systems at 네 시 | 이십오 분. Mark the dividing line until the switch feels automatic.
2. Narrate a real schedule. Write three sentences about your day using 아침에, a weekday, and an exact clock time: for example, 월요일 아침 일곱 시에 일어나요. Using your real routine makes the forms easier to remember.
3. Train questions and answers together. Alternate 지금 몇 시예요?, 무슨 요일이에요?, and 몇 월 며칠이에요? with full answers. This prevents you from learning time words only as isolated vocabulary.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Sino-Korean Numbers — needed for minutes, numbered months, dates, and years.