Time Expressions in Korean

Overview

Telling time in Korean uniquely combines both number systems: native Korean numbers for hours and Sino-Korean numbers for minutes. This CEFR A1 concept is essential for scheduling, making appointments, and daily communication. Beyond clock time, Korean has a rich set of time-related vocabulary for days, months, and general time references.

The dual-number-system approach to time is one of the trickiest aspects for beginners, but once the pattern clicks, it becomes automatic. Days of the week use Sino-Korean roots with the suffix 요일, and months are simply Sino-Korean numbers plus 월.

Time expressions in Korean typically come before the verb, following the general principle that context-setting information precedes the main action in SOV sentences.

How It Works

Telling Clock Time

Hours: Native Korean numbers + 시 Minutes: Sino-Korean numbers + 분 Half past: 반

Time	Korean	Romanization
1:00	한 시	han si
2:30	두 시 삼십 분 / 두 시 반	du si sam-sip bun / du si ban
3:15	세 시 십오 분	se si si-bo bun
12:00	열두 시	yeol-du si

Days of the Week

Day	Korean	Romanization
Monday	월요일	wor-yo-il
Tuesday	화요일	hwa-yo-il
Wednesday	수요일	su-yo-il
Thursday	목요일	mo-gyo-il
Friday	금요일	geu-myo-il
Saturday	토요일	to-yo-il
Sunday	일요일	ir-yo-il

Common Time Words

Korean	Romanization	English
오늘	o-neul	today
내일	nae-il	tomorrow
어제	eo-je	yesterday
지금	ji-geum	now
아침	a-chim	morning
점심	jeom-sim	noon/lunch
저녁	jeo-nyeok	evening
밤	bam	night
오전	o-jeon	AM
오후	o-hu	PM

Examples in Context

Korean	Romanization	English	Note
지금 세 시 삼십 분이에요.	ji-geum se si sam-sip bu-ni-e-yo	It's 3:30 now.	native hour + Sino minute
오늘은 월요일이에요.	o-neu-reun wor-yo-i-ri-e-yo	Today is Monday.	day of week
내일 만나요.	nae-il man-na-yo	Let's meet tomorrow.	time word
아침에 일어나요.	a-chi-me i-reo-na-yo	(I) wake up in the morning.	time + 에
오후 두 시에 수업이 있어요.	o-hu du si-e su-eo-bi i-sseo-yo	There's class at 2 PM.	AM/PM + time
몇 시에 만날까요?	myeot si-e man-nal-kka-yo	What time shall we meet?	asking time
일곱 시 반에 일어나요.	il-gop si ba-ne i-reo-na-yo	(I) wake up at 7:30.	time + 에
토요일에 뭐 해요?	to-yo-i-re mwo hae-yo	What do you do on Saturday?	day + 에
매일 아침 운동해요.	mae-il a-chim un-dong-hae-yo	(I) exercise every morning.	daily routine

Common Mistakes

Using Sino-Korean numbers for hours

• Wrong: 삼 시 (sam si)
• Right: 세 시 (se si)
• Why: Hours always use native Korean numbers (with shortened forms: 한, 두, 세, 네).

Adding 에 to time words that do not take it

• Wrong: 오늘에, 내일에, 지금에
• Right: 오늘, 내일, 지금 (no particle)
• Why: General time words like today, tomorrow, yesterday, and now do not take 에. Specific times (세 시에, 월요일에) do.

Forgetting AM/PM distinction

• Wrong: 두 시에 만나요 (ambiguous: 2 AM or PM?)
• Right: 오후 두 시에 만나요 (at 2 PM)
• Why: Korean uses 오전 (AM) and 오후 (PM) before the hour to clarify.

Usage Notes

In casual conversation, Koreans often drop the minutes entirely when close to the hour: 세 시쯤 (around 3). The suffix 쯤 means "approximately." For formal contexts like announcements, both hour and minute are stated precisely. Korean also uses the 24-hour clock in official contexts, transportation, and military.

Practice Tips

• Practice by stating the current time in Korean every time you check a clock. This builds the native-for-hours, Sino-for-minutes habit.
• Write out your weekly schedule in Korean, using days of the week and times.
• Quiz yourself: what time is 열한 시 사십오 분? Answer: 11:45. Work backwards from Korean to the number.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Sino-Korean Numbers — Sino-Korean numbers are needed for minutes, dates, and months