Lesson 7: Talking About Time in Korean

Welcome to Lesson 7! In this lesson, we’ll focus on how to talk about time in Korean. You’ll learn how to ask for and tell the time, along with essential Korean time-related vocabulary such as days of the week, months, and more. Understanding how to express time is crucial for making appointments, planning your day, and communicating effectively in Korean. We’ve included over 50 example sentences to help you practice and master these concepts.

1. How to Ask for the Time in Korean

To ask for the time, you can use the following phrases:

• 지금 몇 시예요? (Jigeum myeot siyeyo?) - What time is it now?
• 몇 시입니까? (Myeot siimnikka?) - What time is it? (Formal)

2. Telling the Time in Korean

In Korean, telling the time combines native Korean numbers for hours and Sino-Korean numbers for minutes.

• 1시 (Hana-si) - 1:00
• 2시 (Dul-si) - 2:00
• 3시 (Set-si) - 3:00
• 4시 (Net-si) - 4:00
• 5시 (Daseot-si) - 5:00
• 6시 (Yeoseot-si) - 6:00
• 7시 (Ilgop-si) - 7:00
• 8시 (Yeodeol-si) - 8:00
• 9시 (Ahop-si) - 9:00
• 10시 (Yeol-si) - 10:00
• 11시 (Yeolhan-si) - 11:00
• 12시 (Yeoldul-si) - 12:00

For minutes, use Sino-Korean numbers:

• 10분 (Sip-bun) - 10 minutes
• 15분 (Sibo-bun) - 15 minutes
• 30분 (Samsip-bun) - 30 minutes
• 45분 (Sasibo-bun) - 45 minutes

Examples:

• 지금 3시 15분이에요. (Jigeum set-si sibo-bun-ieyo.) - It’s 3:15 now.
• 저녁 6시 반이에요. (Jeonyeok yeoseot-si ban-ieyo.) - It’s 6:30 in the evening.
• 아침 7시 10분입니다. (Achim ilgop-si sip-bunimnida.) - It’s 7:10 in the morning.

3. Days of the Week in Korean

Here’s how you say the days of the week in Korean:

• 월요일 (Woryoil) - Monday
• 화요일 (Hwayoil) - Tuesday
• 수요일 (Suyoil) - Wednesday
• 목요일 (Mogyoil) - Thursday
• 금요일 (Geumyoil) - Friday
• 토요일 (Toyoil) - Saturday
• 일요일 (Iryoil) - Sunday

Examples:

• 오늘은 월요일이에요. (Oneureun woryoil-ieyo.) - Today is Monday.
• 내일은 화요일이에요. (Naeireun hwayoil-ieyo.) - Tomorrow is Tuesday.
• 수요일에 회의가 있어요. (Suyoil-e hoeuiga isseoyo.) - There’s a meeting on Wednesday.
• 금요일에 약속이 있어요. (Geumyoil-e yaksogi isseoyo.) - I have an appointment on Friday.
• 일요일은 쉬는 날이에요. (Iryoil-eun swineun nari-ieyo.) - Sunday is a rest day.

4. Months of the Year in Korean

Korean uses Sino-Korean numbers to express months:

• 1월 (Il-wol) - January
• 2월 (I-wol) - February
• 3월 (Sam-wol) - March
• 4월 (Sa-wol) - April
• 5월 (O-wol) - May
• 6월 (Yuk-wol) - June
• 7월 (Chil-wol) - July
• 8월 (Pal-wol) - August
• 9월 (Gu-wol) - September
• 10월 (Sip-wol) - October
• 11월 (Sip-il-wol) - November
• 12월 (Sip-i-wol) - December

Examples:

• 제 생일은 5월이에요. (Je saeng-il-eun o-wol-ieyo.) - My birthday is in May.
• 우리는 8월에 여행 갈 거예요. (Urineun pal-wol-e yeohaeng gal geoyeyo.) - We will go on a trip in August.
• 10월에 날씨가 시원해요. (Sib-wol-e nalssiga siwonhaeyo.) - The weather is cool in October.
• 12월은 크리스마스가 있어요. (Sib-i-wol-eun keuriseumaseuga isseoyo.) - December has Christmas.

5. Talking About Time in Daily Life

• 몇 시에 일어나요? (Myeot-si-e il-eonayo?) - What time do you wake up?
• 아침 7시에 일어나요. (Achim ilgop-si-e il-eonayo.) - I wake up at 7 in the morning.
• 몇 시에 점심을 먹어요? (Myeot-si-e jeomsim-eul meogeoyo?) - What time do you eat lunch?
• 점심은 12시에 먹어요. (Jeomsim-eun yeoldul-si-e meogeoyo.) - I eat lunch at 12:00.
• 몇 시에 퇴근해요? (Myeot-si-e toegeunhaeyo?) - What time do you get off work?
• 저녁 6시에 퇴근해요. (Jeonyeok yeoseot-si-e toegeunhaeyo.) - I get off work at 6:00 PM.
• 몇 시에 잘 거예요? (Myeot-si-e jal geoyeyo?) - What time will you go to bed?
• 밤 10시에 잘 거예요. (Bam yeol-si-e jal geoyeyo.) - I will go to bed at 10:00 PM.

6. Discussing Future Plans with Time

• 다음 주 월요일에 회의가 있어요. (Daeum ju woryoil-e hoeuiga isseoyo.) - There is a meeting next Monday.
• 7월에 방학이 시작돼요. (Chil-wol-e banghagi sijakdwaeyo.) - Vacation starts in July.
• 8시에 출발할 거예요. (Yeodeol-si-e chulbalhal geoyeyo.) - I will leave at 8:00.
• 12월에 졸업할 거예요. (Sib-i-wol-e joreophal geoyeyo.) - I will graduate in December.
• 내일 아침 9시에 출근해요. (Naeil achim ahop-si-e chulgeunhaeyo.) - I will go to work at 9:00 tomorrow morning.

7. Using Time-Related Vocabulary

• 오늘 (Oneul) - Today

  • Example: 오늘은 몇 월 며칠이에요? (Oneureun myeot-wol myeot-il-ieyo?) - What is today’s date?

• 내일 (Naeil) - Tomorrow

  • Example: 내일은 무슨 요일이에요? (Naeireun museun yoil-ieyo?) - What day is tomorrow?

• 어제 (Eoje) - Yesterday

  • Example: 어제는 몇 시에 잤어요? (Eoje-neun myeot-si-e jasseoyo?) - What time did you sleep yesterday?

• 주말 (Jumal) - Weekend

  • Example: 주말에 뭐 할 거예요? (Jumale mwo hal geoyeyo?) - What will you do on the weekend?

• 오전 (Ojeon) - AM / Morning

  • Example: 오전에 운동했어요. (Ojeon-e undonghaesseoyo.) - I exercised in the morning.

• 오후 (Ohu) - PM / Afternoon

  • Example: 오후에 친구를 만났어요. (Ohu-e chingureul mannasseoyo.) - I met a friend in the afternoon.

• 저녁 (Jeonyeok) - Evening

  • Example: 저녁 7시에 저녁을 먹어요. (Jeonyeok ilgop-si-e jeonyeogeul meogeoyo.) - I eat dinner at 7:00 PM.

8. Combining Time Expressions

• 어제 저녁 6시에 친구를 만났어요. (Eoje jeonyeok yeoseot-si-e chingureul mannasseoyo.) - I met a friend at 6:00 PM yesterday.
• 내일 오후 3시에 영화 볼 거예요. (Naeil ohu sam-si-e yeonghwa bol geoyeyo.) - I will watch a movie at 3:00 PM tomorrow.
• 지난 주 토요일에 등산했어요. (Jinan ju toyoil-e deungsanhaesseoyo.) - I went hiking last Saturday.
• 다음 달 1일에 이사할 거예요. (Daeum dal il-il-e isahal geoyeyo.) - I will move on the 1st of next month.
• 이번 주 금요일에 회식 있어요. (Ibeon ju geumyoil-e hoesik isseoyo.) - There is a company dinner this Friday.

Conclusion

Understanding how to talk about time in Korean is a fundamental skill that will help you navigate daily life, make plans, and communicate more effectively. By mastering the time expressions, days of the week, and months, you’ll be well-prepared to manage your schedule and understand others when they talk about time. Practice the examples provided, and you’ll soon find yourself confidently discussing time in Korean!

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