Korean Time WordsTelling time & time-of-day words — free list
Telling time in Korean uses two number systems at once: native numbers for the hour (한 시 = 1 o’clock) and Sino-Korean numbers for the minutes (십 분 = 10 minutes). This free list covers 시 (hour), 분 (minute), the parts of the day and the time words you use every day.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 시간 | sigan | time / hour (duration) |
| 시 | si | o’clock (hour) |
| 분 | bun | minute |
| 초 | cho | second |
| 반 | ban | half (past) |
| 오전 | ojeon | a.m. / morning |
| 오후 | ohu | p.m. / afternoon |
| 새벽 | saebyeok | dawn / early morning |
| 아침 | achim | morning |
| 점심 | jeomsim | noon / lunchtime |
| 저녁 | jeonyeok | evening |
| 밤 | bam | night |
| 낮 | nat | daytime |
| 지금 | jigeum | now |
| 시계 | sigye | clock / watch |
| 몇 시 | myeot si | what time |
| 정각 | jeonggak | exactly (on the hour) |
| 때 | ttae | time / occasion |
| 동안 | dongan | during / for (a period) |
| 일찍 | iljjik | early |
| 늦게 | neutge | late |
| 시간표 | siganpyo | timetable / schedule |
💡 Good to know
The clock mixes number systems: hours use native numbers (한 시, 두 시, 세 시…) and minutes use Sino-Korean numbers (일 분, 오 분, 삼십 분). “Half past” is 반 — 두 시 반 is 2:30. Ask the time with 몇 시예요? (“what time is it?”).
FAQ
- How do you tell time in Korean?
- Use native numbers for the hour + 시, and Sino-Korean numbers for the minutes + 분: 세 시 십 분 = 3:10. “Half past” is 반 (두 시 반 = 2:30). The full word list is above.
- How do you ask what time it is in Korean?
- 몇 시예요? (myeot si-yeyo?) — “what time is it?”. To answer: 지금 한 시예요 (it’s 1 o’clock now).
- What is the difference between 시간 and 시?
- 시 is “o’clock” (the hour on the clock — 세 시 = 3 o’clock), while 시간 means “time” in general or a duration of hours (세 시간 = three hours).
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)