Korean Date and Time Reader
Telling the time in Korean uses both counting systems in one breath — the hour is native, the minute is Sino. Pick a date or a time and see how it is actually said.
The clock uses both systems at once
Korean has two sets of numbers, and telling the time is where they collide. The hour is native Korean — 한, 두, 세 — and the minute is Sino-Korean — 일, 이, 삼. So half past three is 세 시 삼십 분: se from one system, samsip from the other, in a single phrase.
Nothing in the written numerals warns you this is coming, and it is the reason a learner who can count fluently in both systems still stalls when asked what time it is. Once you know the hour is always native and the minute is always Sino, the whole thing becomes mechanical.
The hour also takes the shortened form that all native numbers take before a counter, since 시 is a counter: one o'clock is 한 시, not 하나 시. Twelve is 열두 시.
Dates are entirely Sino-Korean
Dates are the easier half. Year, month and day all use Sino-Korean numbers with no mixing: 2026년 9월 9일 is 이천이십육년 구월 구일. There is no native-number equivalent for a date, so once you can count in Sino-Korean you can read any date.
Korean also writes dates largest unit first — year, then month, then day — which matches ISO order and avoids the ambiguity between American and British formats. A Korean form asking for 2026. 9. 9. means the ninth of September, always.
June and October break the pattern
Months are the Sino number plus 월, so January is 일월 and March is 삼월. Two of them are irregular:
| Month | Regular form would be | Actually |
|---|---|---|
| June | 육월 | 유월 |
| October | 십월 | 시월 |
Both dropped a final consonant because the regular form was awkward to say. These are the only two, and they are simply memorised — the tool above applies them automatically.
Half past, and on the hour
Thirty minutes past is usually 반, "half", rather than 삼십 분. Both are correct; 반 is what you will hear. On the hour, the minute is normally dropped entirely — nine o'clock is just 아홉 시 — though 정각 can be added when you mean exactly on the hour.
Morning and afternoon go before the time, not after: 오전 아홉 시 for 9 a.m., 오후 세 시 for 3 p.m. Korean uses the 24-hour clock in writing and on timetables but the 12-hour clock with 오전 and 오후 in speech, much like English.
Related tools
See both number systems with the Korean numbers converter, count objects with the Korean counter finder, and check what time it is in Korea right now with Seoul time.
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell the time in Korean?
The hour uses native Korean numbers and the minute uses Sino-Korean. Half past three is 세 시 삼십 분, and quarter past one is 한 시 십오 분. Both systems appear in the same phrase.
Why is one o'clock 한 시 and not 하나 시?
시 is a counter, and native Korean numbers shorten before a counter. 하나 becomes 한, 둘 becomes 두, 셋 becomes 세, 넷 becomes 네. Twelve o'clock is 열두 시.
How do you say dates in Korean?
Entirely in Sino-Korean numbers, largest unit first: 2026년 9월 9일 is 이천이십육년 구월 구일. There is no native-number version of a date.
Why is June 유월 instead of 육월?
June and October are the only irregular months. 육월 became 유월 and 십월 became 시월, both dropping a consonant because the regular form was awkward to pronounce. Every other month is regular.
How do you say half past in Korean?
반, meaning half. 세 시 반 is half past three. 세 시 삼십 분 is also correct but 반 is what you will normally hear.
Where do 오전 and 오후 go?
Before the time, not after: 오전 아홉 시 for 9 a.m. and 오후 세 시 for 3 p.m. Korean writes the 24-hour clock on timetables but speaks in 12-hour form.
What order do Koreans write dates in?
Year, then month, then day — the same order as the ISO standard. A Korean date written 2026. 9. 9. is unambiguously the ninth of September.