Korean Numbers for Money: How to Read Prices & Count Won (원)
Korean Numbers · Shopping
Korean Numbers for Money: How to Read Prices & Count Won (원)
Learn the Sino-Korean number system through real prices, with a special focus on 만 (10,000), the unit that often confuses English-speaking learners.
Quick Answer
Korean prices use Sino-Korean numbers. Learn the digits 일, 이, 삼, 사, 오, 육, 칠, 팔, 구 and the place-value units 십 (10), 백 (100), 천 (1,000), 만 (10,000). The biggest adjustment for English speakers is thinking in units of 만 rather than only in thousands.
Build Your Number Skills
Lesson Summary
- 십 = 10
- 백 = 100
- 천 = 1,000
- 만 = 10,000
- 원 = Korean won
- Prices are read with Sino-Korean numbers.
What Are the Sino-Korean Digits?
Quick answer: Memorize the basic digits first, then combine them with 십, 백, 천, and 만.
| Number | Hangul | Romanization | Money Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 일 | il | 일원 is possible in formal numeric reading, but small won amounts are uncommon in daily cash use. |
| 2 | 이 | i | 이천원 = ₩2,000 |
| 3 | 삼 | sam | 삼만원 = ₩30,000 |
| 4 | 사 | sa | 사천오백원 = ₩4,500 |
| 5 | 오 | o | 오만원 = ₩50,000 |
| 6 | 육 | yuk | 육천원 = ₩6,000 |
| 7 | 칠 | chil | 칠백원 = ₩700 |
| 8 | 팔 | pal | 팔천오백원 = ₩8,500 |
| 9 | 구 | gu | 구천원 = ₩9,000 |
| 10 | 십 | sip | 십만원 = ₩100,000 |
How Do 십, 백, 천, and 만 Build Korean Prices?
Quick answer: These units work like building blocks. Korean usually omits 일 before an exact unit such as 백, 천, or 만 in everyday number reading.
| Unit | Hangul | Value | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ten | 십 | 10 | 십원 = ₩10 |
| Hundred | 백 | 100 | 오백원 = ₩500 |
| Thousand | 천 | 1,000 | 팔천원 = ₩8,000 |
| Ten thousand | 만 | 10,000 | 삼만원 = ₩30,000 |
| Hundred thousand | 십만 | 100,000 | 십만원 = ₩100,000 |
| Million | 백만 | 1,000,000 | 백만원 = ₩1,000,000 |
Why Is 만 (10,000) the Most Important Unit to Master?
Quick answer: Korean groups large numbers around 10,000, so you need to hear prices as “만 + thousands + hundreds,” not only as a long string of digits.
만원 = ₩10,000
삼만원 = ₩30,000
오만오천원 = ₩55,000
십만원 = ₩100,000
A useful mental trick is to split the number at the 10,000 boundary. For example, ₩43,000 becomes 4만 + 3천, which gives 사만삼천원.
How Do You Decode Korean Prices Step by Step?
Quick answer: Find 만 first, then read the remaining 천, 백, 십 values in order.
Example 1: ₩4,500
4,000 + 500
사천 + 오백 + 원
사천오백원
Example 2: ₩18,500
10,000 + 8,000 + 500
만 + 팔천 + 오백 + 원
만팔천오백원
Example 3: ₩43,000
40,000 + 3,000
사만 + 삼천 + 원
사만삼천원
Example 4: ₩125,000
100,000 + 20,000 + 5,000
십만 + 이만 + 오천 + 원
십이만오천원
What Korean Phrases Are Useful at the Cash Register?
Quick answer: Learn how to ask the price, confirm the total, pay by card, and request a receipt.
| Situation | Korean | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ask price | 이거 얼마예요? | i-geo eol-ma-ye-yo? | How much is this? |
| Ask total | 총 얼마예요? | chong eol-ma-ye-yo? | How much is it in total? |
| Pay by card | 카드 돼요? | ka-deu dwae-yo? | Can I pay by card? |
| Ask for receipt | 영수증 주세요. | yeong-su-jeung ju-se-yo. | Please give me a receipt. |
| Confirm amount | 만팔천오백원 맞아요? | man-pal-cheon-o-baek-won ma-ja-yo? | Is ₩18,500 correct? |
| Cash payment | 현금으로 낼게요. | hyeon-geu-meu-ro nael-ge-yo. | I'll pay in cash. |
Natural Cashier Dialogue
Customer:
이거 얼마예요?
How much is this?
Staff:
만팔천오백원이에요.
It's ₩18,500.
Customer:
카드 돼요?
Can I pay by card?
Customer:
영수증 주세요.
Please give me a receipt.
How Can You Understand Prices When Koreans Say Them Quickly?
Quick answer: Listen for the place-value units first—especially 만 and 천—then reconstruct the amount.
- If you hear 만, you know the price is at least ₩10,000.
- If you hear 천 after 만, add the thousands portion.
- If a price is too fast, ask 다시 말씀해 주세요. — “Please say it again.”
- Looking at the register display while listening helps connect sound and number structure.
What Mistakes Do Learners Make With Korean Money?
Quick answer: The biggest errors are mixing number systems, forgetting 만, adding 일 unnecessarily, and over-relying on romanization.
- Prices use Sino-Korean numbers: do not say 하나천원 or 둘만원.
- ₩1,000 is usually 천원, not 일천원 in ordinary speech.
- ₩10,000 is 만원, not 십천원.
- 영수증 주세요 is the natural phrase to request a receipt.
- Do not treat pronunciation notes like alternate spellings. Learn the written Hangul and use listening practice for natural sound changes.
Price Reading Practice
1. How do you read ₩2,500?
2. What value is 사만오천원?
3. How do you read ₩18,500?
4. What does 영수증 주세요 mean?
Show Answers
1. 이천오백원 · 2. ₩45,000 · 3. 만팔천오백원 · 4. Please give me a receipt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Koreans use Native Korean numbers for prices?
Prices are read with Sino-Korean numbers. Native Korean numbers are used in other contexts such as counting certain objects, age in everyday speech, and hours on the clock.
Why is 10,000 so important in Korean?
Korean groups large numbers around 만, which equals 10,000. This differs from English, where learners tend to think in groups of thousands. Learning 만 is the key to reading larger Korean prices quickly.
How do you say ₩18,500 in Korean?
₩18,500 is 만팔천오백원: 만 (10,000) + 팔천 (8,000) + 오백 (500) + 원.
Do I say 일천원 for ₩1,000?
In ordinary speech, 천원 is much more natural than 일천원. The leading 일 is usually omitted before 십, 백, 천, and 만 when the value is exactly one of those units.
How should 원 be pronounced?
원 is commonly romanized as won. Rather than forcing an English W sound, listen to native pronunciation and imitate the rounded Korean vowel quality.
Conclusion
Counting money in Korean becomes much easier once you stop treating each price as a long number and start recognizing the place-value units. Memorize 십, 백, 천, 만, then practice breaking prices into chunks such as 만 + 팔천 + 오백.
For real shopping situations, combine your number skills with a few useful phrases: 이거 얼마예요?, 카드 돼요?, and 영수증 주세요. That gives you both the listening skill and the practical language you need at a Korean checkout counter.
