Korean Time Expressions: Ultimate Guide to Practical Time Phrases in Korean

If you're learning Korean, you'll need to know how to talk about time pretty much from day one. Whether you're making plans with friends, checking when the bus arrives, or just talking about your daily schedule, time expressions pop up constantly in everyday conversation. The good news? Korean time expressions follow clear patterns once you understand the basic building blocks. Let's break down everything you need to know about telling time in Korean, from the basic hours and minutes to useful phrases you'll actually use.

Understanding the two number systems in Korean

Here's the thing about Korean numbers: you need to know two different systems. Korean uses both native Korean numbers and Sino-Korean numbers (borrowed from Chinese), and for telling time, you'll use both depending on what you're counting.

For hours, you use native Korean numbers from 1 to 12. These are:

For minutes, you use Sino-Korean numbers:

These continue combining just like in Chinese:

Why two systems? That's just how Korean evolved over centuries of contact with China while maintaining its own linguistic identity. You'll get used to switching between them with practice.

Hours with 시 (si)

The Korean word for hour or o'clock is 시 (si). When you tell someone the hour, you combine a native Korean number with 시. But here's a small catch: some of the native numbers change slightly when used with 시.

So if someone asks you "지금 몇 시예요?" (jigeum myeot si yeyo? - What time is it now?), you'd answer with the hour plus 시. The word 지금 (jigeum) means "now" and you'll hear it constantly when people ask about the current time.

Most Koreans use the 12-hour clock in casual conversation, though you'll see 24-hour format in official schedules like train timetables or business hours. When speaking, stick to 1-12 with AM/PM markers.

Minutes with 분 (bun)

After stating the hour, you add minutes using 분 (bun) with Sino-Korean numbers. This part is actually easier because the numbers don't change.

Notice how you're mixing native Korean for the hour and Sino-Korean for the minutes in the same phrase.

When the minute is a round number like 10, 20, 30, etc., Koreans often drop the 분 in casual speech, but it's safer to include it when you're learning. So 십 분 (sip bun) is ten minutes, 이십 분 (isip bun) is twenty minutes, and 오십 분 (osip bun) is fifty minutes.

Korean time expressions for AM/PM: 오전 (ojeon) and 오후 (ohu)

To distinguish morning from afternoon and evening, Korean uses 오전 (ojeon) for AM and 오후 (ohu) for PM. These go at the beginning of the time expression, before the hour.

If you're meeting someone for lunch at 12:30 PM, you'd say 오후 열두 시 삼십 분 (ohu yeoldu si samsip bun).

In everyday conversation, context often makes AM/PM clear, so Koreans sometimes skip these markers. If you're talking about breakfast, people know you mean morning. But when making plans or being precise, definitely include 오전 or 오후.

You might also hear 낮 (nat) for daytime/afternoon and 밤 (bam) for nighttime in casual speech, though these are less formal than 오전 and 오후.

Half hour: 반 (ban)

Instead of saying thirty minutes every time, Korean has a handy shortcut: 반 (ban), which means "half." This works exactly like saying "half past" in English.

Much simpler than saying 삼십 분 every time, right?

You can't use 반 for other fractions though. There's no "quarter past" equivalent in Korean. For 3:15, you have to say the full 세 시 십오 분. For 3:45, it's 세 시 사십오 분 (though some people might say "four o'clock minus fifteen minutes" using different grammar).

Korean words for relative time: ago (전 jeon), every (마다 mada)

Learning Korean time expressions goes beyond just clock times. You need relative time phrases for everyday situations.

General time expressions: today, tomorrow, and more

Beyond telling clock time, you need these everyday time words that come up in almost every conversation.

Days of the week all end in 요일 (yoil):

For weeks and months:

Practical lesson tips for mastering time phrases in Korean

Here's how to actually get good at using these expressions beyond just reading about them.

If you want to practice these time expressions with real Korean content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words and save phrases instantly while watching shows or reading articles. Makes immersion learning way more practical. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

Your next steps for learning time in Korean

Korea uses time expressions constantly in daily life, just like any other language. The more you expose yourself to Korean media and conversation, the more automatic these patterns become. You'll stop translating in your head and just know that 오후 세 시 반 means 3:30 PM without thinking about it.

Learn the time, and schedule your life!