One of the most practical skills in Korean daily life is talking about time and dates. Whether you are scheduling a meeting, making plans with friends, or checking bus schedules, understanding how to express time and dates accurately is crucial. In this lesson, we will cover the key vocabulary, grammar structures, and cultural tips to help you confidently talk about time and dates in Korean.
Essential Vocabulary for Time and Dates
- 시간 (sigan) – Time / hour
- 몇 시에요? (myeot si-eyo?) – What time is it?
- 시 (si) – Hour (used after numbers)
- 분 (bun) – Minute
- 오전 (ojeon) – A.M.
- 오후 (ohu) – P.M.
- 오늘 (oneul) – Today
- 내일 (naeil) – Tomorrow
- 어제 (eoje) – Yesterday
- 날짜 (naljja) – Date
- 요일 (yoil) – Day of the week
- 월요일 (woryoil) – Monday
- 화요일 (hwayoil) – Tuesday
- 수요일 (suyoil) – Wednesday
- 목요일 (mogyoil) – Thursday
- 금요일 (geumyoil) – Friday
- 토요일 (toyoil) – Saturday
- 일요일 (illyoil) – Sunday
How to Ask and Tell Time
To ask “What time is it?”, use “몇 시에요?” which literally means “What hour is it?” To say the time, use the number + “시” for hours, and number + “분” for minutes. For example, “3시 15분” means 3:15.
When specifying A.M. or P.M., use “오전” for morning times and “오후” for afternoon/evening times. For example, “오전 9시” means 9 A.M., and “오후 6시 30분” means 6:30 P.M.
Talking About Dates and Days
Dates in Korean are usually said as year, month, day, followed by 요일 (day of the week). For example, “2023년 5월 19일 금요일” means Friday, May 19, 2023.
When talking about days of the week, remember that the word “요일” means “day” and is attached to the name of the day. For instance, Monday is “월요일,” Tuesday is “화요일,” and so on.
Example Sentences
A: 지금 몇 시에요?
B: 지금 2시 30분이에요.
A: 내일 몇 시에 만날까요?
B: 오후 3시에 만나요.
A: 오늘 무슨 요일이에요?
B: 금요일이에요.
A: 이번 주 토요일에 시간이 있어요?
B: 네, 오후에 시간이 있어요.
Grammar Tips
When telling time, use numbers + “시” for hours and + “분” for minutes. To form questions, end with “-에요?” or “-이에요?” to be polite. Days of the week always end with “요일.” Use “몇” for asking about an unknown number.
Cultural Tips
Koreans are generally punctual and take appointments seriously, so confirming the time clearly is very important. Using polite language when scheduling is essential, especially in business or formal situations.
Also, Koreans sometimes use the 24-hour clock, especially for official schedules like trains or flights, so being familiar with both 12-hour and 24-hour formats can be helpful.
Practice Challenge
Try asking your Korean friends or language partners “몇 시에 만날까요?” and answering with specific times. Practice saying the days of the week and dates aloud.
Next Up
Next lesson will focus on ordering food in restaurants and cafes—one of the most common real-life situations.
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