Welcome back to Simply Korea 101!
In the previous chapters, we learned how to greet people, introduce ourselves, talk about family, and share our likes.
Today, we’re going to learn something you can use every single day in Korea: telling time.
Whether you’re meeting a friend, catching a train, going to work, or making dinner plans, knowing how to ask and tell the time is essential.
🕐 5 Useful Korean Time Words
① 시 — Hour / O’clock
시
Pronunciation: si
English: hour / o’clock
Use 시 after a number to say what hour it is.
한 시
→ 1 o’clock
세 시
→ 3 o’clock
열 시
→ 10 o’clock
Example
지금 세 시예요.
→ It’s 3 o’clock now.
② 분 — Minute
분
Pronunciation: bun
English: minute
Use 분 when talking about minutes.
오 분
→ 5 minutes
십오 분
→ 15 minutes
삼십 분
→ 30 minutes
Example
십오 분이에요.
→ It’s 15 minutes.
③ 아침 — Morning
아침
Pronunciation: achim
English: morning
Use 아침 when talking about the morning.
아침 일곱 시
→ 7 a.m.
Example
아침 일곱 시에 일어나요.
→ I get up at 7 a.m.
④ 오후 — Afternoon / P.M.
오후
Pronunciation: ohu
English: afternoon / p.m.
→ 오후
오후 is used for times after noon.
오후 두 시
→ 2 p.m.
오후 여섯 시
→ 6 p.m.
Example
오후 두 시에 만나요.
→ Let’s meet at 2 p.m.
⑤ 저녁 — Evening
저녁
Pronunciation: jeonyeok
English: evening / dinner time
저녁 can refer to the evening or dinner, depending on context.
저녁 여섯 시
→ 6 p.m. / 6 in the evening
Example
저녁에 만나요.
→ Let’s meet in the evening.
💬 5 Practical Korean Conversation Phrases
① 지금 몇 시예요? — What time is it now?
지금 몇 시예요?
Pronunciation: jigeum myeot siyeyo?
English: What time is it now?
This is a polite and natural way to ask someone for the current time.
You can also simply say:
몇 시예요?
→ What time is it?
Both are useful in everyday conversation.
② 지금 세 시예요. — It’s 3 o’clock now.
지금 세 시예요.
Pronunciation: jigeum se siyeyo
English: It’s 3 o’clock now.
This is a simple answer to 지금 몇 시예요?
More examples
지금 한 시예요.
→ It’s 1 o’clock now.
지금 다섯 시예요.
→ It’s 5 o’clock now.
지금 열 시예요.
→ It’s 10 o’clock now.
③ 삼십 분이에요. — It’s 30 minutes.
삼십 분이에요.
Pronunciation: samsip bun-ieyo
English: It’s 30 minutes.
You can use 분 to describe a specific number of minutes.
오 분이에요.
→ It’s 5 minutes.
십오 분이에요.
→ It’s 15 minutes.
삼십 분이에요.
→ It’s 30 minutes.
④ 내일 몇 시에 만나요? — What time shall we meet tomorrow?
내일 몇 시에 만나요?
Pronunciation: naeil myeot sie mannayo?
English: What time shall we meet tomorrow?
This phrase is extremely useful when making plans.
Notice 에 after the time.
두 시에
→ at 2
세 시에
→ at 3
일곱 시에
→ at 7
⑤ 일곱 시에 시작해요. — Let’s start at 7 o’clock.
일곱 시에 시작해요.
Pronunciation: ilgop sie sijakhaeyo
English: Let’s start at 7 o’clock.
This phrase is useful for meetings, classes, events, and appointments.
You can change the time:
여섯 시에 시작해요.
→ Let’s start at 6.
아홉 시에 시작해요.
→ Let’s start at 9.
🚇 Mini Conversation
Let’s make a plan!
A: 내일 몇 시에 만나요?
→ What time shall we meet tomorrow?
B: 오후 두 시에 만나요.
→ Let’s meet at 2 p.m.
A: 좋아요. 몇 시에 시작해요?
→ Sounds good. What time does it start?
B: 일곱 시에 시작해요.
→ It starts at 7.
A: 좋아요!
→ Great!
Korean Tip: Korean Time Expressions
There is one important thing to remember when learning Korean time expressions.
Korean uses 시 for the hour and 분 for the minutes.
For example:
3:30 → 세 시 삼십 분
→ 3시 30분
And when you say “at 3:30,” add 에:
세 시 삼십 분에
→ at 3:30
This small particle is very useful when making plans.
⏰ A Quick Note About Korean Clocks
In Korea, you may see times written using the 24-hour clock, especially on schedules, transportation information, reservations, and official notices.
For example:
14:00 = 오후 2시
18:00 = 오후 6시
21:00 = 오후 9시
So don’t be surprised if you see a time like 18:30 when traveling around Korea.
It simply means 6:30 p.m.
🗣️ Read Aloud & Repeat
→ 소리 내어 읽고 따라 해보세요.
시
si
Hour / o’clock
분
bun
Minute
아침
achim
Morning
오후
ohu
Afternoon / p.m.
저녁
jeonyeok
Evening
지금 몇 시예요?
jigeum myeot siyeyo?
What time is it?
지금 세 시예요.
jigeum se siyeyo.
It’s 3 o’clock now.
삼십 분이에요.
samsip bun-ieyo.
It’s 30 minutes.
내일 몇 시에 만나요?
naeil myeot sie mannayo?
What time shall we meet tomorrow?
일곱 시에 시작해요.
ilgop sie sijakhaeyo.
Let’s start at 7 o’clock.
Try saying each sentence three times.
Click, listen, read aloud, and repeat.
🎯 Today’s Korean Challenge
Can you tell the time in Korean?
Try these:
1. It’s 9 o’clock.
→ 아홉 시예요.
2. It’s 15 minutes.
→ 십오 분이에요.
3. Let’s meet tomorrow at 1 p.m.
→ 내일 오후 한 시에 만나요.
4. Let’s start at 8:30.
→ 여덟 시 삼십 분에 시작해요.
5. It’s 6 in the evening.
→ 저녁 여섯 시예요.
Now say the answers out loud without looking at the English.
🌸 One Small Step
Knowing how to tell time makes everyday Korean much easier.
You can ask when a restaurant opens, decide when to meet a friend, check a train schedule, or simply tell someone what time you’ll arrive.
Start by mastering 시, 분, and 에.
Then practice using them with real times from your daily life.
That’s when Korean starts to feel natural.
See You in Chapter 6!
In Chapter 6, we’ll continue building your everyday Korean with another set of practical words and expressions you can use in real situations.
Keep practicing, one phrase at a time.
See you in Chapter 6! 🇰🇷
— Ayla
Let’s discover Korea, one word, one dish, and one story at a time.