11.2.1. Telling the Time
To tell the time in Korean, you use the pure Korean numerals followed by 시 which is equivalent to o’clock:
- 한시
one o’clock - 다섯시
five o’clock - 열두시 [열뚜시]
twelve o’clock
To say half past. . . you put . . . 반. . . and a half after this expression:
- 한시 반
1:30 - 다섯시 반
5:30 - 열두시 반
12:30
A specific number of minutes after the hour is expressed by the SINO-KOREAN numerals with -분 minute after the expression:
- 한시 십분
1:10 [one o’clock 10 minutes] - 다섯시 십오분
5:15 [five o’clock 15 minutes] - 열두시 이십삼분
12:23 [twelve o’clock 23 minutes]
To express the number of minutes before the hour, you use the same expression but add 전 before at the end:
- 한시 십분 전
1:50 [one o’clock 10 minutes before] - 다섯시 십오분 전
4:45 [five o’clock 15 minutes before]
For AM and PM, you use 아침 or 오전 morning, 오후 afternoon, or 밤 night at the beginning of the expression.
- 오전 세시 (or 아침 세시 )
3:00A.M. - 오후 네시
4:00P.M. - 밤 아홉시 반
9:30P.M.
To say exactly. . . such-and-such a time, you put 정각 after the time expression:
- 한시 반 정각(에)
(at) exactly 1:30
The word 시 means hour only in the sense of a point in time, an o’clock. For length or duration of time, 시간 hour is used (as you know, 시간 also means time in general):
- A. 몇 시간 일했어요?
How many hours did you work?
B. 여섯 시간 일했어요.
I worked (for) six hours.
- 날마다 다섯 시간 반씩 공부해요.
I study for five and a half hours every day.
11.2.2. Dates
- 오늘은 몇월 며칠이에요?
What is today date? [Today is which month, which day?]
Dates are given in Korean by proceeding from the longest to the shortest time element; we do the opposite in English. For example:
- 천 구백 오십 이년, 시월 십일, 금요일, 오후 세시 십오분
3:15P.M., Friday, 10 October 1952
This breaks down to:
- 천/구백/오십/이년
1952 [thousand / nine-hundred / fifty / two-year] - 시월/십일
10 October [October / ten day] - 금요일
Friday - 오후/세시/십오분
3:15P.M. [afternoon / three o’clock / fifteen minutes]
11.2.3. Telephone Numbers
When reading a telephone number in Korean, there is a choice between four closely related patterns. For example, here is how one could read the number 949-1806:
In the full pattern, you spell out everything, and round it off with -번 number:
A. 949국의 1806: 구백사십구국의 천팔백육번
[lit.: 949-exchange’s 1806-number]
However, just as we are unlikely to read this number as nine hundred forty-nine, one thousand eight hundred and six, in Korean this pattern can also be abbreviated. The first thing is to omit the 국, meaning [telephone] exchange, which case the -번 number is optional:
B. 949의 1806: 구백사십구의 천팔백육(번)
[lit.: 949’s 1806]
The most usual way to read a number is to omit the 국 and the 번, and just read each number separately:
C. 949의 1806: 구사구의 일팔공육
[lit.: 9*4*9’s 1*8*0*6]