What are the most important words you should learn to survive in a foreign country? How to say hello? Not really. How to say thank you? No. Not at all. The single most important thing to learn as a foreign traveler is how to count in the local language, and to understand the locals when they say numbers to you. As a matter of fact, the rest of the language is mere rituals, if you allow me to exaggerate a little bit to make a point here. You will agree with me if you travel a lot, or if you read this article all the way to the end.
Koreans have two sets of numeric sequences: one in pure Korean, the other in Sino-Korean. Both are frequently used in daily life, so to survive or thrive in Korean society, you need to learn both by heart. To tell time, for example, you use pure Korean numerals for the hours, and Sino-Korean for the minutes and the seconds.
- 지금 몇 시예요? What time is it now?
- 세 시 이십 분이에요 it’s 3:20.
- 네, 라연 레스토랑입니다. Hello, this is Restaurant La Yeon.
- 네, 한 시 반에 두 사람 예약하고 싶은데요. Yes, I’d like to make a reservation for two at 1:30. [ “반” = half => 한 시 반 = 1:30 ]
- 실례지만, 나이가 어떻게 되시죠? Excuse me, how old are you?
- 서른 두 살이에요. I’m 32.
- 이거 얼마예요? How much is this?
- 삼십만 오천 원입니다 It’s ₩305,000.
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