KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › 한자어 수사 (분)
Korean Grammar “한자어 수사 (분)”: How to Use It (TOPIK 1)
Explanation
지금은 세 시 삼십 분이에요.
For clock time, Korean uses native numbers (한, 두, 세…) before “시” (hour) and Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼십…) before “분” (minute). Thirty is “삼십,” so the sentence means “It’s 3:30 now.” “서른” is a native number and cannot be used with “분.”
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 지금은 세 시 삼십 분이에요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [지그믄 세 시 삼십 부니에요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 지금은 | ||
| 지 | ㅈ+ㅣ | ji |
| 금 | ㄱ+ㅡ+ㅁ | [그] geu |
| 은 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄴ | [믄] meun |
| 세 | ㅅ+ㅔ | se |
| 시 | ㅅ+ㅣ | si |
| 삼십 | ||
| 삼 | ㅅ+ㅏ+ㅁ | sam |
| 십 | ㅅ+ㅣ+ㅂ | sip |
| 분이에요 | ||
| 분 | ㅂ+ㅜ+ㄴ | [부] bu |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [니] ni |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | e |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 금은 → [그믄]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 지금 | noun | now | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 지금은 세 시 ____ 분이에요.
Show the answer
Answer: 지금은 세 시 삼십 분이에요.
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