Numbers 1–20 and prices
The barista just said a number at you like it's obvious. It is 4 seconds before you either pay correctly or accidentally buy the whole café.
Tell me the damageThe words — Numbers 1–20 and prices
Hilal showed up at the café. Nobody invited him. He's ordering anyway.
Meaningone
힐랄이 커피를 마셔요. 커피는 일 원이에요.
Hilal drinks a coffee. The coffee is one won.
Meaningtwo
오 분 후에 힐랄의 커피는 이 원이에요.
Five minutes later, Hilal's coffee is two won.
Meaninghow much is it?
힐랄이 물어요: "이거 얼마예요?"
Hilal asks: "How much is this?"
Meaningexpensive / cheap — the whole difference is that 비 at the front
천 원은 싸요. 십만 원은 비싸요.
A thousand won is cheap. A hundred thousand won is expensive.
Meaningthree, four, five — and 십, ten (six to nine come later)
커피가 삼 원, 사 원, 오 원... 그리고 십 원!
The coffee is three won, four won, five won... and then ten won!
Meaningfifteen = 십 (ten) + 오 (five); twenty = 이 (two) + 십 (ten). The numbers snap together — nothing new to memorise.
십오 원, 이십 원... 힐랄이 아직 커피를 마셔요.
Fifteen won, twenty won... and Hilal is still drinking coffee.
Meaningit's 1,000 won — 천 is thousand, and 원 is the won, Korea's currency
커피 얼마예요? 천 원이에요.
How much is the coffee? It's 1,000 won.
Meaningchange — the money the cashier hands back to you
힐랄이 천 원 내요. 잔돈은 힐랄 거예요.
Hilal pays a thousand won. The change is Hilal's.
The idea — Numbers 1–20 and prices
'얼마예요?' (eolmayeyo?) means 'how much is it?' — and the answer for prices always uses these Sino-Korean numbers: 일, 이, 삼, 사, 오, 십, 십오, 이십.
Next time you're handed a price in 원, you won't just hear numbers — you'll hear whether to smile at 싸요 or negotiate for your 잔돈.
Questions about Numbers 1–20 and prices
How do you say 'how much is it?' in Korean?
You say '얼마예요?' (eolmayeyo?), which means 'how much is it?' and is used to ask about prices.
What are the numbers 1 to 5 in Korean?
They are 일 (il, one), 이 (i, two), 삼 (sam, three), 사 (sa, four), and 오 (o, five).
How do you say 15 and 20 in Korean?
Fifteen is 십오 (sibo, ten+five) and twenty is 이십 (isip, two+ten) — Korean numbers snap together from smaller pieces.
What do 싸요 and 비싸요 mean in Korean?
싸요 (ssayo) means 'cheap' and 비싸요 (bissayo) means 'expensive' — the only difference is the 비 syllable at the start.
What does 잔돈 mean in Korean?
잔돈 (jandon) means 'change' — the money a cashier hands back to you after you pay.
You've seen the idea. Now make it stick.
The journey continues in Zeeza — free to start, made to adapt to how you learn.
- Hear it and choose
- Fill the idea in from memory
- Sort real cases yourself
- …and more, adapted to you