Korean actually has two full counting systems — native Korean numbers and Sino-Korean numbers (borrowed from Chinese, used for things like phone numbers and dates). The native set below is the one used for counting objects, age, and hours, which makes it the more natural starting point for a young child.
Counting one to ten
| Korean | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 하나 | hana | One |
| 둘 | dul | Two |
| 셋 | set | Three |
| 넷 | net | Four |
| 다섯 | daseot | Five |
| 여섯 | yeoseot | Six |
| 일곱 | ilgop | Seven |
| 여덟 | yeodeol | Eight |
| 아홉 | ahop | Nine |
| 열 | yeol | Ten |
A tip for practicing at home
Count real things out loud — steps on the stairs, toys being put away, bites of a snack — rather than reciting the list in isolation. Numbers stick faster when they're attached to counting something a child can see and touch.
Korean for Kids: Learn Hangul teaches these numbers with native Korean audio, and builds on them with a full math section (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) as a child progresses. See the full Korean vocabulary for kids list, or browse Korean family words for kids next.