Korean numbers
Korean has two counting systems. In the dojang, a set of punches or kicks is almost always counted in native Korean: ha-na, dul, set. Sino-Korean — il, ee, sam — shows up in compound numbers, dates, and some formal counts. Many schools kihap on the tenth repetition.
Count 1 of 10 · Native Korean
하나
Ha na
One through ten
| # | Native | Say | Sino-Korean | Say |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 하나 | Ha na | 일 | Il |
| 2 | 둘 | Dul | 이 | Ee |
| 3 | 셋 | Set | 삼 | Sam |
| 4 | 넷 | Net | 사 | Sa |
| 5 | 다섯 | Da seot | 오 | O |
| 6 | 여섯 | Yeo seot | 육 | Yuk |
| 7 | 일곱 | Il gop | 칠 | Chil |
| 8 | 여덟 | Yeo deol | 팔 | Pal |
| 9 | 아홉 | A hop | 구 | Gu |
| 10 | 열 | Yeol | 십 | Sip |
Building larger numbers
Past ten, class counting usually stays with Sino-Korean. Say the tens first, then the ones: twenty-one is ee-sip-il, not “two-ten-one” in English word order. Native Korean has its own words for teens (yeol-hana for 11), but you will rarely need them while counting kicks.
- 십일Sip il11 · Ten and one
- 십이Sip ee12 · Ten and two
- 이십Ee sip20 · Two tens
- 이십일Ee sip il21 · Two tens and one
- 삼십Sam sip30 · Three tens
- 사십Sa sip40 · Four tens
- 오십O sip50 · Five tens
- 백Baek100 · A hundred