Topic guide
Essential Korean Vocabulary: Numbers, Days, Months & Colors
Before sentences come the building blocks. This page collects the vocabulary sets that appear in nearly every conversation — numbers, counting words, the calendar, and colors.
Each set is a short chart-based page with a quiz, and they cross-reference each other — numbers feed counters, counters feed dates, and the whole stack shows up again in every situational page on this site.
- 01
Korean Numbers: Native vs Sino-Korean, Explained
Korean has two full number systems — native Korean (하나, 둘, 셋) and Sino-Korean (일, 이, 삼). Learn which one to use when, with real examples.
- 02
Korean Numbers 1 to 10: Both Systems Side by Side
The full Korean 1-10 counting chart in both native Korean and Sino-Korean numbers, with pronunciation and when to use each — a practical drill page.
- 03
Korean Counters: 개, 명, 마리 and Friends
Korean can't count nouns directly — you need counter words: 개 for things, 명 for people, 마리 for animals, 잔 for drinks. The full beginner set, explained.
- 04
Korean Days of the Week (and the Planets Inside Them)
The seven Korean days of the week — 월요일 to 일요일 — with the element/planet system behind each name that makes them easy to remember.
- 05
Korean Months and Dates: Number + 월, With Two Traps
Korean months are just Sino-Korean number + 월 — except June (유월) and October (시월), which drop a consonant. Months, dates, and how to say them all.
- 06
Korean Colors: 빨간색, 파란색 and the ㅎ Trick
Korean color words come in two forms — noun (빨간색) and adjective (빨갛다) — with an irregular ㅎ hiding in the middle. The full color list, explained.
- 07
What Do 엄마 and 아빠 Mean? Mom and Dad in Korean
Learn 엄마 (mom) and 아빠 (dad) in Korean, the more formal 어머니/아버지, and why kids (and grown adults) keep using the cute versions for life.
- 08
Korean Family Titles Beyond Mom and Dad
Learn Korean's extended family vocabulary — 이모, 삼촌, 고모, 사촌 — and why Korean has so many more specific family words than English.
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