Dive in Korean

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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.