20 in Korean
Nearby Korean Numbers
20 in Other Languages
About 20 in Korean
In Korean, 20 is written and spoken as 이십 (eeship). The ordinal form — used for rankings, dates, and sequences — is 스무째 (seumujae). The native counting form is 스물 (seumul).
20 is an even number. Knowing how to say 20 in Korean is useful in everyday situations such as prices, addresses, ages, dates, phone numbers, and telling the time.
For anyone learning Korean, numbers like 20 are essential early targets. They appear in tasks as common as buying a coffee, reading a menu, catching a bus, or asking someone their age.
Learning Numbers in Korean
What makes Korean numbers challenging
Two complete number systems (Sino-Korean and native Korean) must be used in the right contexts — using the wrong one sounds unnatural. Native Korean numbers change form when combined with counters (hana becomes han, dul becomes du, set becomes se). Like Japanese, Korean groups large numbers by 10,000 (만/man), requiring English speakers to mentally regroup. Sino-Korean numbers are short monosyllables (il, i, sam) that can blur together at speed. Knowing which system to use (Sino for dates/money/phone, native for counting/age) is essential.
Tips for learning Korean numbers
Learn Sino-Korean numbers first — they are simpler, shorter, and cover phone numbers, dates, prices, and addresses. Then learn native Korean 1-99 for counting objects and telling age. Practice the man (10,000) grouping system with Korean won amounts (prices are usually in thousands or ten-thousands). For phone numbers, Sino-Korean is always used. KakaoTalk conversations often include numbers, making them good practice material.