Today, we’re going to show you how to say “time” in Korean.
The Korean word for “time” is simple to learn, but it’s used in many different ways. Spending a few minutes on it now will make your life much easier later!
We’ll also give you some example sentences so you can put this concept to use right away. These will be especially useful in your everyday life in South Korea.
Here we go!
Contents
How to say “time” in Korean
The word for “time” in Korean is 시간 (sigan). Use this word along with Korean numbers and you’ll be able to express a lot of ideas. This will be useful when telling time in Korean.
If you don’t know the numbers yet, we’ve got a great free resource here.
The word 시간 (sigan) can generally be used in the same way as it is used in English. However, you must be careful when listening to this word.
Sample Sentences:
The examples below are great models for building Korean sentences, or for trying out different grammar such as Korean particles. You can use these along with common Korean phrases to improve your conversation skills.
30년은 긴 시간 입니다. (samsip nyeoneun gin sigan imnida)
30 years is a long time.
시간 좀 내주실수 있나요? (sigan jom naejusilsu innayo)
Could I borrow a minute of your time?
잠깐 시간 좀 내 줘 (jamkkan sigan jom nae jwo)
I need a moment of your time.
좋은 시간 될 거야 (joeun sigan doel geoya)
I think it would be a nice time.
Here are other words related to “time” in Korean.
“Hours” in Korean
The Korean word for “hours” is 시 (si). In some situations, the word for time which is 시간 (sigan) can also mean “hour.”
It is important to listen for the context of the sentence in order to work out if 시간 (sigan) means “hour” or “time”.
If you want to say “2 hours,” then you can say 2시간 (du sigan).
If you want to say “2 o’clock,” then you can say 2시 (dusi).
“Clock” in Korean
You can say “clock” in Korean as 시계 (sigye).
Often in Korean, similar words contain similar parts. Just like the words about time use the word part “시” (si).
Other Common Ways to Use 시간 (sigan)
시간 (sigan) only means “time” in Korean, but 시 (si) has several meanings.
It can mean “time”, “hour”, or “o’clock”; but it can also mean “city” or “poem.”
It should be easy to guess which of these meanings is correct by looking at the context of the sentence.
A Word of Caution About Romanization
If you can read the Korean alphabet, called Hangeul, then it should be easy for you to identify these parts. However, if you are reading the words in the English alphabet then it is harder to notice these common parts of words.
Learning Hangeul is easy and just takes a couple of hours. Once you can read Hangeul, you can easily identify word parts and also improve your pronunciation. It will supercharge the speed at which you can utilize Korean grammar, as well as your reading ability.
Now that you know how to say “time” in Korean, start arranging a time to meet your Korean friends so that you can practice Korean with them. Just make sure that you aren’t late!
