HOW TO TELL YOUR AGE IN KOREAN
Age (In Native Korean Numbers) +
Questions You Might Encounter:
살 and 세 have the same meaning, but there is a difference in when to use it and who to use it with. We use 세 when we talk about an elder person's age and 살 is used when talking about oneself, younger people, & friends.
세 is only used when you ask about and talk about someone's age older than you.
So you can say your age like this:
세 Is used with sino-korean numbers only and 살 Is used with native-korean numbers only.
Only use 세 for someone's age older than you or someone who you meet at first.
For Number 1-4 & 20, the form of the number changes If another word comes after it.
(하나 becomes 한, 둘 = 두, 셋 = 세, 넷 = 네, 스물 = 스무)
두 살이다 = to be 2 years old
수무 살이다 = to be 25 years old
수물 doesn't change if another number is after it (For Example: 수물하나, 수물다섯, 스물일곱, etc.) But If the number is followed by the counter 살 and the numbers 1-4 are after it, then it becomes 수물두 살, 스물 네 살 and so on.
*about age and korean culture
Age is particularily important in Korean culture. Close relationships (brother/sister/friend types of relationships ) are usually established among people In the same age or similar ages to you. When Koreans get closer, their relationship is based around age. For the sake of titles like 언니/오빠/누나/동생. So, asking age is usually to figure out who is older.
If you're not in a situation where you are trying to develop this kind of brother/sister/friend relationship, asking for someone's age is rude. Asking age to a person who is clearly older than you is also really rude for this reason.
So you might want to ask In more indirect ways, for example asking what year they were born In
(what animal of year were you born?)
Another way is asking the birth year:
(what is your birth year?)
Even when speaking to younger people, If you want to be sure to not be rude It's good to opt for questions like these instead.
To elders, you are not going to be developing this type of relationship. So you shouldn't ask their age but If for some reason you ask be sure to use the honorific question that I showed earlier.
List Of Native Korean Numbers (1-99)
*reminder: the native/pure korean number system only goes up to 99. After that, numbers 100 and up are sino-korean numbers
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