Counting Money in Korean: 만, 억 and How to Read Won Prices

Korean counts big numbers in groups of four digits, not three: 10,000 has its own word, 만 (man), and 100,000,000 has another, 억 (eok). So 12,000 won is 만 이천 원, “one ten-thousand and two thousand won.”

Once you stop thinking in thousands and start thinking in ten-thousands, Korean prices become easy. All money uses Sino-Korean numbers.

The basic units

Notice the sound changes in 십만 (written sip-man, said sim-man) and 백만 (written baek-man, said baeng-man). Final ㅂ and ㄱ go nasal before ㅁ.

Why does Korean group numbers by four?

English puts a new word every three zeros: thousand, million, billion. Korean, like Chinese and Japanese, puts a new word every four zeros: 만, 억, 조. The comma in “12,345,678” is in the wrong place for a Korean brain.

Here is the trick that makes it work: count four digits from the right and put an imaginary 만 there. Everything to the left of 만 is just a number from 1 to 9,999, which you already know how to say.

Do you say 일만 or 만?

At the start of a number, Koreans drop the “one” in front of 십, 백, 천 and 만. So 10,000 won is simply 만 원 (man won, said ma-nwon), and 1,000 won is 천 원 (cheon won). You will see 일만 원 on checks, bank forms and gift certificates, where it prevents fraud, but nobody says it at the cafe.

억 is different. One hundred million is always 일억 (ireok), never plain 억. Same for 조: 일조.

Inside a bigger number, the 일 comes back whenever it is really a digit: 110,000 is 십일만 (sibil-man), and 11,000 is 만 천 (man cheon).

Reading prices at a cafe or market

Korean bills come in 천 원, 오천 원, 만 원 and 오만 원. Coins are 십 원, 오십 원, 백 원 and 오백 원. Most everyday prices land between 천 원 and a few 만 원.

The question you need is 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?), “How much is it?” If you would rather pay by card, add 카드 돼요? (kadeu dwaeyo?), “Can I use a card?”

At markets, sellers often drop 원 and just say the number: 만 오천! (man ocheon) means 15,000 won. Listen for 만 first, and the rest falls into place.

Korean signs and menus often write prices as a mix of digits and units, like 3만 5천 원 or 1.2만. Read them exactly as written: 삼만 오천 원, 만 이천. The units tell you where the 만 is, so you do not even need to count zeros.

천만 and 억: rent, salaries and K-drama money

Bigger numbers show up whenever people talk about apartments, salaries, or the chaebol heir in your favorite drama. These follow the same 4-digit rule.

Like 만, 천만 at the start does not need 일 in speech. And Korean puts a space after each 4-digit group in writing, so 250,000,000 is written 이억 오천만, with a space after 억.

A helpful anchor: a monthly salary is usually talked about in 만 (300만 원, 삼백만 원), while yearly salaries, deposits and house prices quickly reach 천만 and 억. When you hear 억, think “a serious amount of money.”

How to practice

Pick up any receipt, menu or online shop page and read every price out loud. Start with the 만 trick: find the four digits from the right, say the left part plus 만, then the rest. After twenty prices you will stop counting zeros.

To check yourself, paste any amount into the Korean number converter, which writes it in Hangul with the correct spacing. For why money uses this system and age does not, read native vs Sino-Korean numbers, and if you are ordering food with that money, the Korean counters guide has the restaurant phrases.

Sources: National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) Korean spelling rules (한글 맞춤법, article 44 on spacing numbers by 만 units) and Standard Pronunciation rules; Bank of Korea banknote and coin series.

We follow the rules of the National Institute of Korean Language. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.