How to Say Phone Numbers in Korean (공, 에 and Digit by Digit)

Korean phone numbers are read one digit at a time with Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼), zero is said 공 (gong), and the dash is often read as 에 (e). So 010-1234-5678 becomes 공일공에 일이삼사에 오육칠팔.

That is the whole rule. The rest of this post walks through five real-format numbers, step by step, including the small sound changes you will hear when native speakers say them fast. If you are not sure yet which number system goes where, start with native vs Sino-Korean numbers. All numbers below are made-up examples.

The digits you need

Zero has two words. 영 (yeong) is the general word for zero, used in math, temperatures and scores. 공 (gong) is the word you hear in phone numbers, room numbers and other strings of digits. If you say 영 in a phone number you will be understood, but 공 is what people normally say.

Example 1: a mobile number, 010-1234-5678

Korean mobile numbers start with 010. Read it in three chunks, with 에 where each dash is.

1. 010 → 공일공 (gong-il-gong)
2. dash → 에 (e)
3. 1234 → 일이삼사 (il-i-sam-sa)
4. dash → 에 (e)
5. 5678 → 오육칠팔 (o-yuk-chil-pal)

All together: 공일공에 일이삼사에 오육칠팔 (gong-il-gong-e il-i-sam-sa-e o-yuk-chil-pal).

Said at normal speed, two sounds change. Many speakers let the ㄹ of 일 carry into a following 이, so 일이 often sounds like [일리] (il-li). And 육 after a vowel is said [륙] (ryuk), so 오육 comes out as [오륙] (o-ryuk), a reading the National Institute of Korean Language notes in its guidance on how numbers are pronounced. So what you actually hear is closer to 공일공에 [일리삼사]에 [오륙칠팔].

The 에 is optional. Plenty of people just pause at the dash instead, and both are normal. Using 에 makes the chunks clear when you are reading a number aloud for someone to write down.

Example 2: a Seoul landline, 02-123-4567

Seoul’s area code is 02. Landlines in Korea have an area code, then a three- or four-digit chunk, then four digits.

1. 02 → 공이 (gong-i)
2. dash → 에 (e)
3. 123 → 일이삼 (il-i-sam), often said [일리삼]
4. dash → 에 (e), which links to the 삼 before it: 삼에 sounds like [사메] (sa-me)
5. 4567 → 사오육칠 (sa-o-yuk-chil), said [사오륙칠]

All together: 공이에 일이삼에 사오육칠 (gong-i-e il-i-sam-e sa-o-yuk-chil).

Notice the linking in step 4. In Korean, a final consonant moves over to a following vowel, so 삼 + 에 is heard as one flowing sa-me. If you want to know why that happens, see Korean sound changes.

Example 3: short numbers you should know, 112, 119 and 1330

Emergency and service numbers are also read digit by digit.

112 is the police emergency number, run through the Korean National Police Agency’s 112 centers. 119 covers fire, rescue and ambulances and is run by the National Fire Agency. 1330 is not an emergency line: it is the Korea Tourism Organization’s travel hotline, which answers around the clock in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese, with several more languages during daytime hours, and can help connect you to 112 or 119 with interpretation. From outside Korea it is +82-2-1330.

Save 112, 119 and 1330 in your phone before you travel, and practice saying 일일구 out loud once. In a stressful moment, a number you have already said is much easier to get out.

Example 4: an apartment address, 101동 1502호

Here the rule flips. Building and unit numbers are read as whole numbers, still in Sino-Korean, not digit by digit.

1. 101동 → 백일 동 (baek-il dong), said [배길] (bae-gil). 동 (dong) is the building number in an apartment complex.
2. 1502호 → 천오백이 호 (cheon-o-baek-i ho), said [처노배기] (cheo-no-bae-gi). 호 (ho) is the unit number.

All together: 백일 동 천오백이 호, “Building 101, Unit 1502.” The first digits of the unit usually tell you the floor, so 1502호 is on the 15th floor.

Hotel and office room numbers work the same way: 305호 is 삼백오 호 (sam-baek-o ho), room 305. If you need help with building whole numbers like 천오백이, type them into the Korean number converter, which spells out the Sino-Korean reading.

Example 5: bus numbers with 번

번 (beon) means “number” when it follows a Sino-Korean number. Seoul’s three-digit bus numbers are usually read as whole numbers:

1. 470 → 사백칠십 (sa-baek-chil-sip)
2. add 번 and 버스 → 사백칠십 번 버스 (sa-baek-chil-sip beon beoseu), bus number 470

Longer bus numbers, like four-digit ones, are often read digit by digit instead: 7016번 can be 칠공일육 번 (chil-gong-il-yuk beon). Either way, 번 stays the same.

Be careful not to mix this up with native numbers plus 번. 한 번, 두 번 (han beon, du beon) means “once, twice.” 일 번, 이 번 means “number 1, number 2.” The Korean counters guide covers that split.

Asking for and giving a number

어떻게 is said [어떠케] (eo-tteo-ke). 어떻게 되세요 is the polite way to ask for personal details like a name, age or number, so it is safe with strangers and shop staff.

The number ends in 팔, which ends in a consonant, so it takes 이에요. A number ending in a vowel sound takes 예요 instead: …일이삼사예요.

When the line is bad

일 and 이 are short and can blur on a noisy call, especially side by side in 일이. The safest habit is to read the number back in chunks and wait for a yes: 공일공에 일이삼사, 맞아요? (majayo?, “is that right?”). 맞아요 is said [마자요] (ma-ja-yo). Chunking by the dashes also makes it much easier for the other person to catch a mistake.

Sources: National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원), “숫자의 발음” in 새국어소식 (August 2004) and Standard Korean Language Dictionary; Korean National Police Agency (112); National Fire Agency (119); Korea Tourism Organization, 1330 Korea Travel Hotline.

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