Korean Language Study Notes: Sino-Korean Numbers and Subject Particles

Sino-Korean Numbers (한자어 수)

• Definition and Usage: Sino-Korean numbers are based on Chinese characters and are primarily used in the following contexts:

  • Phone numbers (전화번호)
  • Prices and Currency (가격)
  • Dates (날짜)
  • Bus or Subway Line numbers (버스·지하철 번호)
  • Classroom numbers or Apartment numbers (강의실 호수, 아파트 호수)
  • Building floors (건물 층수)
  • Page numbers (쪽)
  • Years (년)

• Basic Sino-Korean Numbers ($0-10$):

  • $0$: 공 또는 영 (Gong or Yeong)
  • $1$: 일 (Il)
  • $2$: 이 (I)
  • $3$: 삼 (Sam)
  • $4$: 사 (Sa)
  • $5$: 오 (O)
  • $6$: 육 (Yuk)
  • $7$: 칠 (Chil)
  • $8$: 팔 (Pal)
  • $9$: 구 (Gu)
  • $10$: 십 (Sip)

• Compound Numbers ($11-15$):

  • $11$: 십일 ($10 + 1$)
  • $12$: 십이 ($10 + 2$)
  • $13$: 십삼 ($10 + 3$)
  • $14$: 십사 ($10 + 4$)
  • $15$: 십오 ($10 + 5$)

• Larger Units and Denominations:

  • $10$: 십 (Sip)
  • $100$: 백 (Baek)
  • $1,000$: 천 (Cheon)
  • $10,000$: 만 (Man)

Practice: Number Reading with Counters

• Floors ($층$):

  • $14$층 is read as 십사 층 (Sipsa cheung).

• Pages ($쪽$):

  • $160$ 쪽 is read as 백육십 쪽 (Baek-yuk-sip jjok).

• Lecture Rooms/Classrooms ($호$):

  • $301$ 호 is read as 삼백 일 호 (Sam-baek il ho).

• Years ($년$):

  • $2023$ 년 is read as 이천이십삼 년 (I-cheon-i-sip-sam nyeon).

• Bus Numbers ($번 버스$):

  • $420$ 번 버스 is read as 사백이십 번 버스 (Sa-baek-i-sip beon beoseu).

• Currency (원 - Won):

  • $10,000$ 원 is read as 만 원 (Man won).
  • $12,000$ 원 is read as 만이천 원 (Man-i-cheon won).

Words and Expressions: Asking for Information

• Asking for a Phone Number:

  • 전화번호가 뭐예요? (What is your phone number?)
  • Alternative formal variations:
    • 전화번호가 어떻게 돼요?
    • 전화번호 좀 가르쳐 주세요. (Please let me know your phone number.)
    • 전화번호 좀 알려 주세요.

• Asking for Price:

  • 이거 얼마예요? (How much is this?)
  • Example: 커피가 얼마예요? (How much is the coffee?)
  • Answer: $2,800$원이에요. (It is $2,800$ won.)

• Asking for Impressions:

  • 어때요? (How is it? / How does it look? / How do you like it?)

Grammar: Subject Particles ($이 / 가$)

• Function: Attached to a subject noun to indicate the subject performing an action or the target in a certain state.

  • Examples:
    • 꽃이 예뻐요. (The flower is pretty.)
    • 마크 씨가 운동해요. (Mark exercises.)
    • 우산이 있어요? (Is there an umbrella?) Answer: 네, 여기 있어요. (Yes, here it is.)

• Irregular Transformations:

  • 누구 (who) + 가 → 누가
  • 저 (I) + 가 → 제가
  • Example: 누가 운동해요? (Who exercises?) Answer: 제가 운동해요. (I exercise.)

• Subject Marking Variations in Spoken Korean: There are three ways subject nouns appear:

  1. Omission ($\varnothing$): The particle is dropped.
  2. 이/가: Focuses on the subject being the specific one who performs the action (Answers "Who?" or "What?").
  3. 은/는: Topic particle used for contrast or background information.

• Focus and Interpretation: The meaning changes based on the focus. When answering "누가?" (Who?) or "뭐가?" (What?), the particle 이/가 is used to emphasize the identity of the answer.

  • 가: 뭐가 예뻐요? (What is pretty?)
  • 나: 꽃이 예뻐요. (The flower is pretty.)

Grammar: Negative Form ($-이/가 아니에요$)

• Definition: The negative form of the verb "to be" ($이에요/예요$).
• Structure: Noun + 이 (if the noun ends in a consonant) / 가 (if the noun ends in a vowel) + 아니에요.
• Examples:
  • 커피예요 (It is coffee) vs. 커피가 아니에요 (It is not coffee).
  • 가: 동생이에요? (Is it your younger sibling?)
  • 나: 아니요. 동생이 아니에요. 형이에요. (No. It is not my younger sibling. It is my older brother.)
  • 가: 영어 수업이에요? (Is it English class?)
  • 나: 아니요. 영어 수업이 아니에요. 한국어 수업이에요. (No. It is not English class. It is Korean class.)

Questions & Discussion

• Listening Exercise: Phone Numbers (p. 34):

  • Number 1: $02-4790-1669$ (Correct)
  • Number 2: $1633-8857$ (Incorrect - Transcript notes the correct number as $1644-8857$)
  • Number 3: $010-2354-7354$ (Correct)

• Dialogue: Mei and Suan Meeting:

  • Mei: 만나서 반가워요. 저는 다니엘 친구 메이예요. (Nice to meet you. I am Daniel's friend, Mei.)
  • Suan: 아, 메이 씨. 안녕하세요. 저는 수안이에요. 반가워요. (Ah, Mei. Hello. I am Suan. Nice to meet you.)
  • Mei: 수안 씨, 전화번호가 뭐예요? (Suan, what is your phone number?)
  • Suan: $010-1234-3389$예요. 메이 씨 전화번호는 뭐예요? (It is $010-1234-3389$. What is your number, Mei?)
  • Mei: 제 번호는 $010-1306-7852$예요. (My number is $010-1306-7852$.)
  • Suan: $010-1306-7851$, 맞아요? ($010-1306-7851$, is that right?)
  • Mei: $7851$이 아니에요. $7852$예요. (It's not $7851$. It's $7852$.)
  • Suan: 네. 고마워요. (Yes. Thank you.)

• Activity Examples:

  • Pricing Comparison: Exchange rate given as $1\,USD = 1506.14\,KRW$. Students practice asking for prices of items like computers (컴퓨터), bread (빵), glasses (안경), hats (모자), and bags (가방).
  • Price Listening (p. 32):
    1. $₩2,300$ (Incorrect - stated as $₩1,300$/천삼백)
    2. $₩480$ (Incorrect - stated as $₩15,000$/만오천)
    3. $₩16,000$ (Incorrect)
    4. $₩371,590$ (Correct)

• Identification Practice:

  • Who cleans? → 민호가 청소해요. (Minho cleans.)
  • Who works? → 로라가 일해요. (Laura works.)
  • What is delicious? → 빵이 맛있어요. (The bread is delicious.)
  • Who is calling/on the phone? → 해리가 전화해요. (Harry is phoning.)
  • Is there a flower? What is it like? → 네. 꽃이 있어요. 예뻐요. (Yes. There is a flower. It is pretty.)

• Identity Exercise:

  • 가: 왕밍 씨는 가수예요? (Is Wang Ming a singer?)
  • 나: 아니요, 왕밍 씨는 가수가 아니에요. 요리사예요. (No, Wang Ming is not a singer. He is a chef.)