How to Type Korean on a Computer or Phone: A Beginner’s Guide

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Want to search for a restaurant in Korean, message a café, or send your teacher an assignment? Learning to type Korean makes these everyday tasks easier. You can start with the computer or phone you already own. This guide covers keyboard setup on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android. You will also learn how Korean letters join together, fix common typing problems, and practise messages you can use in Korea. 1. Understand How a Korean Keyboard Works 한글 (hangeul)—“the Korean alphabet” groups letters into syllable blocks. For example, 한 contains three letters: ㅎ, ㅏ, and ㄴ. You enter the letters in order, and the keyboard builds the block. Start with 두벌식 (dubeolsik)—“the two-set Korean keyboard layout.” Its basic consonants sit on the left and its vowels on the right. This gives you a useful starting point for practising on both computers and phones. A standard two-set keyboard uses letter positions, rather than English spellings of Korean sounds. Typing “han” will not automatica...

How to Tell Time in Korean: Hours, Minutes, and Daily Plans

To tell time in Korean, use native Korean numbers for hours and Sino-Korean numbers for minutes. For example, 3:20 is 세 시 이십 분. This combination is the main pattern you need to learn.

It helps you arrange dinner, check a class schedule, and confirm an appointment. You will also need to distinguish a clock time from a duration: “one o’clock” and “one hour” use different words.

This guide gives you practical questions and short conversations. Romanization is a pronunciation aid, so read the Hangul alongside it. Start with times you actually use, rather than trying to memorise every possible combination at once.

1. Use Native Korean Numbers for the Hours

시 (si) marks the hour in a clock time. 한 시 (han si) means “one o’clock.” Put the hour number before 시.

Person A: 지금 한 시예요.
“It’s one o’clock now.”

Learn these twelve hour expressions:

  • 한 시 (han si)—1:00
  • 두 시 (du si)—2:00
  • 세 시 (se si)—3:00
  • 네 시 (ne si)—4:00
  • 다섯 시 (daseot si)—5:00
  • 여섯 시 (yeoseot si)—6:00
  • 일곱 시 (ilgop si)—7:00
  • 여덟 시 (yeodeol si)—8:00
  • 아홉 시 (ahop si)—9:00
  • 열 시 (yeol si)—10:00
  • 열한 시 (yeolhan si)—11:00
  • 열두 시 (yeoldu si)—12:00

Practise each expression in 지금 ___예요, meaning “It’s ___ now.” For example, 지금 세 시예요 means “It’s three o’clock now.” Connecting the words to a real clock helps them stick.

The numbers 하나, 둘, 셋, and 넷 shorten to 한, 두, 세, and 네 before 시. Say 한 시 rather than 하나 시, and 세 시 rather than 셋 시.

Student A: 수업은 두 시예요.
“The class is at two.”

Student B: 네, 알겠어요.
“Okay, got it.”

2. Use Sino-Korean Numbers for the Minutes

분 (bun) means “minute.” Minutes use the other number system: 일, 이, 삼, and so on. The hour and minute therefore use different kinds of numbers within the same time expression.

  • 오 분 (o bun)—5 minutes
  • 십 분 (sip bun)—10 minutes
  • 십오 분 (sibo bun)—15 minutes
  • 이십 분 (isip bun)—20 minutes
  • 삼십 분 (samsip bun)—30 minutes
  • 사십오 분 (sasibo bun)—45 minutes

세 시 이십 분 (se si isip bun) means “three twenty,” or 3:20. Say the hour first, then the minutes.

Person A: 지금 세 시 이십 분이에요.
“It’s three twenty now.”

The same pattern gives you 다섯 시 십 분 for 5:10 and 일곱 시 사십오 분 for 7:45. You do not need to use English-style “past” or “to” constructions. Reading the hour and minute directly is a useful beginner approach.

반 (ban) means “half.” In a time expression, 세 시 반 (se si ban) means “half past three” or “three thirty.”

Friend A: 세 시 반에 만나요.
“Let’s meet at three thirty.”

Friend B: 좋아요.
“Sounds good.”

세 시 반 is 3:30. It does not mean 2:30 or “half an hour before three.” You can also say 세 시 삼십 분 for the same clock time.

3. Ask “What Time Is It?” and Check Opening Times

몇 시예요? (myeot siyeyo?) means “What time is it?” Add 지금 to make clear that you are asking about the current time.

Person A: 지금 몇 시예요?
Jigeum myeot siyeyo?
“What time is it now?”

Person B: 열한 시 십오 분이에요.
“It’s eleven fifteen.”

지금 몇 시예요? is an everyday polite question. When approaching a stranger, you can begin with 실례합니다, meaning “Excuse me.”

Traveller: 실례합니다. 지금 몇 시예요?
“Excuse me. What time is it now?”

몇 시에 시작해요? (myeot sie sijakhaeyo?) means “What time does it start?” The particle 에 marks when something happens. Use it when asking about a class or event.

Student: 수업은 몇 시에 시작해요?
“What time does class start?”

Teacher: 아홉 시에 시작해요.
“It starts at nine.”

At a business, 몇 시에 문 열어요? (myeot sie mun yeoreoyo?) means “What time do you open?” 몇 시에 문 닫아요? (myeot sie mun dadayo?) means “What time do you close?”

Customer: 몇 시에 문 열어요?
“What time do you open?”

Employee: 열 시에 열어요.
“We open at ten.”

4. Add 오전 or 오후 and Confirm Your Booking

오전 (ojeon) means “a.m.” and 오후 (ohu) means “p.m.” Place them before the clock time.

  • 오전 아홉 시 (ojeon ahop si)—9 a.m.
  • 오후 세 시 (ohu se si)—3 p.m.

Colleague A: 회의는 오후 세 시예요.
“The meeting is at 3 p.m.”

Colleague B: 네, 알겠습니다.
“Understood.”

오후 also commonly means “afternoon,” but as a p.m. marker it can appear with an evening time. 오후 아홉 시 is 9 p.m. Do not assume it must describe a daytime afternoon activity.

For reservations, say the day, a.m. or p.m., time, and number of people. Listen when the employee repeats your request.

Customer: 금요일 오후 여섯 시 반에 두 명 예약하고 싶어요.
“I’d like to book for two people at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.”

Employee: 금요일 오후 여섯 시 반, 두 분 맞으세요?
“Friday at 6:30 p.m., for two—is that correct?”

Customer: 네, 맞아요.
“Yes, that’s right.”

A schedule may display the 24-hour format. You can express 15:20 in everyday conversation as 오후 세 시 이십 분, and 18:30 as 오후 여섯 시 반. Formal announcements may read the 24-hour hour number directly.

Noon and midnight deserve extra care. 정오 (jeongo) means “noon,” and 자정 (jajeong) means “midnight.” These can clarify 오후 열두 시 and 오전 열두 시.

Organiser: 마감은 금요일 정오예요.
“The deadline is noon on Friday.”

Midnight sits at the boundary between dates. For a late-night departure or booking, confirm the numbered date as well as the time. Do not rely on a weekday name alone.

5. Separate Clock Time from Duration

시간 (sigan) means “time” or “hour,” depending on context. 한 시간 (han sigan) means “one hour,” rather than one o’clock.

Customer: 얼마나 걸려요?
Eolmana geollyeoyo?
“How long does it take?”

Employee: 한 시간 정도 걸려요.
“It takes about an hour.”

얼마나 걸려요? asks about duration. Compare these useful sentences:

  • 한 시예요.—“It’s one o’clock.”
  • 한 시간 걸려요.—“It takes one hour.”
  • 한 시에 만나요.—“Let’s meet at one.”
  • 한 시간 후에 만나요.—“Let’s meet in one hour.”

With a close friend who already uses casual speech with you, 몇 시야? (myeot siya?) means “What time is it?” Use 몇 시예요? with unfamiliar people.

Friend A: 지금 몇 시야?
“What time is it now?”

Friend B: 네 시야.
“It’s four.”

몇 시입니까? (myeot siimnikka?) is a more formal “What time is it?” For pronunciation, 몇 시 sounds like 멷 씨, and 여섯 시 sounds like 여섣 씨. Listening helps you hear connections that Romanization does not fully show.

Avoid mixing the number systems. In everyday 12-hour speech, 3:20 is 세 시 이십 분, not 삼 시 스무 분. Practise your usual appointment times as complete phrases.

Quick Practice

  1. Say 4:15 in Korean.
  2. A booking screen shows 18:30. How would you say it in everyday Korean?
  3. Complete the two sentences:
    • “It’s one o’clock”: 한 ___예요.
    • “It takes one hour”: 한 ___ 걸려요.

Answers

  1. 네 시 십오 분. Use a native Korean hour and Sino-Korean minutes.
  2. 오후 여섯 시 반 or 오후 여섯 시 삼십 분. 18:00 is 6 p.m.
  3. 시; 시간. 시 marks clock time, while 시간 expresses duration here.

Practise with the Time on Your Phone

Remember native Korean numbers with 시 and Sino-Korean numbers with 분. Add 에 for the time of an activity, and specify 오전 or 오후 when necessary. Use 시간 when talking about how long something takes.

Look at your phone and say the time aloud. Then practise “오후 세 시 반에 만나요.” You have a useful phrase for your next plan in Korean.

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If you are in Korea around Chuseok, you may hear the same phrase everywhere: at work, in a café, after class, or just before saying goodbye to a Korean friend. That phrase is 추석 잘 보내세요 . It is one of the most useful Korean holiday greetings you can learn, especially if you are a beginner. It may look simple, but translating it word for word does not quite explain how Koreans actually use it. In this lesson, you will learn what it really means, when to say it, how to make it casual or polite, and what to say after the holiday is over. 1. What Does “추석 잘 보내세요” Mean? 추석 잘 보내세요 (Chuseok jal bonaeseyo) Natural meaning: “Have a good Chuseok,” “Enjoy your Chuseok,” or “Have a nice Chuseok holiday.” This is probably the safest Chuseok greeting for a Korean learner to remember. The verb 보내다 (bonaeda) can mean “to send,” but when Koreans use it with time, a weekend, a vacation, or a holiday, it can mean “to spend” that time. So you do not need to translate 추석 잘 보내세요 word by word. T...
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Learning to recognize Hangul is only the first step. The next challenge is making the letters sound like natural Korean instead of reading them as if they were English. This is where many beginners get confused. Korean consonants such as ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㄹ do not match English consonants perfectly, and vowels such as ㅓ and ㅡ can be especially tricky if you rely too heavily on Romanization. This Korean alphabet pronunciation guide focuses on the sounds that matter most in real life. You will practice words you can use in cafés, restaurants, subway stations, shops, and everyday conversations. Romanization can help at the beginning, but treat it as a temporary guide. Your long-term goal should be to connect Hangul directly with Korean sounds. 1. ㄱ, ㄷ, and ㅂ Are Not Exactly English G, D, and B One of the first things English speakers should understand is that Korean consonants do not always fit neatly into English sound categories. Take these three basic consonants: ㄱ — often desc...
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