Basic Greetings

몇 살이에요? [myeot sa-ri-e-yo?]
How old are you?

• 몇 [myeot] means “How many?”
• 살 [sal] means “years old.”
• 이에요? [i-e-yo] means “are you?”
• Literally means “How many, years old, are you?”

“Your” is implied in 몇 살이에요?

Korean numbers for telling age.

👉 1 하나 [ha-na]
👉 2 둘 [dul]
👉 3 셋 [set]
👉 4 넷 [net]
👉 5 다섯 [da-seot]
👉 6 여섯 [yeo-seot]
👉 7 일곱 [il-gop]
👉 8 여덟 [yeo-deol]
👉 9 아홉 [a-hop]
👉 10 열 [yeol]
👉 20 스물 [seu-mul]
👉 30 서른 [seo-reun]

👉 11 열 하나 [yeol ha-na] → 10 열 [yeol] + 1 하나 [ha-na]
👉 14 열 넷 [yeol net] → 10 열 [yeol] + 4 넷 [net]
👉 37 서른 일곱 [seo-reun il-gop] → 30 서른 [seo-reun] + 7 일곱 [il-gop]

For numbers 1,2,3,4 and 20, when you add the counter word 살 [sal] after the number, the number drops the last sound to make it easier to pronounce.

👉 1 [hana] becomes 1살 [han sal]
👉 2 [dul] becomes 2살 [du sal]
👉 3 [set] becomes 3살 [se sal]
👉 4 [net] becomes 4살 [ne sal]
👉 20 [seu-mul] becomes 20살 [seu-mu sal]

저는_____살이에요. [jeo-neun____sal-i-e-yo]
I’m a____.

• 저는 스물 세살이에요. [jeo-neun seu-mul se-sa-ri-e-yo]
  I’m 23 years old.
• 저는 스물 네살이에요. [jeo-neun seu-mul ne-sa-ri-e-yo]
  I’m 24 years old.
• 저는 열 일곱살이에요. [jeo-neun yell il-gop-sa-ri-e-yo]
  I’m 17 years old.

• A: 저보다 어린거 같은데... 몇살이에요?
  You seem younger than me... How old are you?
• B: ___살 이에요. [___-sal i-e-yo]
  I’m __ years old.
• A: 에? 정말요?
  Really?
• B: 몇 살이에요? [myeot sa-ri-e-yo?]
  How old are you?
• A: 저는 스물 네살이에요. 우리 친구할까요?
  I am 24 years old. Shall we be friends?