오늘 몇 월 며칠이에요?Numbers, Dates, and Time
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Count using the Sino-Korean number system from 1 to 100.
- State the current month and day of the month using Sino-Korean numbers.
- Ask and answer "What month is it?" and "What is today's date?" using 몇 월 and 며칠.
- Say the names of the twelve months in Korean.
- Say the days of the week in Korean.
- Attach the particle 에 to a date or day to mean "on" or "in" a specific time.
- Ask "when" something happens using 언제.
- Read and write Hangeul syllable blocks containing the number-related batchim and vowel patterns introduced in this chapter with increased fluency.
Communication Scenario
Kim Seongsaengnim begins class by pointing to the calendar on the wall. It is almost the end of the month, and several important dates are coming up: a class trip, someone's birthday, and the deadline for a project. The class needs a shared way to talk about when things happen.
- In Chapter 3 you learned to say who exists in your life. This chapter gives you the tools to say when things happen. Dates and time expressions depend on a number system you have not yet studied — the Sino-Korean numbers — and a small set of question words that Korean speakers use constantly in daily life.
- By the end of this session you will be able to say "Today is October 15th," ask "What is today's date?", and say "The trip is on the 20th." You will also continue building fluency with Hangeul syllable blocks, since number words and date words introduce several new combinations of vowels and batchim.
Core Vocabulary
한자어 숫자 — Sino-Korean numbers 1–10
Korean has two number systems. This chapter introduces the Sino-Korean system, which is used for dates, months, years, minutes, prices, phone numbers, and most counting above native-number limits. The native Korean number system (used for age and for counting objects with counters like 개 and 명) is introduced in Chapter 9. Learning both systems at once causes confusion, so this chapter focuses only on Sino-Korean numbers.
11–100 만들기 — Building numbers 11 to 100
Sino-Korean numbers above ten are built by combination, not by memorizing new words. Eleven is "ten-one" (십일); twenty is "two-ten" (이십); thirty-five is "three-ten-five" (삼십오).
Note the pattern: [tens digit] + 십 + [ones digit]. There is no separate word for "twenty," "thirty," and so on — each is simply built from the digit words you already know. 100 is a new word, 백, not "십십."
달 — Months
Korean months are formed with a Sino-Korean number plus 월 (month). Two months have irregular spellings: June is 유월, not 육월, and October is 시월, not 십월. These irregularities exist because the expected forms are difficult to pronounce smoothly; they must simply be memorized.
*유월 (June) and 시월 (October) are irregular forms. Learn them as fixed words.
요일 — Days of the week
| Korean | Romanization | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 월요일 | woryoil | Monday |
| 화요일 | hwayoil | Tuesday |
| 수요일 | suyoil | Wednesday |
| 목요일 | mogyoil | Thursday |
| 금요일 | geumyoil | Friday |
| 토요일 | toyoil | Saturday |
| 일요일 | iryoil | Sunday |
Every day name ends in 요일 ("day"). The first syllable of each day name is a Hanja root; recognizing this pattern (receptively, at this stage) will help you remember the set as a group rather than seven unrelated words.
핵심 표현 — Key expressions
| Korean | Romanization | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 오늘 | oneul | today | Frequently the topic of a date sentence: 오늘은... |
| 몇 월이에요? | myeot wor-ieyo? | What month is it? | 몇 = what/how many; requires a number-word answer |
| 며칠이에요? | myeochir-ieyo? | What is the date? / What day of the month is it? | 며칠 is a fixed question word for "which day of the month," not 몇 + 일 |
| 무슨 요일이에요? | museun yoir-ieyo? | What day of the week is it? | 무슨 = "what kind of," used before 요일 |
| 언제예요? | eonje-yeyo? | When is it? | 언제 = when; general question word for time |
| 생일 | saengil | birthday | 생일이 언제예요? = When is your birthday? |
Hangeul — Building Block Fluency
By this point you can identify jamo, construct syllable blocks, and read words containing batchim. This chapter does not introduce new letters. Instead, it develops fluency — the ability to read and write number and date vocabulary quickly and accurately, without sounding out each block letter by letter.
숫자에 쓰이는 받침 — Batchim found in number words
Number words introduce a useful set of batchim for review, since you will use them constantly from this point forward.
A common early mistake is trying to squeeze a two-digit number into a single syllable block. 십일 (11) is written as two separate blocks — 십 and 일 — placed side by side, just as "ten" and "one" are separate English words placed next to each other. The same is true for every combined number: 이십오 (25) is three blocks: 이 + 십 + 오. Do not attempt to merge the batchim of one block into the initial consonant of the next; each syllable block is self-contained.
이 과의 불규칙 형태 — This chapter's irregular forms
유월 and 시월 look irregular in writing because the expected forms 육월 and 십월 are difficult to pronounce smoothly — the batchim ㄱ or ㅂ would collide awkwardly with the following ㅇ-initial syllable. Korean spelling reflects the simplified pronunciation that resulted from this collision. Practice writing and reading these two words specifically, since they do not follow the regular number + 월 pattern.
읽기 연습 — Block reading fluency practice
Read each line aloud at a natural pace, without pausing between syllable blocks. Repeat each line three times, increasing speed slightly each time.
일월 이월 삼월 유월 시월 십이월
월요일 화요일 수요일 목요일 금요일
이십오 삼십일 며칠이에요? 생일이 언제예요?
Pronunciation
숫자 연음 — Liaison in combined numbers
When a number ending in batchim is followed by a vowel-initial syllable, liaison applies exactly as you studied in Chapter 3. This happens constantly in number sequences.
| Written | Pronounced | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 십일 | si-bil | batchim ㅂ of 십 moves onto 일 |
| 십육 | sim-nyuk | nasalization: ㅂ + ㄴ-like onset produces ㅁ; a special case covered receptively here |
| 일월 | i-rwol | batchim ㄹ of 일 moves onto 월 |
| 며칠이에요 | myeo-chi-ri-e-yo | batchim ㄹ of 며칠 moves onto 이에요 |
The sound change in 십육 (16) is more complex than ordinary liaison and is included here for recognition only. You are not expected to derive this pattern yourself yet; simply learn 십육 as sim-nyuk.
English speakers often stress the first syllable of a multi-digit number ("TWEN-ty-five"). Korean numbers keep each syllable at roughly even weight: i-sib-o, not I-sibo. This matters especially when giving dates and phone numbers, where clear, evenly paced syllables help the listener catch each digit accurately.
Grammar Instruction
4.1 몇 월이에요? — Asking and stating the month
Purpose: ask what month it is and state a month using the copula you already know.
몇 means "what" or "how many" and requires a number-based answer. Placed before 월, it asks specifically about the month. The answer uses the copula 이에요/예요 from Chapter 1, attached to the month word.
- 몇 월이에요? What month is it? 몇 + 월 + 이에요 (question)
- 시월이에요. It's October. 시월 (consonant-final ㄹ) + 이에요
- 오늘은 사월이에요. Today is April. 오늘 (topic) + 사월 + 이에요
4.2 며칠이에요? — Asking and stating the date
Purpose: ask and state the day of the month.
며칠 is a fixed question word meaning "which day of the month." It is not built from 몇 + 일 in ordinary speech and should be learned as a single unit. Dates are given as [Sino-Korean number] + 일 ("day"), plus the copula.
- 오늘 며칠이에요? What is today's date?
- 십오 일이에요. It's the 15th. 십오 (15) + 일 (day) + 이에요
- 오늘은 시월 십오 일이에요. Today is October 15th. month + date, in that order — the reverse of English
Korean states dates in the order year → month → day when all three appear, and month → day when giving a shorter date, as in 시월 십오 일 ("October 15th," literally "October 15 day"). This is the reverse of the common American English order (month, day) but matches many international date conventions. At this level you will typically give month and day together, without the year.
- 오늘은 시월 십오 일이에요. — Today is October 15th.
- 생일이 유월 삼 일이에요. — My birthday is June 3rd.
4.3 무슨 요일이에요? — Days of the week
Purpose: ask and state the day of the week.
무슨 means "what kind of" and precedes 요일 in the standard question. Day names attach directly to the copula, just like months and dates.
- 오늘 무슨 요일이에요? What day of the week is it today?
- 금요일이에요. It's Friday.
- 내일은 토요일이에요. Tomorrow is Saturday. 내일 (tomorrow, receptive item) + 은 + 토요일 + 이에요
4.4 시간의 에 — The particle 에 with time expressions
Purpose: mark a specific point in time — a date, day, or month — using the particle 에.
You will see the particle 에 again in Chapter 8 marking location. In this chapter, 에 attaches to a time expression to mean "on," "in," or "at" that time. It does not change form based on the preceding sound.
- 금요일에 만나요. Let's meet on Friday. 금요일 + 에 (time marker)
- 시월 십오 일에 시험이 있어요. There is a test on October 15th. date + 에 + 시험이 있어요 (existential, from Ch.3)
- 유월에 한국에 가요. I'm going to Korea in June. 유월 + 에 (time); note this differs from 한국에 (destination), a use of 에 introduced fully in Chapter 8
Certain very common time words — including 오늘 (today), 내일 (tomorrow, receptive), and 어제 (yesterday, receptive; formally activated in Chapter 16) — do not take 에 in ordinary usage. You say 오늘 만나요 ("Let's meet today"), not 오늘에 만나요. Specific calendar dates, days of the week, and months do take 에: 금요일에, 시월에, 십오 일에. This distinction must simply be learned item by item rather than derived from a single rule.
4.5 언제예요? — Asking "when"
Purpose: ask a general question about timing without specifying month, day, or day of the week.
- 생일이 언제예요? When is your birthday?
- 시험이 언제예요? When is the test?
- 시월 십오 일이에요. It's October 15th.
Practice — Reading dates aloud
Say each date aloud in full Korean, then write it in Hangeul.
- March 3rd
- June 1st
- October 9th
- December 25th
- your own birthday
Practice — 에 or no 에?
Decide whether each time expression needs 에 and complete the sentence with 있어요.
- 오늘___ 수업___ ______.
- 금요일___ 시험___ ______.
- 유월___ 여행___ ______.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Kim Seongsaengnim stands beside the wall calendar. The class trip and a vocabulary test are both coming up, and everyone wants to know the exact dates.
(누룰 씨가 달력을 봐요. — Nurul looks at the calendar.)
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- What is the date and day of the week when this conversation takes place?
- When is the class trip? What day of the week does it fall on?
- Is the test on the same day as the trip? What date is the test?
- When is Nurul's birthday? Is it before or after the trip?
- When is Tom's birthday?
Listening
Ask your instructor, a language partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following four short exchanges aloud. Listen twice without reading, then complete the tasks below.
대화 1
A: 오늘 며칠이에요?
B: 사월 십 일이에요.
대화 2
A: 생일이 언제예요?
B: 팔월 이십육 일이에요.
대화 3
A: 무슨 요일이에요?
B: 화요일이에요.
대화 4
A: 시험이 언제예요?
B: 십일월 삼 일에 있어요. 금요일이에요.
듣기 과제 — Listening task 1: Listen and complete the table.
| 대화 | What is being asked | Month | Date / Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 오늘 날짜 | ______ | ______ |
| 2 | 생일 | ______ | ______ |
| 3 | 요일 | — | ______ |
| 4 | 시험 날짜 | ______ | ______ |
받아쓰기 — Dictation: Your partner or instructor reads each sentence once at natural speed. Write what you hear in Hangeul.
- (B's response from 대화 2)
- (B's full response from 대화 4)
Reading
The classroom bulletin board has a short notice about the class schedule. Read it and answer the questions below.
안내문 — Class Notice
안녕하세요, 여러분!
이번 달은 시월이에요.
시험은 시월 십팔 일이에요. 수요일이에요.
여행은 시월 이십 일이에요. 월요일이에요.
다음 시험은 십일월 십오 일에 있어요.
질문이 있어요? 금요일에 이야기해요.
New vocabulary in this passage: 이번 달 (this month, receptive), 다음 (next, receptive), 질문 (question, receptive), 이야기해요 (let's talk, receptive). These items are for reading comprehension only and are not expected in productive speaking or writing at this stage.
내용 이해 — Comprehension questions:
- What month is it, according to the notice?
- What date is the test? What day of the week is that?
- What date is the trip? What day of the week is that?
- When is the next test?
- On what day can students ask questions in person?
숫자 읽기 연습 — Number reading practice
Find every Sino-Korean number in the notice above. Write each one in digits, then say the full Korean word aloud.
Writing Workshop
This chapter's writing task develops the ability to write and read a short personal calendar.
- Choose four dates. Pick four dates that matter to you: your birthday, a family member's birthday, a holiday, or any other memorable date. If you prefer, invent dates for a fictional character.
- Write each date in full Korean. For each date, write a complete sentence stating what the date is and, if relevant, what happens on it, following the pattern [event]이/가 [month] [date]에 있어요 or [사람]의 생일은 [month] [date]이에요.
- Include the day of the week for at least two dates. Use 무슨 요일이에요? as your own prompt, and answer with the correct day.
- Revise. Check your draft against the editing checklist below before submitting.
체크리스트 — Editing checklist:
- Sino-Korean numbers are spelled correctly, including 유월 and 시월 where relevant.
- Month comes before the date, in that order.
- The particle 에 appears after specific dates, days of the week, and months — not after 오늘.
- Each syllable block is written as a complete, self-contained block.
- I used 이에요/예요 correctly based on the final sound of the preceding word.
- Each sentence ends with a period or question mark.
Speaking Practice
통제 연습 — Controlled practice: Number chain
Working with a partner or alone, count aloud from 1 to 30 using Sino-Korean numbers, then count by tens from 10 to 100. Focus on even syllable rhythm and clean unreleased final consonants.
의사소통 과제 — Communicative task: Birthday survey
Work in a group. Ask at least three classmates 생일이 언제예요? and record their answers. Then report back using the pattern [이름] 씨 생일은 [month] [date]예요.
Model exchange:
A: 생일이 언제예요?
B: 제 생일은 삼월 십이 일이에요.
혼자 하는 연습 — Solo alternative
Record yourself: (1) State today's full date, including the day of the week. (2) State your own birthday. (3) Ask and answer 몇 월이에요? and 며칠이에요? as if speaking to a partner. Listen back and check that your numbers are evenly paced and that liaison sounds natural in words like 십일월 and 며칠이에요.
Culture and Communication
Korean speakers move fluently between the Sino-Korean number system taught in this chapter and the native Korean system introduced later in the course, choosing the correct one automatically depending on what is being counted: dates and money use Sino-Korean numbers, while age and most counted objects use native Korean numbers. This dual system can feel unfamiliar to English speakers, who use a single number system for everything. Rather than trying to find a single unifying rule, it is more effective to learn which system applies to which everyday function, one function at a time, as this course introduces them.
Asking about dates, schedules, and birthdays is an ordinary part of daily conversation in Korean-speaking contexts, appearing in classrooms, workplaces, and casual conversation alike. Calendar dates are frequently written in a numeric year-month-day format (for example, 2026.10.15) on forms, receipts, and digital calendars, which is worth recognizing even though this chapter focuses on spoken and written full-word dates.
Alongside the standard solar calendar taught in this chapter, the traditional lunar calendar remains culturally significant for certain holidays and, in some families, for tracking birthdays and ancestral observances. Lunar calendar dates are a specialized topic addressed in later volumes; the productive system in this chapter is limited to the solar calendar, which is the standard for everyday scheduling.
Common Mistakes
Error: 십오 일 시월이에요. (date before month)
Correction: 시월 십오 일이에요. — Korean states the month before the date, the reverse of common American English order. Always give the larger unit of time first: month, then date.
Error: 육월이에요. (for June) / 십월이에요. (for October)
Correction: 유월이에요. / 시월이에요. — June and October are the two irregular months. Every other month follows the regular [number] + 월 pattern.
Error: 오늘에 시험이 있어요.
Correction: 오늘 시험이 있어요. — 오늘 does not take 에 in ordinary usage. Specific dates, days of the week, and months do: 시월 십오 일에, 금요일에.
Error: Pronouncing or analyzing 며칠 as if it were built the same way as 몇 월.
Correction: 며칠 is a fixed question word for "which day of the month" and should be learned and spelled as a single unit, distinct from 몇 월 (what month) and 몇 일, which is not the standard question form.
Risk: Merging the batchim of one number block into the next block when writing by hand or typing.
Guidance: Each number word remains a separate, complete syllable block. 이십오 (25) is always three distinct blocks — 이, 십, 오 — never combined into fewer blocks, even though liaison changes how they sound when spoken.
Chapter Review
Section A — 어휘 (Vocabulary)
1. Write the Sino-Korean numbers from 1 to 10 in Hangeul.
2. Write all twelve months in Korean, marking the two irregular forms.
3. Write the seven days of the week in Korean.
4. What is the difference between 몇 월이에요?, 며칠이에요?, and 무슨 요일이에요??
Section B — 한글과 문법 (Hangeul and Grammar)
1. Write the following numbers in Hangeul: 14, 27, 30, 58, 100.
2. Add 에 only where it belongs, then complete with 있어요:
- 오늘___ 수업___ ______.
- 토요일___ 여행___ ______.
- 십일월___ 시험___ ______.
3. Write your birthday as a full Korean sentence.
4. Explain the liaison in 십일월 and 며칠이에요.
5. Correct the errors:
- 십오 일 시월이에요.
- 육월이에요. (meaning June)
- 오늘에 시험이 있어요.
Section C — 독해 이해 (Reading comprehension)
1. According to the class notice, when is the test, and what day of the week does it fall on?
2. When is the trip?
3. When is the next test after this one?
Section D — 쓰기 (Writing)
1. Write four sentences describing important dates in your life, using at least one full month-and-date sentence, one 언제예요? question and answer, and one sentence using the particle 에.
Section E — 말하기 (Speaking)
1. Without notes: tell your partner today's date, the day of the week, and your birthday. Your partner then asks you 생일이 언제예요? and you answer. Switch roles.
누적 복습 — Cumulative review (Chapters 1–4)
Complete the following dialogue using what you have studied in all four chapters.
A: 안녕하세요? 저는 지나예요. 이름이 뭐예요?
B: ______________________________________
A: 가족이 있어요?
B: ______________________________________
A: 오늘 며칠이에요?
B: ______________________________________
A: 생일이 언제예요?
B: ______________________________________
Chapter Performance Task
수행 과제
나의 달력 — My personal calendar
You will create a small personal calendar card and present it aloud.
- Written: Create a calendar card listing today's date and day of the week, your birthday, and two other important dates, each written as a complete Korean sentence with correct month-date order and correct use of 에.
- Spoken: Present your calendar card to a partner or record yourself, stating each date clearly and answering one follow-up 언제예요? question.
- Reflection: Write one English sentence about which part of this chapter felt most difficult (numbers, month-date order, 에, or the irregular months) and one thing you will practice before Chapter 5.
Assessment focus: accurate Sino-Korean numbers, correct month-date order, correct placement (or omission) of 에, accurate spelling of 유월 and 시월, clear liaison in spoken numbers, and complete Hangeul syllable blocks.
Answer Key
Practice — Reading dates aloud (sample)
1. 삼월 삼 일 2. 유월 일 일 3. 구월 구 일 4. 십이월 이십오 일 5. (learner's own birthday)
Practice — 에 or no 에?
1. 오늘 수업이 있어요. (no 에 after 오늘) 2. 금요일에 시험이 있어요. 3. 유월에 여행이 있어요.
Dialogue — Comprehension
- It is October 15th, a Thursday.
- The class trip is on October 20th, a Monday.
- No, the test is not on the same day. The test is October 18th, a Wednesday.
- Nurul's birthday is October 23rd, which is after the trip.
- Tom's birthday is June 5th.
Listening comprehension table
- 대화 1 — 오늘 날짜: 사월, 십 일.
- 대화 2 — 생일: 팔월, 이십육 일.
- 대화 3 — 요일: 화요일.
- 대화 4 — 시험 날짜: 십일월, 삼 일 (금요일).
Reading comprehension
- The test is October 18th, a Wednesday.
- The trip is October 20th, a Monday.
- The next test is November 15th.
- Students can ask questions on Friday.
Chapter Review — Section B
- 14 = 십사; 27 = 이십칠; 30 = 삼십; 58 = 오십팔; 100 = 백.
- (a) 오늘 수업이 있어요. (b) 토요일에 여행이 있어요. (c) 십일월에 시험이 있어요.
- (learner's own sentence, e.g. 제 생일은 오월 팔 일이에요.)
- In 십일월, the batchim ㄹ of 일 moves onto the following syllable 월, producing si-bi-rwol. In 며칠이에요, the batchim ㄹ of 며칠 moves onto 이에요, producing myeo-chi-ri-e-yo.
- (a) → 시월 십오 일이에요. (month before date) (b) → 유월이에요. (June is irregular) (c) → 오늘 시험이 있어요. (no 에 after 오늘)
Cumulative Review — Model responses for Speaker B
B: 안녕하세요? 저는 [이름]이에요/예요.
B: 네, 있어요. [가족 설명]. / 아니요, 없어요.
B: 오늘은 [month] [date]이에요.
B: 제 생일은 [month] [date]이에요.
Check that: month precedes date; 에 appears after specific dates, days, and months but not after 오늘; Sino-Korean numbers are spelled correctly, including 유월 and 시월.
Looking Ahead
지금 할 수 있는 것 — What you can do now
You can count from 1 to 100 using Sino-Korean numbers, state and ask about months, dates, and days of the week, and use the particle 에 to mark specific points in time. You can ask 언제예요? and answer with a full date. Your Hangeul block reading is becoming more fluent, and you can now read and write multi-syllable number and date words confidently. Combined with Chapters 1 through 3, you can introduce yourself, describe your family, and talk about important dates in your life.