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살 (sal) means “years old” in Korean and is used to indicate someone’s age. Learning how to say your age in Korean is one of the basics you’ll cover as you start speaking the language, and it’s also a great way to start using native Korean numbers in real conversations. In this post, we’ll look at how to say ages up to 100 years old in Korean and the format to use.
The Basic Format for Counting Ages in Korean
When expressing ages in Korean, we mostly use native Korean numbers combined with the word 살 (sal), which means “years old.”
Here’s the general format:
- [Native Korean Number] + 살
Let’s start with some examples:
5 years old = 다섯 살 (daseot sal)
10 years old = 열 살 (yeol sal)
15 years old = 열다섯 살 (yeoldaseot sal)
As you can see, the counter ‘살’ goes after the number to indicate age. This format works for almost any age, making it easy to build on as you keep learning.
Why We Use 백 살 (baek sal) for Ages over 99
Up until 99, Korean age expressions use native numbers, but for 100, 백 살 is used. The term 백 (baek) comes from Sino-Korean numbers (borrowed from Chinese), as the native Korean number system only goes up to 99. While 백 살 (baek sal) may seem like an outlier, it’s the standard way to express 100 years old.
Unique Shortened Forms You Should Know
As you go through the ages, you’ll notice some unique shortened forms. Native Korean numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 20 change when they’re placed before the counter 살.
For instance:
For 1 year old, we don’t say 하나 살 (hana sal); instead, we say 한 살 (han sal).
For 2 years old, we say 두 살 (du sal), not 둘 살 (dul sal).
For 21 years old, we say 스물한 살 (seumulhan sal), not 스물하나 살 (seumulhana sal)
This same pattern continues with 세 살 (se sal) for 3, 네 살 (ne sal) for 4, and 스무 살 (seumu sal) for 20.
Now that you have the basics, before viewing the age table below, try saying your age in Korean using native numbers and the word 살.
Counting Ages in Korean from 1-100
The following table helps you say different ages in Korean using both native and sino-Korean numbers. For ages 1 to 99, you’ll use the native Korean system. However, for 100, 백 (baek) from the Sino-Korean counting system is used.
| Age | Hangeul | Revised Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year old | 한 살 | han sal |
| 2 years old | 두 살 | du sal |
| 3 years old | 세 살 | se sal |
| 4 years old | 네 살 | ne sal |
| 5 years old | 다섯 살 | daseot sal |
| 6 years old | 여섯 살 | yeoseot sal |
| 7 years old | 일곱 살 | ilgop sal |
| 8 years old | 여덟 살 | yeodeol sal |
| 9 years old | 아홉 살 | ahop sal |
| 10 years old | 열 살 | yeol sal |
| 11 years old | 열한 살 | yeol-han sal |
| 12 years old | 열두 살 | yeol-du sal |
| 13 years old | 열세 살 | yeol-se sal |
| 14 years old | 열네 살 | yeol-ne sal |
| 15 years old | 열다섯 살 | yeol-daseot sal |
| 16 years old | 열여섯 살 | yeol-yeoseot sal |
| 17 years old | 열일곱 살 | yeol-ilgop sal |
| 18 years old | 열여덟 살 | yeol-yeodeol sal |
| 19 years old | 열아홉 살 | yeol-ahop sal |
| 20 years old | 스무 살 | seumu sal |
| 21 years old | 스물한 살 | seumul-han sal |
| 22 years old | 스물두 살 | seumul-du sal |
| 23 years old | 스물세 살 | seumul-se sal |
| 24 years old | 스물네 살 | seumul-ne sal |
| 25 years old | 스물다섯 살 | seumul-daseot sal |
| 26 years old | 스물여섯 살 | seumul-yeoseot sal |
| 27 years old | 스물일곱 살 | seumul-ilgop sal |
| 28 years old | 스물여덟 살 | seumul-yeodeol sal |
| 29 years old | 스물아홉 살 | seumul-ahop sal |
| 30 years old | 서른 살 | seoreun sal |
| 31 years old | 서른한 살 | seoreun-han sal |
| 32 years old | 서른두 살 | seoreun-du sal |
| 33 years old | 서른세 살 | seoreun-se sal |
| 34 years old | 서른네 살 | seoreun-ne sal |
| 35 years old | 서른다섯 살 | seoreun-daseot sal |
| 36 years old | 서른여섯 살 | seoreun-yeoseot sal |
| 37 years old | 서른일곱 살 | seoreun-ilgop sal |
| 38 years old | 서른여덟 살 | seoreun-yeodeol sal |
| 39 years old | 서른아홉 살 | seoreun-ahop sal |
| 40 years old | 마흔 살 | maheun sal |
| 41 years old | 마흔한 살 | maheun-han sal |
| 42 years old | 마흔두 살 | maheun-du sal |
| 43 years old | 마흔세 살 | maheun-se sal |
| 44 years old | 마흔네 살 | maheun-ne sal |
| 45 years old | 마흔다섯 살 | maheun-daseot sal |
| 46 years old | 마흔여섯 살 | maheun-yeoseot sal |
| 47 years old | 마흔일곱 살 | maheun-ilgop sal |
| 48 years old | 마흔여덟 살 | maheun-yeodeol sal |
| 49 years old | 마흔아홉 살 | maheun-ahop sal |
| 50 years old | 쉰 살 | swin sal |
| 51 years old | 쉰한 살 | swin-han sal |
| 52 years old | 쉰두 살 | swin-du sal |
| 53 years old | 쉰세 살 | swin-se sal |
| 54 years old | 쉰네 살 | swin-ne sal |
| 55 years old | 쉰다섯 살 | swin-daseot sal |
| 56 years old | 쉰여섯 살 | swin-yeoseot sal |
| 57 years old | 쉰일곱 살 | swin-ilgop sal |
| 58 years old | 쉰여덟 살 | swin-yeodeol sal |
| 59 years old | 쉰아홉 살 | swin-ahop sal |
| 60 years old | 예순 살 | yesun sal |
| 61 years old | 예순한 살 | yesun-han sal |
| 62 years old | 예순두 살 | yesun-du sal |
| 63 years old | 예순세 살 | yesun-se sal |
| 64 years old | 예순네 살 | yesun-ne sal |
| 65 years old | 예순다섯 살 | yesun-daseot sal |
| 66 years old | 예순여섯 살 | yesun-yeoseot sal |
| 67 years old | 예순일곱 살 | yesun-ilgop sal |
| 68 years old | 예순여덟 살 | yesun-yeodeol sal |
| 69 years old | 예순아홉 살 | yesun-ahop sal |
| 70 years old | 일흔 살 | ilheun sal |
| 71 years old | 일흔한 살 | ilheun-han sal |
| 72 years old | 일흔두 살 | ilheun-du sal |
| 73 years old | 일흔세 살 | ilheun-se sal |
| 74 years old | 일흔네 살 | ilheun-ne sal |
| 75 years old | 일흔다섯 살 | ilheun-daseot sal |
| 76 years old | 일흔여섯 살 | ilheun-yeoseot sal |
| 77 years old | 일흔일곱 살 | ilheun-ilgop sal |
| 78 years old | 일흔여덟 살 | ilheun-yeodeol sal |
| 79 years old | 일흔아홉 살 | ilheun-ahop sal |
| 80 years old | 여든 살 | yeodeun sal |
| 81 years old | 여든한 살 | yeodeun-han sal |
| 82 years old | 여든두 살 | yeodeun-du sal |
| 83 years old | 여든세 살 | yeodeun-se sal |
| 84 years old | 여든네 살 | yeodeun-ne sal |
| 85 years old | 여든다섯 살 | yeodeun-daseot sal |
| 86 years old | 여든여섯 살 | yeodeun-yeoseot sal |
| 87 years old | 여든일곱 살 | yeodeun-ilgop sal |
| 88 years old | 여든여덟 살 | yeodeun-yeodeol sal |
| 89 years old | 여든아홉 살 | yeodeun-ahop sal |
| 90 years old | 아흔 살 | aheun sal |
| 91 years old | 아흔한 살 | aheun-han sal |
| 92 years old | 아흔두 살 | aheun-du sal |
| 93 years old | 아흔세 살 | aheun-se sal |
| 94 years old | 아흔네 살 | aheun-ne sal |
| 95 years old | 아흔다섯 살 | aheun-daseot sal |
| 96 years old | 아흔여섯 살 | aheun-yeoseot sal |
| 97 years old | 아흔일곱 살 | aheun-ilgop sal |
| 98 years old | 아흔여덟 살 | aheun-yeodeol sal |
| 99 years old | 아흔아홉 살 | aheun-ahop sal |
| 100 years old | 백살 | baek sal |
How to Say Your Age in Korean
Now that you know the basics of native Korean numbers and the word 살 (sal) for “years old,” let’s go over how to put them together with 이에요 (ieyo) to confidently say your age in Korean. With a little practice, this will become second nature.
*이에요 (ieyo) is a polite way to say “is” or “am” in Korean. It is the polite present tense form of the verb “이다” (ida), which means “to be.”
The Simple Structure
To tell someone your age in Korean, just use this structure:
- [Number] + 살 + 이에요
So, if you’re 20 years old, you would say 스무 살이에요 (seu-mu sa-ri-e-yo). If you’re 15, it’s 열다섯 살이에요 (yeol-da-seot sa-ri-e-yo).
Let’s look at a few more examples to get the hang of it:
| Age | Hangeul | Revised Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 한 살이에요 | han sa-ri-e-yo | I am one year old |
| 10 | 열 살이에요 | yeol sa-ri-e-yo | I am ten years old |
| 25 | 스물다섯 살이에요 | seu-mul-da-seot sa-ri-e-yo | I am twenty-five years old |
| 30 | 서른 살이에요 | seo-reun sa-ri-e-yo | I am thirty years old |
Asking and Answering About Age in Korean
To politely ask someone’s age in Korean, use:
- 몇 살이에요? (myeot sa-ri-e-yo?) = “How old are you?”
And answer using the [Number] + 살 + 이에요 structure you just learned.
Conversation Example:
Riri: 몇 살이에요? (Myeot sarieyo?)
“How old are you?”
Ari: 스물다섯 살이에요.
(Seumul-daseot sarieyo.)
“I am twenty-five years old.”
