Which 12 do I use?
| Use | Korean | Sounds like | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| AgeNative | 열두 살 | yeoldu sal | 12 years old |
| Counting thingsNative | 열두 개 | yeoldu gae | 12 items |
| PeopleNative | 열두 명 | yeoldu myeong | 12 people |
| Hour on the clockNative | 열두 시 | yeoldu si | 12 o'clock |
| MinutesSino | 십이 분 | sibi bun | 12 minutes |
| MoneySino | 십이 원 | sibi won | ₩12 |
| Price in thousandsSino | 만 이천 원 | man icheon won | ₩12,000 |
| MonthSino | 십이월 | sibiwol | December |
| DateSino | 십이 일 | sibi il | the 12th of the month |
| Floor, room, busSino | 십이 층 | sibi cheung | floor 12 |
| OrderNative | 열두 번째 | yeoldu beonjjae | number 12 in order |
Good to know
- Before a counter word, 열둘 shortens to 열두: 열두 개 (12 things), 열두 살 (12 years old).
- 십이 is written that way but said [시비]: linking (final moves to the next vowel).
How 십이 is built
십이 is 십 (10) + 이 (2). Once you know 1 to 10, Sino-Korean numbers build themselves. In native Korean, the tens have their own words (열, 스물, 서른, 마흔, 쉰, 예순, 일흔, 여든, 아흔), so 열둘 has to be learned.
십ㅅ+ㅣ+ㅂ이ㅇ+ㅣ
Need a bigger number, a price or a phone number? The Korean number converter handles any number, both systems, dates and times.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 12 in Korean?
There are two ways: 십이 (sibi) from the Sino-Korean system and 열둘 (yeoldul) from the native Korean system.
How do you say "I am 12 years old" in Korean?
열두 살이에요 (yeoldu sarieyo). Age uses native Korean numbers.
How do you say ₩12,000 in Korean?
만 이천 원 (man icheon won). Money always uses Sino-Korean numbers, and Korean counts big amounts in units of 10,000 (만).
Romanization: Revised Romanization of Korean, with sound changes. Audio: a recorded native-sounding Korean voice.
Last checked: 2026-10-20