Which 21 do I use?
| Use | Korean | Sounds like | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| AgeNative | 스물한 살 | seumulhan sal | 21 years old |
| Counting thingsNative | 스물한 개 | seumulhan gae | 21 items |
| PeopleNative | 스물한 명 | seumulhan myeong | 21 people |
| MinutesSino | 이십일 분 | isibil bun | 21 minutes |
| MoneySino | 이십일 원 | isibil won | ₩21 |
| Price in thousandsSino | 이만 천 원 | iman cheon won | ₩21,000 |
| DateSino | 이십일 일 | isibil il | the 21st of the month |
| Floor, room, busSino | 이십일 층 | isibil cheung | floor 21 |
| OrderNative | 스물한 번째 | seumulhan beonjjae | number 21 in order |
Good to know
- Before a counter word, 스물하나 shortens to 스물한: 스물한 개 (21 things), 스물한 살 (21 years old).
- 이십일 is written that way but said [이시빌]: linking (final moves to the next vowel).
How 이십일 is built
이십일 is 이 (2) × 십 (10) + 일 (1). 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 스물하나 has to be learned.
이ㅇ+ㅣ십ㅅ+ㅣ+ㅂ일ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄹ
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 21 in Korean?
There are two ways: 이십일 (isibil) from the Sino-Korean system and 스물하나 (seumulhana) from the native Korean system.
How do you say "I am 21 years old" in Korean?
스물한 살이에요 (seumulhan sarieyo). Age uses native Korean numbers.
How do you say ₩21,000 in Korean?
이만 천 원 (iman cheon 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