Understanding Korean days of the week and dates is essential for beginners learning the language. In this guide, you’ll learn how to express days, dates, and related vocabulary in Korean. Mastering these basic expressions will help you communicate more effectively and confidently in everyday situations.
1. Definition
- Days of the Week: In Korean, each day of the week has a unique name ending with “요일”, which means “day.”
- Dates: Dates are expressed using Sino-Korean numbers for days and months.
2. Form (Structure)
Days of the Week in Korean
| Day of the Week | Korean |
| Monday | 월요일 |
| Tuesday | 화요일 |
| Wednesday | 수요일 |
| Thursday | 목요일 |
| Friday | 금요일 |
| Saturday | 토요일 |
| Sunday | 일요일 |
Korean Dates
| English Equivalent | Day | Korean |
| 1st | 1일 | 일일 |
| 2nd | 2일 | 이일 |
| 3rd | 3일 | 삼일 |
| 4th | 4일 | 사일 |
| 5th | 5일 | 오일 |
| 6th | 6일 | 육일 |
| 7th | 7일 | 칠일 |
| 8th | 8일 | 팔일 |
| 9th | 9일 | 구일 |
| 10th | 10일 | 십일 |
| … | … | … |
| 30th | 30일 | 삼십일 |
| 31st | 31일 | 삼십일일 |
3. Meaning & Usage
Korean and English date formats may seem similar, but there are key differences that can lead to confusion. Knowing how each language handles dates is important for clear communication, especially when working with Korean dates.
(1) Korean Date Format: Year-Month-Day
In Korean, dates are written in the year-month-day format. This is how it works:
- Year: The year is written first, followed by 년 (meaning “year”).
- Month: The month is next, followed by 월 (meaning “month”).
- Day: The day is last, followed by 일 (meaning “day”).
Example: March 14, 2025, in Korean is written as 2025년 3월 14일.
(2) English Date Format: Month-Day-Year (US) or Day-Month-Year (UK)
In English, the order of the date can change depending on the country:
- US: The typical format is month-day-year.
- Example: March 14, 2025.
- UK: The common format is day-month-year.
- Example: 14 March 2025.
- Example: 14 March 2025.
(3) Counters in Korean Dates
Korean dates use specific counters after each element:
- 년 for year
- 월 for month
- 일 for day
These counters help clarify the meaning of the date and are not used in English.
(4) Writing Dates Numerically
- Korean: When writing dates in numbers, you might see YYYY/MM/DD or YYYY.MM.DD, or in informal cases, just 3/5 for March 5.
- English: The numeric format in English can vary:
- US: MM/DD/YYYY (e.g., 03/14/2025)
- UK: DD/MM/YYYY (e.g., 14/03/2025)
(5) Day of the Week
- Korean: The day of the week is often placed after the date. For example, 2025년 3월 14일 금요일 translates to Friday, March 14, 2025 in English.
- English: In English, the day of the week typically comes before the date. For example, Friday, March 14, 2025.
(6) Reading Dates
- Korean: When reading dates aloud, Koreans follow the written format: year, then month, then day.
- English: In English, dates are usually read as month, day, then year in the US. In the UK, it’s often day, month, then year.
(7) Traditional Korean Lunar Calendar
Although the Gregorian calendar is used for official matters in Korea, many cultural events follow the lunar calendar. Important holidays like 설날 (Seollal, Lunar New Year) and 추석 (Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving) are based on this traditional calendar.
(8) Commas in Dates
Unlike Korean, English dates often use commas to separate the elements. For example, in the US format, commas are placed between the day and year.
- Example in English: “March 14, 2025” (US) or “14 March 2025” (UK).
In English, commas are often used to separate these elements, especially in the US format.
Understanding the differences between Korean and English date formats is crucial for accurate communication. Korean follows a consistent year-month-day format, while English can vary based on region. Korean also uses counters like 년, 월, and 일, which English does not. By recognizing these differences, you can better interpret and express dates in both languages.
4. Examples
Here are some example sentences showing how to use days of the week and dates in different tenses.
- 오늘은 월요일이에요. (Today is Monday.)
- 내일은 화요일이에요. (Tomorrow is Tuesday.)
- 지난주 수요일에 만났어요. (I met on Wednesday last week.)
- 이번 주 금요일에 약속이 있어요. (I have an appointment this Friday.)
- 지난주 토요일에 여행을 갔어요. (I went on a trip last Saturday.)
- 매주 일요일에 가족과 시간을 보내요. (I spend time with my family every Sunday.)
- 1월 1일은 새해 첫날이에요. (January 1st is the first day of the New Year.)
- 5일에 생일 파티를 할 거예요. (I will have a birthday party on the 5th.)
- 내일은 3월 10일이에요. (Tomorrow is March 10th.)
- 다음 주 월요일에 회의가 있어요. (There is a meeting next Monday.)
- 오늘은 7일이에요. (Today is the 7th.)
- 다음 달 15일에 시험이 있어요. (There is an exam on the 15th next month.)
- 그 날은 9월 9일이었어요. (That day was September 9th.)
- 6일에 친구를 만날 거예요. (I will meet my friend on the 6th.)
- 지난주 8일에 발표가 있었어요. (There was a presentation on the 8th last week.)
- 이번 주 4일에 여행을 갑니다. (I’m going on a trip on the 4th this week.)
- 10월 12일에 콘서트가 있어요. (There is a concert on October 12th.)
- 13일에 일정을 확인할 거예요. (I will check the schedule on the 13th.)
- 오늘은 2월 21일이에요. (Today is February 21st.)
- 내일은 6월 3일이에요. (Tomorrow is June 3rd.)
Understanding how to express days of the week and dates in Korean is crucial for effective communication. By practicing these expressions, you’ll be able to talk about schedules, appointments, and everyday events confidently.