10000 in Korean: 만 (man), Money and Big Numbers

What you'll learn

• Say 10,000, 30,000, 250,000 and 1,000,000 in Korean using 만.
• Split any number into groups of four digits and read it aloud.
• Read prices, the 만 원 note, salaries and population figures.
• Explain why Korean counts in 10,000s and why 일만 is rare in daily speech.

Prerequisites: 1000 in Korean and Sino-Korean numbers 1-100. Estimated time: 25 minutes.

How Do You Say 10000 in Korean?

To say 10000 in Korean, say 만 (man). The word 만 is a single syllable that means ten thousand, and it works like English "thousand" or "million": a unit that other numbers multiply. It belongs to the Sino-Korean numbers, the set used for money, dates and measurements.

With money, the word 원 (won) follows: 만 원 means 10,000 won. It is pronounced [마눤] because the final ㄴ of 만 moves onto the silent ㅇ of 원, a link called liaison (연음) in the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법). The same linking turns 오만 원 into [오마눤].

In digits, Koreans write 10,000 with commas every three digits, just like English. They read it with the unit 만, which sits four digits from the right. This mismatch between the comma and the reading is the one thing you need to learn. The next section explains why it exists.

Why Does Korean Count in Groups of 10,000?

Korean counts in groups of 10,000 because the Sino-Korean number system groups digits in fours, and 만 is the name of the first four-digit group. English groups digits in threes, so it has the units thousand, million and billion. Korean has the units 만, 억 and 조, and each is 10,000 times the one before.

Inside each four-digit group, Korean reuses the small units 십 (10), 백 (100) and 천 (1,000). So the number 3,456 is 삼천사백오십육, and the number 3,456 followed by 만 is 삼천사백오십육만, which is 34,560,000. The grouping repeats at every level: four digits, then a unit, then four more digits.

This system came into Korean together with the Sino-Korean numbers, which were borrowed from Chinese. You do not need the history to use it. You only need the pattern: read four digits, say the unit, move left. The detailed method for any number is in how to say large numbers in Korean. Here the focus is on 만.

How Do 만 Multiples Work?

만 multiples work like counting 1 to 10 with 만 added at the end: 만, 이만, 삼만, up to 구만, and then 십만. To read a multiple, say the Sino-Korean digit and then 만. The first one is the exception: 10,000 is just 만, not 일만.

Two spoken forms need attention. 육만 is pronounced [융만] because a final ㄱ before ㅁ turns into a nasal [ㅇ]. 십만 is pronounced [심만] because a final ㅂ before ㅁ turns into [ㅁ]. Both are nasalization, a rule of the standard pronunciation (표준 발음법). Korean speakers do this without noticing.

The multiples continue in the same way. 이십만 is 200,000, 삼십만 is 300,000 and 구십만 is 900,000. For the digits in front of 만, you can use any Sino-Korean number up to 9,999. That freedom is what makes the pattern powerful. The next section shows how to use it on a big number.

How Do You Read Numbers Like 250,000?

To read a number like 250,000, split the digits into groups of four from the right, then read each group and add its unit. The method has three steps, and it works for every number in this lesson.

1. Write the number with no commas: 250000.
2. Count four digits from the right and mark the group: 25 | 0000.
3. Read the left group, say 만, then read the right group (if it is not zero): 이십오 + 만 = 이십오만.

So 250,000 is 이십오만, which means 25 groups of 10,000. It is not 이백오십천 (250 thousands), which is how an English speaker might build it from "two hundred fifty thousand". Korean has the unit 만, so it uses it.

The worked example is 3,450,000. The split is 345 | 0000. The left group 345 is 삼백사십오, then add 만. The right group is all zeros, so you stop. The result is 삼백사십오만. When the right group is not zero, you read it after 만: 3,452,000 is 삼백사십오만 이천.

Practise by covering the Korean column and reading the digits aloud. Then check each answer against the audio. The key habit is to find the four-digit group before you speak, and to ignore the commas. Next, see what lies beyond 만.

What Comes after 만?

After 만, the next big unit is 억, which is 10,000 times 만 (100,000,000). In between, Korean builds larger numbers by putting 십, 백 and 천 in front of 만. The table shows the steps.

Notice that 일억 and 일조 keep the 일. The rule is: 만 drops its 일 in daily speech, but 억 and 조 keep it. So 100,000,000 is 일억. The details of 억 are in the page on 만 and 억 in prices.

Why does this matter for you? English speakers see 1,000,000 as "one million", a new word. Korean sees 100 groups of 10,000. When you read 1,000,000, find the four-digit group: 100 | 0000. The left group is 100, which is 백. The unit is 만. So 백만.

How Is 만 Used in Money?

만 is the main unit for prices in Korea. Most notes and prices above a few thousand won use it, and the 10,000-won note is so common that it has its own name: 만 원짜리. The suffix 짜리 names an item by its value, so 만 원짜리 means "the one worth 10,000 won".

The 10,000-won note and the 50,000-won note are two of the four paper notes in daily use. You can find the full set in the page on the Korean won. The counter 원 itself is covered in the 원 counter lesson.

Shop signs and menus often write 만 as a unit symbol next to digits. A price of 35,000 won may appear as 3만 5천 원 or 3만5천원. Read it by pieces: 3만 is 삼만, 5천 is 오천, so the price is 삼만 오천 원. Learn to read this shorthand, because it is common on shop signs and in advertisements.

Shop Dialogue

The dialogue below shows 만 in a real exchange. The customer pays with two 10,000-won notes and gets change. The notes are counted with the counter 장 (sheet), covered in the 장 counter lesson.

• 손님: 이 책 얼마예요? (How much is this book?)
• 직원: 만 이천 원이에요. (It is 12,000 won.)
• 손님: 만 원짜리 두 장 드릴게요. (I will give you two 10,000-won notes.)
• 직원: 거스름돈 팔천 원 드릴게요. (Here is 8,000 won in change.)

Check the arithmetic: 20,000 minus 12,000 is 8,000, which is 팔천. Notice that 두 장 uses a native number with the sheet counter, while 만 이천 원 uses Sino-Korean numbers with won. Both systems appear in one scene, and the counter decides which one is used.

How Do You Read Salaries and Populations?

Salaries, rents and populations use the same groups of four digits. The two common units are 만 for amounts under 100 million and 억 for amounts above it. The examples below are illustrations of how the phrases are built.

In 삼백만, the left group is 300 (삼백) and the unit is 만, so the number is 3,000,000. In 오천만, the left group is 5,000 (오천), so the number is 50,000,000. In both cases, you read the left group first and attach the unit. These phrases are examples of structure, not official figures.

Note the counter 명 for people in 오천만 명. People use native numbers with 명 for small groups (세 명), but large populations use Sino-Korean numbers (오천만 명), because native numbers stop at 99.

Is 10,000 일만 or 만?

In daily speech, 10,000 is 만, not 일만. The form 일만 is formal and appears in documents, bank forms and contracts. Shop clerks, friends and TV presenters say 만 원. If you say 일만 원 in a shop, you will be understood, but you will sound like you are reading a form.

The rule is that 만 drops the 일 at the start of a number, but not inside it. In 만 일 (10,001), the final 일 stays because it means 1.

How Do You Write and Space 만 Amounts?

In Hangul, amounts are spaced at every 만 unit, and the counter 원 is a separate word. In digits, the counter attaches to the number. This follows the spelling rules in the 한글 맞춤법 (Hangul spelling rules): Article 44 spaces large numbers at the 만 unit, and Article 43 spaces counters from Hangul numbers but allows them to attach to digits.

The rule gives a quick reading cue. When you see a space in a Hangul number, you are probably at a 만 or 억 boundary. That cue helps you split long numbers into their four-digit groups.

Does 만 Change with the Currency?

No. The number word stays the same, and only the currency word changes: 만 원 (10,000 won), 만 달러 (10,000 dollars) and 만 엔 (10,000 yen). To say 10000 in Korean for any amount of money, use 만 and add the currency.

This page does not give exchange rates, because they change every day. To convert 10,000 won into another currency, use a live rate from your bank or a currency app, then read the answer in your own language. The reading of the Korean number does not depend on the rate.

Daily-Life Phrases with 만

Most real uses of 만 fall into a few daily scenes: shopping, transport, banking and rent. Learn these phrases as whole chunks.

The ending 쯤 in 이만 원쯤 means "about". The phrase 찾고 싶어요 in the bank line means "I want to withdraw". Each phrase combines a 만 amount with 원, so you can swap the numbers and keep the structure.

Misconceptions about 만

Learners often assume that 만 is a direct match for English "thousand", or that a million is hard to say in Korean. Both ideas mislead.

Misconception 1: 만 means "thousand". 만 is 10,000, ten times a thousand. The Korean word for thousand is 천.

Misconception 2: a million is hard to say in Korean. Korean has no separate unit for it, but 백만 (100 × 만) is the normal word, and it is built from words you already know.

Misconception 3: commas show where the units are. Commas mark groups of three digits. The Korean units are four digits apart, so the commas and the reading do not line up.

Misconception 4: 만 can be used with native numbers. Money and large numbers use Sino-Korean numbers. A form such as 열 만 is not used.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

The most frequent errors with 10,000-based numbers are about regrouping. Each one has a simple fix.

The last row shows the next unit: 만 times 만 is 억. Remember the rule of thumb: find the four-digit group first, then read.

Practice Set

Try these five questions before you check the answers below.

1. How do you say 10,000 in Korean?
2. Read 30,000 won aloud in Korean.
3. Read 250,000 in Korean.
4. What does 백만 mean?
5. Write 15,500 won in Hangul.

Answers

1. 만.
2. 삼만 원.
3. 이십오만.
4. 1,000,000, which is 100 groups of 10,000.
5. 만 오천오백 원.

What This Lesson Does Not Cover

This lesson covers 만 and the numbers built on it. It does not cover the unit 억 and above in depth (see 만 and 억 in prices), the numbers below 10,000 (see 1000 in Korean), or the full method for any number (see how to say large numbers in Korean). It also leaves out currency exchange and the history of the won.

What to Learn Next

The next step is the page on 만 and 억 in prices, which extends the pattern to millions and billions. To review the smaller unit first, return to 1000 in Korean. Now that 10000 in Korean is clear, you can practise with the Korean won page and the full list in Sino-Korean numbers 1-100.

Frequently Asked Questions