Korean Fractions and Decimals: How to Say 1/2 and 3.14

What you'll learn

• Read any simple fraction with the pattern denominator + 분의 + numerator.
• Say half in three ways: 이 분의 일, 반 and 절반.
• Read decimals with 점, one digit at a time after the point.
• Say a mixed number such as 1 1/2.
• Use fractions and decimals for cooking, measurements and ratios.
• Prerequisites: Sino-Korean numbers 1-100. Estimated time: 20 minutes.

Korean Fractions: the Essentials

The Korean fractions pattern is "denominator + 분의 + numerator", read in that order. The denominator is the bottom number, the one that says how many equal parts the whole has. The numerator is the top number, the one that says how many of those parts you take. So 1/3 is 삼 분의 일: "of three parts, one".

Compare the English order. English says "one over three", with the top number first. Korean says "three, of which, one", with the bottom number first. A reader who keeps English order says 일 분의 삼, which means 3/1, or "three whole units". The check for any fraction is simple: the number that appears first is the bottom of the fraction.

Pronunciation is smooth. 분의 is said [부늬], because the final ㄴ of 분 links to the vowel of 의. Here 의 is the possessive particle, and the 국립국어원 standard pronunciation rules (Article 5) also allow it to be said [에], so [부네] is also common. The numbers inside the phrase are the plain Sino-Korean numbers from Sino-Korean numbers 1-100, and they do not change shape.

How Is a Fraction Built, Part by Part?

A fraction in Korean is built from three parts: the whole, the particle 의, and the piece. The word 분 (分) means "part, division", and 분의 means "of the parts". Reading 삼 분의 일 literally gives "of three parts, one", which explains the order.

The names for the two numbers follow the same idea. 분모 (分母) is the denominator, literally "the mother of the parts", and 분자 (分子) is the numerator, "the child of the parts". Korean fractions list the mother first and the child second, just as families are described from the older generation down. A fraction as a whole is called 분수 (分數).

The tidy logic lets you rebuild any fraction from its words. In 오 분의 이, the 오 is the 분모 (the whole is cut into five parts), and the 이 is the 분자 (you take two). The same pattern works for fractions with larger numbers: 이십 분의 칠 is 7/20, and 백 분의 일 is 1/100. The next step is the set of everyday words that replace fractions in speech.

How Do You Say Half and Quarter?

Say 반 or 절반 for "half" in daily life, and use 이 분의 일 only in math. 반 (半) and 절반 (折半) are Sino-Korean words for "half" that behave like ordinary nouns, and they appear in shops, kitchens and timetables. A quarter is 사 분의 일 in math, and the colloquial 반의반 ("half of a half") in conversation.

Notice the number systems. 반 is a single word and takes no number. 한 시간 반 uses the native number 한 with 시간 and then 반 for the half. 두 배 ("twice") uses 배 (times) with a native number. These patterns are the same as the ones in half past in Korean, where 반 also means thirty minutes past the hour. Using 반 for half is both the shortest and the most natural choice.

How Do You Read Decimals?

Read a decimal by saying the whole number, then 점, then each digit after the point one by one. 점 means "point, dot". The digits after the point are never combined into a larger number. So 3.14 is 삼 점 일 사, not "삼 점 십사".

The reading has two small rules. First, the zero before the point is 영 in school math. Some speakers say 공 instead, and both are understood, but 영 is the safe choice in a math class. Second, the whole part is read as an ordinary number, and the decimal part is read as separate digits. That is why 0.75 is 영 점 칠 오 and never 영 점 칠십오: the second reading sounds like the whole number seventy-five, and it is a frequent beginner error.

The decimal point in writing is a period, and a comma separates thousands, as in English. A decimal point is called 소수점, and a decimal number is a 소수. The name 소수점 means "the point of the small number". The next point is how to say a mixed number.

How Do You Read Mixed Numbers?

A mixed number is a whole number plus a fraction, and Korean reads it with 과 or 와, which mean "and". The pattern is whole + 과/와 + fraction: 일과 이 분의 일 is 1 1/2. The conjunction 과 follows a number ending in a consonant, and 와 follows a vowel.

In everyday life, speakers avoid mixed numbers. They say 일 점 오 for 1.5, or use 반 for half: 한 시간 반 (an hour and a half), 한 개 반 (one and a half items). A recipe will say 한 컵 반, "one and a half cups". Mixed numbers like 이와 삼 분의 일 appear in school and in exams, and are rare in speech, so it is enough to recognise them at this stage.

Where Do Fractions Appear in Daily Life?

Fractions and decimals appear most often in cooking, measurement, shopping and ratios. Each setting prefers a few set phrases, and few of them use the formal 분의 pattern. The table collects the useful ones.

The ratio phrase deserves a note. 열 명 중에 세 명 uses native numbers with the counter 명 (people) and 중에 ("among, out of"), so it sounds like conversation. The equivalent fraction, 십 분의 삼, uses Sino-Korean numbers and sounds like a report. Both mean 3/10; the choice is a matter of register.

A short exchange puts the patterns together:

The numbers show the three registers side by side: 반 (daily), 삼 분의 일 (math reading in a recipe) and 이 점 오 (decimal).

Which Words Are Easy to Confuse?

Several math words share their sound with other words, and a few of them confuse learners. The same syllables can mean a minute, a part, a fountain or a prime number. Context nearly always settles the meaning.

The word 분 deserves the most attention. 삼 분 is "three minutes", while 삼 분의 일 is "one third". The particle 의 changes the meaning: with 의, 분 means "part". Likewise 삼 점 일 사 uses 점 as a decimal point, while 삼 점 means "three points" in a game. This is why a clear 분의 is useful: it tells the listener that a fraction is coming.

Worked Example: a Recipe and a Test Score

A learner reads a recipe and a test result in four sentences.

1. 물 반 컵과 설탕 삼 분의 일 컵을 넣으세요. "Add half a cup of water and a third of a cup of sugar."
2. 반죽은 이 점 오 킬로예요. "The dough is 2.5 kilos."
3. 시험에서 삼 분의 이를 맞혔어요. "I got two thirds right on the test."
4. 평균은 칠십 점 오예요. "The average is 70.5."

The checkpoint: 반 and 삼 분의 일 are both fractions in the first sentence, written differently, while 이 점 오 and 칠십 점 오 are decimals. In the last example, 칠십 is the whole part, a full number, and 오 is a single digit after the point. If any step felt unclear, the mistakes below point to the cause.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

• 일 분의 삼 for 1/3 → 삼 분의 일. The denominator comes first.
• 삼 분 일 → 삼 분의 일. Do not drop the particle 의.
• 삼 점 십사 for 3.14 → 삼 점 일 사. Read the digits after the point one by one.
• 영 점 칠십오 for 0.75 → 영 점 칠 오. The same rule applies to every decimal.
• 세 분의 일 → 삼 분의 일. Fractions use Sino-Korean numbers.
• 오 분 for one fifth → 오 분의 일. 오 분 is five minutes.

Learners often assume that Korean fractions mirror English word order. Actually the order is reversed, and the reversal follows the logic of the words: the whole first, then the piece. The practice set checks all of these points.

Practice Set

Say each answer aloud, then check below.

1. 1/4
2. 2/5
3. 0.5
4. 3.14
5. "half a cup"
6. Fix the error: 일 분의 오
7. Fix the error: 영 점 이십오 (for 0.25)

Answers: 1. 사 분의 일. 2. 오 분의 이. 3. 영 점 오. 4. 삼 점 일 사. 5. 반 컵. 6. 오 분의 일. 7. 영 점 이 오.

If item 6 tripped you, return to the essentials; if item 7 did, reread the section on decimals.

What This Lesson Does Not Cover

This lesson covers fractions and decimals with Sino-Korean numbers. It does not teach percentages, ratios written with a colon, exponents or fractions in algebra, which belong with the other math pages. In digits, a fraction is written 1/3 or 3분의 1. The phrase 반의반 and the mixed-number reading are described as common usage and can vary by speaker.

What to Learn Next

Continue with Korean percentages for 퍼센트 and discounts, or return to Korean math terms for the operation words. If you need to refresh the numbers, see Sino-Korean numbers 1-100, and for the two systems see Sino vs native Korean numbers. The Math in Korean hub lists all three pages. With the rule for Korean fractions in place, parts and decimals are within reach.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the denominator come first in Korean? Korean reads a fraction as "of the parts": 삼 분의 일 means "of three parts, one". The particle 의 links the whole (the denominator) to the piece (the numerator), so the whole is named first. The words 분모 ("mother of the parts") and 분자 ("child of the parts") follow the same order.

How do I say 0.5 in Korean? Say 영 점 오. The word 영 is zero, 점 is the decimal point, and 오 is five. In everyday speech, many people say 반 for "half" instead, but 영 점 오 is the math reading. Some speakers also use 공 for zero here (공 점 오), which is understood but less common in math.

How do I say 1 1/2 in Korean? The mixed-number reading is 일과 이 분의 일, with 과 meaning "and". In daily life, people usually say 일 점 오 (1.5) or 한 개 반 ("one and a half" for countable things) instead. For time, use 한 시간 반. The mixed-number form is mostly for school math.

Is 반 the same as 이 분의 일? Yes, they name the same amount: one half. 반 is the everyday word and appears in 반 컵, 반값 and 한 시간 반. 이 분의 일 is the mathematical reading, used in lessons and when a fraction is written as 1/2. Use 반 in shops and kitchens, and 이 분의 일 in math class.

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