Korean Won: Notes, Coins and How to Say Prices

What you'll learn

• Name each Korean note and coin: 천 원, 오천 원, 만 원, 오만 원, 십 원, 오십 원, 백 원 and 오백 원.
• Read an amount such as 15,500원 aloud as 만 오천오백 원.
• Use the suffix 짜리 to say "a 10,000-won note": 만 원짜리.
• Avoid the common unit mistakes, such as 한 원 or 일만 원.

Prerequisites: Sino-Korean numbers 1-100. Estimated time: 35 minutes.

What Is the Korean Won?

The Korean won is the official currency of South Korea, issued by the Bank of Korea (한국은행). Its Hangul name is 원, its symbol is ₩, and its international currency code is KRW. The word 원 comes from the same Chinese character (圓, "round") as the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan, which is why the three currencies share a similar sound.

Koreans do not use cents in daily life, so prices are whole numbers. A note is called a 지폐 (jipye) and a coin is called a 동전 (dongjeon). Note the pronunciation: 원 is said [원], and the English "won" is a respelling of it.

The first step is to match each note and coin to its Korean name, which the next section lists.

What Notes and Coins Exist?

Four notes and four coins are in everyday use. Each one is named by saying its number and then 원, and the table also shows the figure printed on it. In casual talk the 50,000-won note is sometimes simply called 신사임당 after its portrait.

The 1 won and 5 won coins are still legal tender but are almost never used for payment, so cash prices usually end in 0. There is no 100,000 won note at the time of writing, so 100,000원 on a price tag is paid with two 50,000-won notes or ten 10,000-won notes. Designs can change, so treat this table as a guide to the denominations and check a current note if you need details.

The note values show a pattern worth noticing. The Korean names double as the number words you will use for the rest of this lesson: 천, 오천, 만 and 오만 are the same words that appear in prices, salaries and bank balances. If you can read the notes, you can already read most of the prices you will meet.

Next, the rule that turns a number into a spoken price.

How Do You Say Amounts in Korean?

To say an amount in Korean, read the number as a Sino-Korean number and add 원 after it. The number comes first, then a space in writing, then 원. Because Korean counts in groups of four digits, the amount 15,500 reads as one group of 10,000 plus 5,500: 만 오천오백 원.

Follow these steps for any amount:

1. Split the digits into groups of four from the right. For 15,500 this gives 1 | 5500.
2. Read each group with 천, 백 and 십 as needed. The group 5500 is 오천오백, and the group 1 before 만 is simply 만.
3. Say the unit word after each group. Here the unit is 만, so the first group becomes 만.
4. Finish with 원. The full reading is 만 오천오백 원.

You will know the reading is right if you can rebuild the digits from the words: 만 (10,000) plus 오천 (5,000) plus 오백 (500) equals 15,500.

Two details about the table matter. First, the digit 1 is not said before 십, 백, 천 or 만, so 1,000 is 천 and 10,000 is 만; 일천 and 일만 appear only in formal written documents, never in a spoken price. Second, the group before 만 is read like any smaller number, which is why 12 groups of 10,000 give 십이만 (120,000). The full method for big figures is in how to say large numbers in Korean.

In casual speech, native speakers often drop 원 when the context is clear. A cashier may say 삼천 for 3,000원, and a friend may say 만오천 for 15,000원. As a learner, say the full form with 원 until the shorter version sounds natural to you.

Writing the Won: 원 And ₩

The won is written in two ways in Korean text: the number followed by 원 (15,500원), or the symbol ₩ in front of the number (₩15,500). The first form is standard in Korean writing. The second form appears on price lists, menus and exchange boards, and also in English-language text.

Here is the trap for learners. The written number uses a comma every three digits (15,500), but the spoken number groups every four digits (1|5500). So the comma does not tell you where to say 만. Count four digits from the right, and ignore the commas. For example, 1,200,000원 splits as 120 | 0000, which reads 백이십만 원.

In Korean spelling rules, a unit word such as 원 normally stands apart from the number when the number is in Hangul (오천 원). The National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) spelling rules (한글 맞춤법 제43항) allow it to be attached to Arabic numerals, which is why 15,500원 is written without a space.

Worked Example: Paying at a Cafe

A short purchase shows every skill in this lesson in one scene. Suppose a coffee costs 4,500원 and you pay with one 10,000-won note. The cashier must give back 5,500원, and each amount is read with the rule from above.

The check is simple: 10,000 minus 4,500 is 5,500, and 오천오백 is 5,500. Here is the same exchange as a short dialogue, with the cashier first.

• 점원: 아메리카노 한 잔, 사천오백 원이에요. (One americano, that is 4,500 won.)
• 손님: 만 원짜리 여기 있어요. (Here is a 10,000-won note.)
• 점원: 거스름돈 오천오백 원입니다. (Your change is 5,500 won.)

Notice 한 잔 in the first line. The counter 잔 (cup) takes a native number, so the cup count is native (한) while the price is Sino-Korean (사천오백 원). This mix of systems in one sentence is normal, and it is the reason a learner needs both lists.

How Do You Read Menus and Price Tags?

Read a menu by finding the number, applying the four-digit rule and adding 원. Some menus and price boards print only the thousands, so 9,000 may appear as 9 or 9.0, meaning 9,000원. This habit varies by restaurant, and it is a common surprise for visitors, so check the heading of the menu for a note.

Check the shorthand only when the number is small. If a bowl of noodles is marked 9, it cannot cost 9 won, and the context tells you it means 9,000. If you are unsure, ask 이거 얼마예요? (How much is this?), which the Korean counter won lesson teaches in full. Reading the digits correctly first, then asking only when the digits look odd, is the quickest way to learn.

What Does 짜리 Mean after a Price?

The suffix 짜리 attached to an amount names a thing that has that value, so 만 원짜리 means "a 10,000-won one". It is used for notes and coins, and also for items that sell at a fixed price. A suffix is a small word part added to the end of another word, and 짜리 always attaches directly with no space.

You can combine 짜리 with a counter to say how many notes you want. Notes and sheets are counted with 장, and coins with 개, both of which take native numbers. So 만 원짜리 두 장 means "two 10,000-won notes" and 백 원짜리 세 개 means "three 100-won coins". These are the same counters taught in the lessons on the 장 counter and the 개 counter.

A second suffix, 어치, means "worth of", as in 만 원어치 ("10,000 won worth"). The difference between 짜리 and 어치 is covered in the Korean counter won lesson, which also drills ten price tags.

Cash, Change and Card Phrases

A handful of money words and short sentences cover most payment situations. Learn them as whole phrases first, then swap in numbers.

The ending 할게요 means "I will do it" and is polite and soft. For a longer set of money and bank words, see the vocabulary lesson on Korean money vocabulary.

Cards are accepted in most shops and restaurants in Korea, but small stalls, some markets and some local transport may prefer cash, so carry a few 1,000-won and 10,000-won notes. Local practice varies, and this is a general guide, not a rule.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Most mistakes with the won come from the wrong number system or from reading digits in groups of three. Check each of these before you speak.

1. Using native numbers. Wrong: 한 원, 두 원. Right: 일 원, 이 원. The counter 원 takes Sino-Korean numbers only, although amounts that small are rare in practice.
2. Saying 일만 원 for 10,000 won. Right: 만 원. Learners often add 일 by analogy with English "one thousand".
3. Saying 일천 원 for 1,000 won. Right: 천 원. The form 일천 is a formal written variant, not a spoken price.
4. Reading digits in threes. Wrong: 십오 오백 원. Right: 만 오천오백 원. Group four digits from the right.
5. Mixing up 5,000 and 50,000. 오천 원 is 5,000 and 오만 원 is 50,000. The unit 천 or 만 tells you the size, so listen for it.
6. Quoting exchange rates. This lesson names notes and coins and does not give rates, because they change daily. Use a currency converter or your bank app for the current rate.

Limitation: the Korean names in this lesson are the common spoken forms. Shops may use shortened forms such as 삼천 for 삼천 원 and slang for specific notes, and these vary by place and speaker. Learn the full form first and let speech teach you the shortcuts.

Practice Set

Answer each item before you read the answer line.

1. Say "5,000 won" in Korean.
2. Say "15,500 won" in Korean.
3. What is a 천 원짜리?
4. How do you ask for two 10,000-won notes?
5. Why is 한 원 wrong?
6. Which note shows King Sejong?

Answers:

1. 오천 원 (ocheon won).
2. 만 오천오백 원 (man ocheon-obaek won).
3. A 1,000-won note.
4. 만 원짜리 두 장 주세요 (man wonjjari du jang juseyo).
5. 원 takes Sino-Korean numbers, so the form is 일 원, not 한 원.
6. The 10,000-won note, 만 원.

Four or more correct means you can name the notes and read most prices.

What to Learn Next

You can now name every Korean note and coin and read an amount aloud. To use the Korean won in real conversations, continue in this order:

• Korean Counter Won (원) to drill ten price tags and ask 얼마예요?
• 10000 in Korean: 만 (man) for the most common note and unit.
• Korean Numbers Million and Billion: 만, 억, 조 Explained for larger sums.
• Korean converters for number-to-word tools (they do not show exchange rates).

If you came here from a dictionary search, the short word entry is won in Korean; this lesson is the one that teaches notes, coins and how to read prices.

Frequently Asked Questions