How to Say a Phone Number in Korean: 공일공 and Digits

Key facts

• Zero is 공 (gong) in phone numbers; 영 (yeong) is the maths word.
• A mobile number has 11 digits and starts with 010, read 공일공.
• Hyphens become short pauses; you do not say the hyphen.
• Time needed: about 15 minutes. Difficulty: beginner. You need the Sino-Korean digits 0 to 9.

Before You Start

You can learn this in one sitting if you already recognise the Hangul syllables. Check the list below, then work through the four steps in order.

Phone numbers use the Sino-Korean system, the set of numbers that came into Korean from Chinese, such as 일, 이, 삼. The native set (하나, 둘, 셋) is used for counting objects and does not appear in phone numbers. The page on Sino vs native Korean numbers explains the split.

How to Say a Phone Number in Korean

To say a phone number in Korean, say each digit as a Sino-Korean number and pause between the groups. Do not turn the digits into hundreds or thousands, because a phone number is a code and not a quantity. The mobile number 010-1234-5678 becomes 공일공, 일이삼사, 오육칠팔.

Here are the four steps in one view, so that you can see the whole route before you start.

1. Learn the ten digits, including the zero that phone numbers use.
2. Split the number into its chunks.
3. Say each chunk with a short pause after it.
4. Give your number in a sentence, or ask for someone else's.

You can play the whole line, then work backwards through the steps to see how it was built. First comes the vocabulary: the ten digits.

Step 1: Learn the Digits 0-9 for Phone Numbers

Say the digit as its Sino-Korean name. The only digit with two names is zero, and phone numbers prefer 공.

You will know it worked when you can say 일이삼사오육칠팔구 in one breath without checking the table. The common mistake at this step is mixing up 사 (4) and 삼 (3), which differ by one final consonant, so say the ㅁ clearly in 삼.

Why 공 Instead of 영?

Both 공 and 영 mean zero, but they live in different places. 영 (yeong) is the maths word, used in scores, temperatures and sums. 공 (gong) is the usual word when you read digits one by one: phone numbers, bank accounts and room numbers.

Some people do say 영 when they read a number carefully, and everyone understands it. Still, 공일공 is far more common than 영일영, so 공 is the safe choice for your own number.

The 이 (2) and 일 (1) pair is the other place where the digits look short. 이 also means "this" and "tooth", and 일 also means "work" and "day". On the phone the context is a string of digits, so no one mistakes them, but speak them with a clear vowel. Now that you have the ten digits, you can split a number into the chunks that Koreans actually use.

Step 2: Split the Number into Chunks

Group the digits exactly as they are written. A Korean phone number has hyphens between its groups, and those groups are the chunks that you say. A chunk is a block of two to four digits that you say together before you pause.

You will know it worked when each chunk of your own number sounds like one unit. The common mistake here is to split by the wrong rhythm, for example reading 010-1234-5678 as 0101, 2345, 678 because that is how a chunk looks in English. Follow the hyphens in the Korean number.

How Do I Read a Landline Number in Korean?

Read a landline the same way as a mobile: area code first, then the two groups. The area code starts with 0, so it begins with 공. For Seoul the code is 02, read 공이, and the rest follows as 삼사오, 육칠팔구 in the placeholder above. Other cities use three-digit codes such as 031, read 공삼일. The page on the Korean phone number format lists the codes.

How Do I Say an Extension Number?

Say the main number first, then the extension. The word for extension is 내선, followed by the digits and 번. For example, 02-345-6789 extension 123 is 공이, 삼사오, 육칠팔구, 내선 일이삼 번. Read the extension digit by digit, as with the main number.

Chunks are only half of the work. The other half is the rhythm of saying them.

Step 3: Say the Number with Natural Pauses

Say each chunk at an even pace, pause for a beat where the hyphen sits and stay steady through the whole number. The pause is what a listener uses to write the number down. A Korean listener will often repeat each chunk back to you.

Two sound details matter when the digits meet.

1. Liaison on 일이. When 일 (il) is followed by 이 (i), the final ㄹ moves to the next syllable, so 일이 sounds like [이리]. The chunk 일이삼사 therefore sounds like [이리삼사].
2. Liaison before 이에요. When you end a sentence with a digit that has a final consonant, the same move happens: 팔이에요 sounds like [파리에요].

Pronunciation rules like these are described in the standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the National Institute of Korean Language.

Here is a worked example with a second placeholder number, 010-9876-5432.

A zero in the middle of a chunk stays 공. The placeholder 010-3050-7009 is 공일공, 삼공오공, 칠공공구. Practise this one slowly because the repeating 공 is easy to skip.

Do I Say the Hyphens?

No. Pause where the hyphens fall and say only the digits. The hyphens exist to help the eye. In a text message, keep them, because they also help the person who reads the number. Some online forms ask for digits only, written without hyphens as 01012345678, so follow the field's hint. The spoken reading is the same in both cases.

You can now say a number you read. The last step is to put it in a sentence.

Step 4: Give and Ask for a Number

To give your number, start with a short sentence and then read the chunks. To ask for a number, use a polite question. The table lists scripts that fit most situations.

The page on what's your phone number in Korean covers the short question 전화번호가 뭐예요? in depth. This page stays with reading the digits.

A short exchange puts the pieces together.

• 직원: 전화번호가 어떻게 되세요?
• 손님: 공일공 일이삼사 오육칠팔이에요.
• 직원: 공일공 일이삼사 오육칠팔, 맞아요?
• 손님: 네, 맞아요.

(Staff: What is your phone number? Customer: It is 010-1234-5678. Staff: 010-1234-5678, is that right? Customer: Yes, that is right.)

Repeating a number back is normal practice in shops and offices, so do not feel that it is rude to check. When only part of the number is needed, such as a membership lookup, you may be asked for the last four digits: 뒤 네 자리 means "the last four digits" and 자리 is the word for a digit position.

You will know this step worked when you can finish a request with a sentence ending that fits your listener: 이에요 for everyday use and 입니다 for formal settings. The mistake at this step is using the casual ending with a stranger, so stay with the polite forms in the table.

How Do I Say an Overseas Number?

Say the plus sign as 플러스, then the country code, then the number without its leading 0. The Korean code is +82, read 플러스 팔이. So +82 10-1234-5678 is 플러스 팔이, 일공, 일이삼사, 오육칠팔. The leading 0 of 010 is dropped when you call from abroad, which is why the mobile chunk becomes 일공 and not 공일공.

For foreign numbers, read each digit in the same Sino-Korean way. The page on the Korean phone number format explains the dropping rule in detail.

Short Numbers: 112, 119 and 1330

Emergency and service numbers are short, so people read them as plain digits. Learn these three before you travel.

Check the current list of service numbers before you rely on one, because services change. For phrases to use once you have someone on the line, see Korean phone phrases.

Digit Pairs That Are Easy to Mishear

Four pairs cause most confusion on a noisy line. Learn the contrast in each pair and exaggerate it a little when the other person asks you to repeat.

A practical fix is to read the number in the same chunks twice. The second pass gives the listener a second chance, and it costs only a few seconds. If the other person still cannot catch a digit, say the whole chunk again slowly instead of repeating a single digit, because a single digit loses its rhythm.

Asking for Only the Last Four Digits

Shops, delivery services and restaurant waiting lists often ask for the last four digits, not the whole number. The request sounds like 뒤 네 자리, and you answer with just the final chunk of a mobile number. For 010-1234-5678 that is 오육칠팔.

Because the last four digits are the most individual part of a mobile number (every mobile starts with 010), they are the usual lookup key. Giving only those four digits is safer for your privacy than giving the whole number.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Most errors come from reading a code as a quantity, from using the wrong number system or from losing the group rhythm. Check your reading against this list.

1. Reading as one number. Wrong: 천이백삼십사 for 1234. Right: 일이삼사.
2. Using native numbers. Wrong: 하나 둘 셋 넷. Right: 일 이 삼 사.
3. Saying 십 for the 10 in a number. Wrong: 공십. Right: 공일공 for 010, and 일공 for the 10 after +82.
4. Skipping the liaison. 일이 is spoken [이리]; spelling it out as separate syllables sounds stiff.
5. Running all 11 digits together. Pause after each chunk so the listener can write.
6. Using 영 as the default zero. Understood, but 공 is what you will hear.

You can fix nearly every problem by returning to the three-chunk reading of a mobile number.

Practice: Read These Numbers Aloud

Say each placeholder number, then check the answers below.

1. 010-2468-1357
2. 02-111-2222
3. 010-0909-4545
4. +82 10-2468-1357

Answers

1. 공일공, 이사육팔, 일삼오칠
2. 공이, 일일일, 이이이이
3. 공일공, 공구공구, 사오사오
4. 플러스 팔이, 일공, 이사육팔, 일삼오칠

Time Needed and What This Page Does Not Cover

Most beginners can read an 11-digit number smoothly after about 15 minutes, and a week of daily practice makes the groups automatic. The typical pace varies from person to person.

This page covers saying numbers aloud. It does not cover writing numbers for forms, area codes in detail or the +82 rule beyond the basics. Those belong to the Korean phone number format page. The audio is generated by text-to-speech, so real callers may speak faster and some will read with fewer pauses.

The Bottom Line

To say a phone number in Korean, read each digit as a Sino-Korean number, use 공 for zero and pause at the hyphens. The two nuances that matter most are the liaison in 일이 and the shift from 공일공 to 일공 after +82. Now that you know how to say a phone number in Korean, move on to the format page for area codes and written forms.

Frequently Asked Questions

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