Korean Measurement Vocabulary: 30 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Measurement Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 30 words in five groups of six. It begins with the nouns that name a measurement, such as length and height, then the units of length, then weight, then volume and area, and ends with temperature, speed and size. It belongs to Shapes, Materials and Measurements in Korean and follows Korean Materials Vocabulary.

All 30 are nouns. Metric units such as 미터 and 킬로그램 are loanwords from English, written the way Korean hears them. A number goes before the unit, and the number is Sino-Korean, as in 이십 센티미터 (20 centimetres). The counting words that work differently are on the counters for things page, and the next section picks the words to learn first.

Which Measurement Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 길이 (length), 키 (height of a person), 무게 (weight), 킬로그램 (kilogram) and 온도 (temperature) first. These five answer the questions you hear most often: how long, how tall, how heavy, how many kilograms and how hot. After them, add 센티미터, 미터 and 리터, the three units you meet in shops and on packages.

• Words to say. 키, 무게, 킬로그램, 센티미터, 리터. You use them to give your own height, weight and amounts.
• Words to recognise. 길이, 높이, 두께, 온도, 속도. They appear on forms, signs and package labels.
• Words to understand when spoken. 평, 근, 제곱미터, 시속. A seller, a real-estate agent or a car dealer uses these.

Two words both mean height. 키 is the height of a person or an animal, and 높이 is the height of a thing such as a building or a mountain. You say 키가 커요 (I am tall), but 건물이 높아요 (the building is tall). For the single-word pages, see height in korean, weight in korean and measurement in korean.

Word · 10

1. 1

   길이

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   giri

   length

2. 2

   높이

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   nopi

   height (of a thing); how high

3. 3

   키

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   ki

   height of a person; stature

4. 4

   센티미터

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   sentimiteo

   centimetre

5. 5

   킬로그램

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   killogeuraem

   kilogram

6. 6

   저울

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   jeoul

   scale; weighing machine

7. 7

   리터

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   riteo

   litre

8. 8

   평

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   pyeong

   pyeong; traditional unit of floor area

9. 9

   온도

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   ondo

   temperature (of a thing); degree reading

10. 10

    속도

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    sokdo

    speed; velocity

Length and Height

These six nouns name the size of an object or a distance. Each one is the answer to a how-question: how long, how high, how tall, how wide, how thick and how far. They share a pattern, noun + 이/가 + number + unit, which the sentences below show.

Example Sentences

The sentences use two frames. The first is thing + 의 + measurement + 는 + number + unit + 이에요/예요, as in 이 책상의 길이는 120센티미터예요 (the length of this desk is 120 centimetres). After a unit that ends in a vowel, such as 센티미터, the copula is 예요. The second is the question 얼마예요? (how much is it?), which asks for the number. The same pattern works for 높이, 너비 and 두께. A related question for people is 키가 몇이에요? Say each sentence aloud after the clip, and read the numbers as Sino-Korean: 백이십, 백칠십.

How Do You Say Centimetre, Metre and Kilometre in Korean?

Units are written the way Korean hears the English word. For example, the English ending -er becomes the vowel ㅓ, which is why metre is 미터. The first word of this group is the general word for unit, and the other five are the units you meet on rulers, roads and screens.

The written short forms follow the international symbols: mm, cm, m and km. In writing, you will see 170cm, but you read it as 백칠십 센티미터. The number and the unit are usually written together without a space in running text, as in 120센티미터. In careful printing, you may also see a space. Both are found, so do not worry about it.

Numbers before these units are Sino-Korean, not native. You say 이십오 미터 for 25 metres, and never 스물다섯 미터. The Sino-Korean numbers are explained on the Sino-Korean numbers page.

How Do You Say Weight in Korean?

Weight words are the ones you use at a market, a post office and a doctor's office. They begin with the noun for weight and then give three units and a tool. One unit, 근, is a traditional word that is still used when you buy meat.

Notice that the number is native Korean before 근, as in 한 근 (one geun), but Sino-Korean before gram and kilogram, as in 이백 그램 (200 grams). This is because 근 is a counter-like traditional unit, and the metric units are loanwords. The rule is simple: for metric units, use Sino-Korean numbers.

For body weight, ask 몸무게가 몇 킬로예요? (How many kilos is your body weight?). This question can feel personal, so do not ask it of a new acquaintance. You will hear it at a clinic, on a form or from a friend.

Volume and Area

Volume words measure liquids and space inside a container. Area words measure floors and land. The group has three volume words, two area words, and one traditional unit, 평, which Koreans still use to describe the size of a flat.

A good way to remember the two area words is by who uses them. A real-estate agent says 30평 in conversation. A contract or an official page prints the area in 제곱미터. If you want to convert in your head, multiply the number of 평 by about 3.3 to get square metres, so 30평 is about 100 square metres.

Say 넓이 [널비] and 너비 [너비] carefully, because they are one letter apart in writing and almost the same in sound. 넓이 is the area of a surface, and 너비 is the width of an object.

How Do You Say Temperature in Korean?

The last group collects the measurements of weather, travel and size. Temperature and speed are the two you hear in forecasts and on the road. Size and the verb for measuring are useful in shops and at the doctor's.

Two words in this group need extra care. 도 is a unit after the number, and it also means "also" as a particle (저도 = me too). The sentence shows which one: 20도 means 20 degrees because a number comes before it.

For the weather, the usual question is 오늘 몇 도예요? (What is the temperature today?), and the answer is 오늘은 20도예요. The word 기온 appears in forecasts instead of 온도, but for conversation 도 is enough.

How Do You Ask about a Measurement?

Most measurement questions use the question word 얼마 (how much) or 몇 (how many), together with the unit. The pattern is subject + 이/가 + 얼마예요? or + 몇 + unit + 이에요/예요?. The answer repeats the unit with a number.

Pay attention to the form of the copula. After a vowel, such as the ㅓ in 센티미터 or the ㅗ in 킬로, it is 예요. After a consonant, such as the ㅇ in 평 or the ㄴ in 톤, use 이에요. The question words themselves are covered on the 얼마 and 몇 pages.

What Traditional Units Are Still Used in Korea?

Korea has used the metric system for official measurements for a long time, but a few traditional units remain in daily talk. The two most important are 평 (pyeong, for floor area) and 근 (geun, for weight). Others you may hear in a market, such as 되 and 말 for volume, are rare outside rural shops and older speakers.

The rule is simple. Use metric units in writing, on forms and in dealings with offices. Use 평 and 근 when you hear them from a seller or a neighbour, and convert them in your head. Because official documents use metric units, you will see 제곱미터 on contracts even when people say 평 in speech. If you need an exact figure, ask for the metric number: 제곱미터로는 얼마예요? (How much is it in square metres?)

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Measurement words are made of long loanwords and of short Sino-Korean words with tense sounds. The long loanwords add a vowel after each consonant cluster. The short words tense a consonant after a final stop. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which records some sound changes and ignores others.

Two of the hardest sounds are in 높이 (nopi) and 길이 (giri). The ㄹ between vowels in 길이 is a light tap of the tongue, like the "tt" in the American "butter". The ㄹ in 킬로 and 밀리 comes after a final ㄹ, so it is held a little longer, like a long "l". The vowel ㅓ in 미터 (miteo) is unrounded: keep your lips relaxed and open, not round. The Romanization writes it eo, but the sound is closer to the "u" in "cup" than to "o".

Audio and Slow Playback

Every headword and every example sentence has its own audio. The five clips below replay the trickiest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Measurement Words?

These five mistakes come up often with measurement words.

1. Using native numbers before metric units. 스물다섯 미터 is wrong. Use Sino-Korean numbers before 미터, 킬로그램 and 리터: 이십오 미터.
2. Mixing 키 and 높이. 키 is for people and animals. 높이 is for things. 건물의 키 is wrong, and 저의 높이 sounds like you are measuring a statue.
3. Confusing 넓이 and 너비. 넓이 is area (a surface). 너비 is width (one side). The spellings are one letter apart.
4. Using 이에요 after a vowel. After 센티미터, 킬로 and 리터, use 예요: 170센티미터예요, not 170센티미터이에요.
5. Reading 도 as only the particle. After a number, 도 is the degree unit: 20도. After a noun with no number, 도 is the particle "also", as in 저도.

A habit that avoids most of these: say the number, then the unit, then 예요 or 이에요, as one unit. Practise with your own height, your weight in kilos, and the temperature outside.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you know each of the 30 words. Second, switch to listening mode and answer from the audio alone. Third, take the quiz. The deck covers all 30 words with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, measure something at home, such as a book, a cup of water or your own height, and say the result aloud: 이 책은 길이가 20센티미터예요. Saying the real number while you hold the real object fixes both the word and the pattern.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Position Words Vocabulary, which teaches words for where something is, or go back to Korean Materials Vocabulary. For counting people and things rather than measuring them, see counters for things. To return to the full set, go to Shapes, Materials and Measurements in Korean.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Length in Korean?

Length is 길이 (giri). It is a noun, so it takes a particle: 길이가 (length is) or 길이를 (the length). To ask for it, say 길이가 얼마예요? (How long is it?). The unit follows the number, as in 120센티미터. The pages for height in korean and weight in korean cover two related words.

How Do You Pronounce 높이 (nopi)?

Say no-pi, with two short syllables. The spelling has a final ㅍ in 높, but that ㅍ moves to the next syllable, so the sound is [노피]. The first vowel is a rounded "o" as in "go", and the last is a clear "ee". Press the audio button for the normal and slow versions.

How Many Measurement Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 길이, 키, 무게, 킬로그램 and 온도. At five new words a day, the whole list of 30 takes six days plus review. Add 센티미터, 미터 and 리터 on day two, since you will meet them on packages.

Where Can I Practise Measurement Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, and it offers recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser, so return daily and review the cards you missed.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid and does not show every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Measurement Words?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, copy the tables on this page by hand or use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 30 words.

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