Months in Korean: 20 Words with Romanization and Audio

Months in Korean at a Glance

Korean has no separate names for months. The first month is "one month", the second is "two month", and so on. You write them with Arabic digits, as in 1월, 2월, 3월, and read them with the Sino-Korean numbers, which are the numbers borrowed from Chinese (일, 이, 삼, 사, 오, 육, 칠, 팔, 구, 십). The page sits in Time Words, after Days of the Week and before Time Expressions.

If you already know the numbers up to ten, you already know the months. If not, read Sino-Korean numbers first and come back.

Which Month Names Should You Learn First?

Learn the pattern, not twelve separate words. Say 일, 이, 삼 and add 월; the first five months follow with no surprises. Then learn the two exceptions, 유월 and 시월, because they are the ones learners get wrong. Finish with 십일월 and 십이월, which are just 십 plus a number plus 월.

• Say first. 몇 월 (what month), 이번 달, 다음 달, 지난달.
• Rules to remember. 유월 and 시월 drop the final consonant of 육 and 십.
• Recognise. 날짜, 추석, 방학. They appear on calendars and school notices.

The scene below shows a year planner with the twelve months as numbered items. Tap a number to hear the word.

Word · 10

1. 1

   1월 (일월)

   Play

   irwol

   January

2. 2

   2월 (이월)

   Play

   iwol

   February

3. 3

   3월 (삼월)

   Play

   samwol

   March

4. 4

   6월 (유월)

   Play

   yuwol

   June

5. 5

   10월 (시월)

   Play

   siwol

   October

6. 6

   12월 (십이월)

   Play

   sibiwol

   December

7. 7

   월

   Play

   wol

   month (after a number)

8. 8

   달

   Play

   dal

   month (duration); moon

9. 9

   날짜

   Play

   nalja

   date

10. 10

    추석

    Play

    chuseok

    Chuseok (autumn harvest holiday)

The Twelve Months

To say in a month, add 에: 사월에. To make the month the topic, add 은, because every month name ends in the consonant of 월: 이월은 짧아요. 4월 is the usual written form, and 사월 is how it is read aloud.

Example Sentences

Each example is about something real in a Korean year. 삼월 is when the school year begins, 사월 is cherry blossom time, 오월 오일 is Children's Day, and 시월 구일 is Hangeul Day. The frame is month + 에 + description, and the verb or adjective can be swapped freely. Listen first, repeat the full sentence, then change the month.

Why Are 6월 and 10월 Read 유월 and 시월?

Six and ten have regular names in other uses: 육 (yuk) is six and 십 (sip) is ten. In the month names, though, the final consonant is dropped, an old sound change that the spelling now fixes: 육 + 월 becomes 유월, and 십 + 월 becomes 시월. Do not say 육월 or 십월; Korean listeners will understand, but it sounds like a mistake.

Only these two months behave this way. It is only a fixed spelling in the month words; in other words 6 is still 육 and 10 is still 십. Dictionaries published by the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) give 유월 and 시월 as the standard forms.

Seasons and Months

Korean seasons follow the months fairly closely, which helps with memory. 삼월 to 오월 is spring, 유월 to 팔월 is summer, 구월 to 십일월 is autumn, and 십이월 to 이월 is winter. These are everyday approximations rather than official rules, and the rainy season (장마) falls in the middle of the summer block. Use them to attach a mood to each month name. The words for the seasons themselves are on Seasons in Korean.

How Do You Say Months in Dates in Korean?

The order in a Korean date runs from large to small: year, month, day. So 2026년 10월 9일 is read as 이천이십육 년 시월 구 일, with the year first and the day last. The month sits in the middle, and the day uses 일 (il), the same syllable as the Sunday name.

Two words for month is not an accident. 월 labels a position on the calendar, so you use it with Sino-Korean numbers: 삼월 is March. 달 measures a length of time, so you use it with native numbers: 세 달 is three months. Mixing them up is a frequent slip, and it is covered below. For the full date, see dates.

Monthly Events

Some months are tied to fixed events. 삼월 starts the school and university year, 오월 오일 is Children's Day, and 시월 구일 is Hangeul Day, a public holiday. 추석 follows the lunar calendar, so it moves between September and early October on the solar calendar. 방학 is the school vacation, with summer and winter breaks. Learn them as small packages, such as 삼월 + 학기 or 시월 + 한글날, and the month names stop being abstract.

The word 날짜 belongs with the months because it is what you ask for when you need a date. 날짜 asks for month and day together; 요일 asks for the weekday only.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Month names need the linking rule (연음): a final consonant moves to the next syllable if that syllable starts with silent ㅇ. The ㄹ of 일, 칠 and 팔 and the ㅂ of 십 link into 월, and the vowel ㅝ is heard in the result. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean.

Romanization shows what you hear, so 일월 is written irwol, with the r from the linked ㄹ. The question 몇 월 (what month) follows the same linking: say [며둴], not [몇 월].

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The clips below replay the trickiest words slowly. Play one, repeat it, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Month Names?

Five mistakes come up often.

1. Saying 육월 or 십월. Use 유월 and 시월.
2. Using 달 with Sino-Korean numbers. 삼 달 is wrong; use 세 달 for three months.
3. Using 월 with native numbers. 한 월 is wrong; use 일월 for January.
4. Putting the day before the month. Korean says 10월 9일, not 9일 10월.
5. Forgetting 에. 사월 벚꽃이 피어요 is understood, but 사월에 says clearly that it happens in April.

Most of these come from carrying English habits across, so say the corrected sentence aloud each time.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Run the deck in recognition mode until the twelve months come quickly, then switch to listening mode and take the quiz. The deck holds all 20 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 and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, draw twelve boxes, write the digit and the Hangul name in each, and circle 유월 and 시월.

Where to Go Next

Continue with Time Expressions for today, last week and parts of the day, or go back to Days of the Week. To move up, return to Time Words.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say the Months in Korean?

Say a Sino-Korean number plus 월: 일월 (January), 이월, 삼월, 사월, 오월, 유월 (June), 칠월, 팔월, 구월, 시월 (October), 십일월 and 십이월 (December). In writing, use digits plus 월, such as 4월.

Why Is June 유월 and Not 육월?

The number six is 육, but in the month name the final ㄱ is dropped, giving 유월. October works the same way: 십 (ten) becomes 시, giving 시월. These are the only two irregular months. Saying 육월 or 십월 will be understood but sounds wrong.

What Is the Difference between 월 and 달?

월 labels a month on the calendar and goes after Sino-Korean numbers: 삼월 is March. 달 measures a span of time and goes after native numbers: 세 달 is three months. Both mean month, but they are not interchangeable.

In What Order Does Korean Write a Date?

Year, month, day, from the largest unit to the smallest: 2026년 10월 9일. The month sits in the middle, which is the reverse of the day-first order used in many English-speaking countries.

How Do You Say Last Month, This Month and Next Month?

Say 지난달 for last month, 이번 달 for this month and 다음 달 for next month. They take 에 when you say that something happens then, as in 다음 달에 이사해요.

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 mark every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.