열일곱
yeorilgop[jʌ̹ʎʎiɭɡo̞p̚]
The English phrase 'seventeen' is translated into Korean as 열일곱 (yeorilgop) or 십칠.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 열일곱 | yeorilgop | [jʌ̹ʎʎiɭɡo̞p̚] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 십칠 | sipchil | [ɕʰip̚t͡ɕʰiɭ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
Korean uses two different number systems for 'seventeen' depending on the context of what you are counting or measuring.
Which one should you use?
열일곱 is the native Korean number and is used when counting items, people or stating an age. 십칠 is the Sino-Korean number and is used for mathematical calculations, phone numbers, dates or money.
How does it change in a sentence?
The native Korean form 열일곱 is used when paired with specific counters, such as 명 for people or 살 for years old.
How do you pronounce it?
yeorilgop
Did you know?
- While 열일곱 is used for age, saying someone is 'seventeen' in Korea can be confusing because of the traditional 'Korean age' system where people are considered one year old at birth.
- In the Sino-Korean system, 십칠 is composed of the characters 十 and 七, which are the same characters used to write 'seventeen' in Chinese and Japanese.
- The native word 열일곱 is built by adding 일곱 'seven' to 열 'ten', but the word for 'ten' changes form entirely depending on whether it is used for counting or for dates.
Examples in context
- 그녀는 십칠 살입니다.She is seventeen years old.
- 책 열일곱 권 있어요.I have seventeen books.
- 열일곱 살이에요.yeol-ilgop sar-ieyo.I am seventeen years old.
- 사과가 열일곱 개 있어요.sagwaga yeol-ilgop gae isseoyo.There are seventeen apples.
Example conversation
Hyunwoo and Seoyeon are counting way in a classroom.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo학생이 몇 명이에요?haksaengi myeot myeong-ieyo?How many students are there?
- 서연 Seo-yeon열일곱 명이에요.yeol-ilgop myeong-ieyo.There are seventeen students.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo서연 씨, 이름 적었나요?Seoyeon ssi, ireum jeogeotnayo?Seoyeon, did you write your name?
- 서연 Seo-yeon네, 다 적었어요.ne, da jeogeosseoyo.Yes, I wrote everything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “seventeen” translations and entries 열일곱, 십칠, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 십칠, 열일곱, CC BY-SA 4.0.
