How much is it in Korean is 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?). Point and say 이거 얼마예요? (igeo eolmayeyo?), "how much is this?", or ask 전부 얼마예요? (jeonbu eolmayeyo?) for the total. Prices use Sino-Korean numbers with 원 (won): 오천 원 (ocheon won) is 5,000 won and 만 원 (man won) is 10,000.
- How much is it?
- 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?)
- How much is this?
- 이거 얼마예요? (igeo eolmayeyo?)
- The total
- 전부 얼마예요? (jeonbu eolmayeyo?)
- Currency
- 원 (won)
- Expensive / cheap
- 비싸요 (bissayo) / 싸요 (ssayo)
- Level
- A1
How do you ask the price in Korean?
얼마 (eolma) means "how much", and 예요 is the polite "is". Add a pointing word in front and you can price anything in a shop or market.
| Korean | Romanization | Speech level | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 이거 얼마예요? | igeo eolmayeyo? | Polite | Pointing at something near you |
| 저거 얼마예요? | jeogeo eolmayeyo? | Polite | Something further away |
| 전부 얼마예요? | jeonbu eolmayeyo? | Polite | The total for everything |
| 하나에 얼마예요? | hanae eolmayeyo? | Polite | Price per item, at a market stall |
| 얼마입니까? | eolmaimnikka? | Formal | Formal speech; you will rarely need it in shops |
| 얼마야? | eolmaya? | Casual (반말) | Asking a friend what something cost |
이거 (igeo, this), 그거 (geugeo, that, near you) and 저거 (jeogeo, that, over there) are the spoken forms of 이것, 그것 and 저것.
How do Korean prices work?
Prices use the Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼…), not the native ones you use to count items (하나, 둘, 셋). The trick is that Korean groups big numbers in ten-thousands: 만 (man) is 10,000, so 30,000 is 삼만, "three ten-thousands". And 천 (1,000) and 만 never take 일 (one) in front.
- 천 원cheon won1,000 won
- 오천 원ocheon won5,000 won
- 만 원man won10,000 won
- 만 오천 원man ocheon won15,000 won
- 삼만 원samman won30,000 won
- 십만 원simman won100,000 won
Here is a price announced in a Contos A1 story. A tteokbokki stall at a busy neighbourhood market has just put its price up, and the lunchtime customers are not pleased:
오천 원입니다.Ocheon wonimnida.
The customers' reaction, one word later in the same chapter, is 비싸! (bissa!), the casual "that's expensive!"
What else do you say when you pay?
A handful of lines covers most shopping trips. Cards are taken almost everywhere in Korea, but small market stalls may prefer cash, 현금 (hyeongeum).
카드 돼요?
Kadeu dwaeyo?
Can I pay by card?
이걸로 할게요.
Igeollo halgeyo.
I'll take this one.
너무 비싸요.
Neomu bissayo.
That's too expensive.
좀 깎아 주세요.
Jom kkakka juseyo.
Could you knock a bit off?
Haggling belongs to traditional markets, not shops with price tags.
봉투 필요하세요?
Bongtu piryohaseyo?
Do you need a bag?
What you will hear at the till.
What mistakes do learners make with prices?
In writing, 얼마에요 is a very common misspelling. After a word ending in a vowel, the polite "is" is 예요, so the correct form is 얼마예요; in speech the two sound almost the same. With numbers, learners often reach for native 다섯 (five) instead of Sino-Korean 오, or say 일만 for 10,000: just 만.
In a restaurant you will usually pay at the counter rather than ask for a price, as how to ask for the bill in Korean explains. Admiring something before you buy it? See how to say beautiful in Korean.
Read Market Law in Korean at A1 and watch a price war between two market stalls unfold.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce eolmayeyo?
Roughly "uhl-ma-yeh-yo". The eo in 얼 is like the u in "fun", and the l is light.
Is it eolmayeyo or eolmaeyo?
The correct spelling is 얼마예요 (eolmayeyo). 얼마에요 is a common misspelling, even among native speakers, because in quick speech the two sound almost identical.
How do you say 10,000 won in Korean?
만 원 (man won). Korean counts large numbers in units of ten thousand, so 20,000 is 이만 원 (iman won) and 50,000 is 오만 원 (oman won).
How do you say cheap in Korean?
싸요 (ssayo) means it's cheap, and 비싸요 (bissayo) means it's expensive. With friends, 싸다! and 비싸! work as exclamations.