TOPIK · Level 36
15 words
Korean word
서른
Pronunciation
Romanizationseoreun
Meaning
- numeralthirty
Example
그는 서른 살이에요.keu neun seo reun sa ri e yo
He is thirty years old.
More examples
첫 아이를 서른 살에 낳았어요.cheot a i reul seo reun sa re na a sseo yo
I had my first child at thirty.
Core concept
The number thirty in Korea's native counting system, commonly used for a person's age.
Common phrases
서른 살seo reun sal
thirty years old
서른쯤seo reun jjeum
around thirty
서른 대seo reun tae
in one's thirties
Similar words
삼십samsip: A form of thirty used with counted things, time periods, and years.
서른쯤seoreunjjeum: An approximate age of thirty with no claim of exactness.
서른대seoreundae: The age group covering people from thirty through thirty-nine.
서른몇seoreunmyeot: An unspecified age somewhere in the thirty-to-thirty-nine range.
Definition in Korean
서른은 한국어 고유 수사로 삼십을 뜻하며, 일상에서는 주로 사람의 나이를 말할 때 '서른 살'처럼 쓴다seo reu neun han gu geo ko yu su sa ro sam si beul tteu ta myeo il sang e seo neun chu ro sa ra mui na i reul mal hal ttae seo reun sal cheo reom sseun da
Word origin
The word belongs to the native Korean numeral system, whereas the Sino-Korean system supplies a separate form for thirty.
Usage tips
- English speakers may expect one age expression, but Korean commonly shows the number and the age marker as separate parts, which makes the sentence pattern easier to recognize.
Related words
- 서른살seoreunsalage thirtynoun
- 서른대seoreundaethirtiesnoun
- 서른째seoreunjjaethirtiethdeterminer