Your K-Drama Moment: How to Exchange Numbers in Korean!
Hello! It’s your friendly guide at [Maeil Hangeul], here to upgrade your Korean skills!
Have you ever imagined making a new friend in Seoul? Maybe you bond over your love for the same K-Pop group or the latest hit K-drama like ‘Lovely Runner’. You’re having a great time and you want to stay in touch. What’s the next step? Exchanging phone numbers, of course! In Korea, this is the key to starting a new friendship. Today, we’ll learn the essential phrases to ask for and give your phone number, so you’re ready for that perfect K-drama moment!
Core Expressions You Need to Know
Here are the key phrases to master. Don’t worry, they’re super easy!
1. The Numbers (0-9)
Before we get to the phrases, you need to know the numbers! In this situation, Koreans use Sino-Korean numbers.
- 0: 공 (gong)
- 1: 일 (il)
- 2: 이 (i)
- 3: 삼 (sam)
- 4: 사 (sa)
- 5: 오 (o)
- 6: 육 (yuk)
- 7: 칠 (chil)
- 8: 팔 (pal)
- 9: 구 (gu)
2. My phone number is…
* Korean: 제 전화번호는 [number]이에요/예요.
* Pronunciation [Romanized]: Je jeonhwabeonho-neun [number] ieyo/yeyo.
* English Meaning: My phone number is…
* Details: This is the standard, polite way to state your phone number. 제 (Je) means “my” (polite), and 전화번호 (jeonhwabeonho) means “phone number.” You end the sentence with 이에요 (ieyo) or 예요 (yeyo), which means “is/am/are.”
3. What’s your phone number?
* Korean: 전화번호 뭐예요?
* Pronunciation [Romanized]: Jeonhwabeonho mwoyeyo?
* English Meaning: What’s your phone number?
* Details: This is a common and friendly way to ask someone for their number. It’s casual but still polite, so you can use it with new friends your age or younger. 뭐 (mwo) means “what.”
4. Please give me your contact info.
* Korean: 연락처 좀 알려주세요.
* Pronunciation [Romanized]: Yeollakcheo jom allyeojuseyo.
* English Meaning: Please tell me your contact information.
* Details: This is a slightly more formal and very polite way to ask. 연락처 (Yeollakcheo) means “contact information,” which can include a phone number, email, etc. 좀 알려주세요 (jom allyeojuseyo) is a soft and polite way to say “please tell me.”
Example Dialogue
Let’s see how these phrases work in a real conversation. Imagine two people, Alex and Sora, meeting at a cafe playing music by the K-pop group SEVENTEEN.
Alex: 와, 이 노래 정말 좋아해요! 세븐틴 팬이세요?
(Wa, i norae jeongmal joahaeyo! Seventeen paen-iseyo?)
(Wow, I love this song! Are you a SEVENTEEN fan?)
Sora: 네, 맞아요! 캐럿이에요. 혹시… 전화번호 뭐예요? 우리 나중에 또 얘기해요!
(Ne, majayo! Kaereot-ieyo. Hoksi… Jeonhwabeonho mwoyeyo? Uri najunge tto yaegihaeyo!)
(Yes, that’s right! I’m a CARAT. By any chance… What’s your phone number? We should talk more later!)
Alex: 좋아요! 제 전화번호는 공일공-일이삼사-오육칠팔이에요.
(Joayo! Je jeonhwabeonho-neun gong-il-gong-il-i-sam-sa-o-yuk-chil-pal-ieyo.)
(Sounds good! My phone number is 010-1234-5678.)
Sora: 고마워요! 제가 카톡 할게요!
(Gomawoyo! Jega Katok halgeyo!)
(Thanks! I’ll send you a KakaoTalk message!)
Culture Tip & Trend Deep Dive
“I’ll Kakao you!” – The Real Next Step
In the dialogue, Sora says “카톡 할게요! (Katok halgeyo!)”. What does that mean?
In Korea, people rarely send traditional SMS texts. The absolute king of communication is KakaoTalk, a messaging app used by virtually everyone. When you exchange numbers, the next immediate step is to add the person on KakaoTalk.
- Pro Tip: Most Korean phone numbers start with 010 (gong-il-gong). When you say your number, you can read the dashes (-) as 에 (e). So, 010-1234-5678 can be read as “공일공에 일이삼사에 오육칠팔 (gong-il-gong-e il-i-sam-sa-e o-yuk-chil-pal).” This will make you sound like a local!
So, if you get someone’s number in Korea, don’t wait for a phone call. Open KakaoTalk, add them as a friend, and send a simple message like “안녕하세요! 아까 카페에서 만난 [Your Name]이에요.” (Hello! I’m [Your Name], who you met at the cafe earlier.) This is the modern Korean way to start a friendship!
Let’s Review & Practice!
Great job today! You learned how to ask for and give your phone number, a super important skill for making friends in Korea.
Quick Practice:
Imagine you are telling a new friend your phone number. How would you write it out in Korean? Use the phrase we learned today!
- Fill in the Blank: 제 전화번호는 ___________________이에요.
(Je jeonhwabeonho-neun ___________________ieyo.)
Try writing your own (or a fake) phone number using the Sino-Korean numbers in the blank space.
We’d love to see you practice! Leave a comment below using one of the expressions you learned today. Until next time, keep practicing
