몇 살

When you want to know someone's age in Korean, 몇 살 is your go-to phrase! It is simple, direct, and incredibly useful.

Think of it as the Korean equivalent of 'How old are you?'. Because age is so important in Korean culture, you will hear this asked quite often when meeting new people.

Remember that this phrase is the base. You will often attach polite endings to it depending on who you are talking to, such as '몇 살이에요?' to be polite.

The word 몇 comes from Middle Korean, used to ask about an indefinite number or quantity. It has been a staple of the language for centuries.

The word 살 is a native Korean counter used specifically for counting years of age. Unlike some other counters that use Sino-Korean numbers, '살' is uniquely paired with native Korean numbers (hana, dul, set, etc.).

Historically, asking for age was a way to determine the appropriate honorifics to use in conversation, which is why the phrase is so deeply embedded in the social fabric of Korea.

You use 몇 살 in almost every casual setting. If you are talking to a peer or someone younger, this is perfectly natural.

However, be careful! In very formal business settings or when talking to someone much older, Koreans often prefer to ask for the birth year instead, as it is considered more polite.

Commonly, you will see it paired with the verb 이다 (to be). So, '몇 살이야?' is casual, while '몇 살이에요?' is polite.

1. 나이가 어떻게 되세요? (How old are you? - Formal/Polite). Use this instead of '몇 살' when speaking to elders.

2. 몇 살로 보여요? (How old do I look?). A common playful question.

3. 몇 살 먹었어? (How old are you? - Aggressive/Rude). Avoid this as it sounds confrontational.

4. 한 살 차이 (One year difference). Used when discussing age gaps.

5. 동갑이에요 (We are the same age). The response you give when you realize you share an age.

The pronunciation is tricky because of the batchim! '몇' is pronounced '멷' (myeot) and '살' stays 'sal'. When spoken quickly, it sounds like '며쌀' (myeo-ssal) due to the tense sound rule.

Grammatically, it acts as a noun phrase. You must use native Korean numbers with '살'. For example, 20 years old is '스무 살' (seumu sal), not '이십 살'.

Always remember that '살' is a dependent noun, meaning it cannot stand alone; it must follow a number.