How Much in Korean? (얼마예요) Explained
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · How we write & review
After this page, you can ask how much something costs in Korean (얼마예요).
10-second answer
What does Eolmayeyo mean?
얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?) means "How much is it?" — the single most useful shopping phrase in Korean. 얼마 (eolma) means "how much," and 예요 (yeyo) is the polite "to be" ending you already know from other pages on this site.
Quick check — did that land?
1. What does 얼마예요? mean?
How much is it in Korean? Just say like this.
Quick Examples
이거 얼마예요?
igeo eolmayeyo?
How much is this?
전부 얼마예요?
jeonbu eolmayeyo?
How much is it all together?
오천 원이에요.
ocheon won-ieyo.
It's 5,000 won.
The typical reply — money uses Sino-Korean numbers, as covered on the numbers page.
A note on spelling. The official romanization of 얼마예요 is eolmayeyo, but you'll see the phrase written many ways: olmayeyo, ulmayeyo, eolmaeyo or olmaeyo. They're all the same phrase.
See also: Korean Numbers: Native vs Sino-Korean
Understanding the Answer
The hard part usually isn't asking — it's understanding the price you're given, since Korean prices are read in Sino-Korean numbers and can come fast in casual conversation.
| Won | Sino-Korean reading |
|---|---|
| 1,000원 | 천 원 (cheon won) |
| 5,000원 | 오천 원 (ocheon won) |
| 10,000원 | 만 원 (man won) |
| 15,000원 | 만 오천 원 (man ocheon won) |
만 (10,000) is its own unit in Korean counting — Korean groups numbers by 10,000s, not 1,000s like English, which is why large prices can feel like they're read in an unfamiliar rhythm at first.
Related Shopping Phrases
좀 깎아 주세요.
jom kkakka juseyo.
Could you give me a discount?
More common at markets than fixed-price stores. Only for markets. Almost every shop in Korea has fixed, marked prices, so people don't say this in ordinary stores at all. At a traditional market, especially with an older vendor, it can work — and vendors often add a little extra (덤, deom) or offer you a taste before you buy.
카드 되나요?
kadeu doenayo?
Do you take card?
이거 하나 주세요.
igeo hana juseyo.
One of these, please.
하나 — native Korean number, for counting the item.
You'll hear 얼마예요? all day at Namdaemun Market — see our walk from City Hall to Namdaemun Market.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Expecting native Korean numbers in the price
Prices are read in Sino-Korean (일, 이, 삼…), not native Korean (하나, 둘, 셋…) — see the numbers comparison page.
Mistake #2 — Forgetting 만 = 10,000, not 1,000
만 원 is 10,000 won, not 1,000 — a common early confusion for English speakers used to comma-grouped thousands.
Mini Quiz
2. How is 5,000 won read aloud in Korean?
3. What does 만 원 mean?
Related Knowledge
Learn Next
Convenience Store Korean Phrases
얼마예요 is the core question — see the full set of phrases for an actual convenience store visit.
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