Meaning and Usage
'서른' is the native Korean word for the number thirty. It is commonly used to express age, quantity, or countable items.
Age Expression
When talking about age, '서른 살' means 'thirty years old.' It is a very common way to state someone's age in everyday conversation.
Counting People or Objects
'서른' can be used with counters such as '명' for people or '대' for machines and vehicles. For example, '서른 명' means thirty people, and '서른 대' means thirty machines or cars.
Common Collocations
- 서른 살: thirty years old (age)
- 서른 명: thirty people (counting people)
- 서른 대: thirty vehicles or machines (counting objects)
Notes
'서른' is a native Korean number, so it is used with native Korean counters. When counting with Sino-Korean numbers, '삼십' is used instead. Learners sometimes confuse '서른' with '삼십' but remember that '서른' is more natural in everyday speech for thirty.
Use '서른' when you want to sound natural and fluent in Korean, especially in informal or neutral contexts.