Level 2

쉰

swin

50

TOPIK 2

Understanding '쉰' as a Number

The Korean word '쉰' is a native Korean number representing fifty. It is commonly used in everyday conversation when referring to age, quantity, or counting items. Unlike Sino-Korean numbers, '쉰' is often used in more casual or native contexts.

Usage in Sentences

You will frequently hear '쉰' when talking about someone's age, such as '쉰 살' (fifty years old). It can also be used when counting pages, people, or other quantities.

Common Collocations

  • '쉰 살' (fifty years old): used to describe age.
  • '쉰 명' (fifty people): used to count people.
  • '쉰 페이지' (fifty pages): used to count pages or units.

Tips for Learners

Be careful not to confuse '쉰' with the Sino-Korean number '오십' (osip), which also means fifty but is more formal or used in official contexts. '쉰' is more colloquial and often preferred in spoken Korean.

Also, avoid mixing '쉰' with other native numbers incorrectly; it stands alone as the native form for fifty.

Example Sentences

그는 쉰 살이 넘었지만 아직도 건강하다.

Geuneun swin sali neomeotjiman ajikdo geonganghada.

He is over fifty years old but still healthy.

이 책은 쉰 페이지까지 읽었어요.

I chaegeun swin peijikkaji ilgeosseoyo.

I have read up to page fifty in this book.

그 가게는 쉰 명 정도의 손님을 받을 수 있다.

Geu gage neun swin myeong jeongdoui sonnim-eul badeul su itda.

That store can accommodate about fifty customers.