Meaning and Usage
The Korean word '천' means 'thousand' and is used as a numeral to count or express quantities of one thousand units. It is a Sino-Korean number and appears frequently in everyday contexts such as money, population, or frequency.
Common Collocations
- 천 원 (one thousand won): common when talking about money.
- 천 명 (one thousand people): used to count people.
- 천 번 (one thousand times): used to express repetition or emphasis.
Usage Notes
'천' is a formal and standard way to say 'thousand' in Korean. It is often combined with counters like 원 (currency), 명 (people), 번 (times). Learners should be careful not to confuse '천' with '천천히' (slowly), which is a different word.
Register and Politeness
'천' itself is neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. The politeness depends on the sentence ending and other words used.
Common Mistake
Sometimes learners omit the counter after '천', but in Korean, numbers usually require counters to be grammatically correct and natural. For example, say '천 명' instead of just '천' when counting people.