For in Korean 동안 While in Korean
동안 is “For” in Korean and used to express duration. 동안 is also “While” in Korean and is used to express when two actions or events are happening at the same time. 동안 may also be translated as “During,” “At the same time as,” or “As” too.
동안 For in Korean
동아 is “For” in Korean. It is used to express the duration of an event or action, “I slept for 10 hours.”
| Korean | Number/Korean | English | Sino or Native Numbers |
| 이 초 동안 | 2초 동안 | for 2 seconds | Sino |
| 오 분 동안 | 5분 동안 | for 5 minutes | Sino |
| 세 시간 동안 | 3시간 동안 | for 3 hours | Native |
| 사 일 동안 | 4일 동안 | for 4 days | Sino |
| 여섯 달 동안 | 6달 동안 | for 6 months | Native |
| 육 개월 동안 | 6개월 동안 | for 6 months | Sino |
| 칠 년 동안 | 7년 동안 | for 7 years | Sino |
Sample Sentences in Korean
저는 육 개월 동안 공부했어요. = I studied for six months.
저는 세 시간 동안 먹었어요. = I ate for three hours.
저는 삼십 분 동안 잤어요. = I slept for thirty minutes.
동안 with Days in Korean
There are special words for duration regarding days. While there are special words for 1 to 10 days, you don’t need to memorize them all. Usually they are not used past the word “three days.” Instead the word “일” meaning day is used.
| Korean | English |
| 하루 | one day |
| 이틀 | two days |
| 사흘 | three days |
| 나흘 | four days |
| 닷새 | five days |
| 엿새 | six days |
| 이레 | seven days |
| 여드레 | eight days |
| 아흐레 | nine days |
| 열흘 | ten days |
These words can be used with 동안 too.
Sample Sentences in Korean
저는 하루 동안 일본에 있었어요. = I was in Japan for one day.
저는 이틀 동안 공부했어요. = I studied for two days.
~는 동안 While in Korean
~는 동안 may be used to express “While” in Korean meaning two things are happening at the same time. Ex. I listen to music while I study. You may have two different subjects in a sentence that includes ~는 동안. Ex. I studied while my friend talked.
| Korean | English |
| 저는 학교에 가는 동안 전화했어요. | I made a phone call while I was going to school. |
| 저는 공부하는 동안 음악을 들었어요. | I listened to music while I studied. |
| 친구가 말을 하는 동안 저는 텔레비전 봤어요. | I watched television while my friend talked. |
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