Korean Age Calculator
How to use the Korean age calculator
In this Korean age calculator, simply enter your birth year. By default, the calculator will calculate your age as of today, but you can change this to another year.
What is the Korean age?
Korean age is a concept used to calculate a person's age in East Asia. Unlike Western countries, where a person's age is calculated according to the Gregorian calendar, in East Asia a person's age is calculated according to the lunar calendar. As a result, a person's Korean age will be different from their chronological age.
The way Korean age is calculated is quite simple. A baby is considered to be one year old at birth, and then an additional year is added for each lunar year that passes. So, if a baby is born in late January or early February, they will turn two years old on Lunar New Year (which falls on late January or early February of the following year).
Interestingly, because of this system, everyone in Korea technically turns one year older on Lunar New Year. So if you were born on December 31st, you would technically be two years old on January 1st!
There are some practical implications of Korean age that are worth mentioning. For example, when registering for school or applying for a job, your Korean age will always be used instead of your chronological age. And when calculating retirement benefits, your Korean age will again be used instead of your chronological age.
How do you calculate your Korean age?
The Korean age formula is:
The history of the Korean age
Similar age-counting methods were previously used in other East Asian countries (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Mongolia, etc.), but South Korean and Taiwan are the only countries today that still use this method.
The method originated in China a millennia ago, where people are considered to be one year old at birth, and on the New Year Day of the lunar calendar, another year is added. The Korean age differs in that it is based on the Gregorian calendar, in which a year is from January 1 to December 31, rather than the lunar calendar.
The Korean age system is believed to have originated from the Three Kingdoms Period in Korean history, when each of the three kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla) used different systems. Goguryeo and Baekje both used a system where a person's age was calculated based on the year in which they were born, while Silla used a system where a person's age was calculated based on the year in which they became king. The three kingdoms eventually unified under the Silla dynasty, and the Silla age system became the standard for Korea.
Usage of the Korean age
The Korean age system is used more often in formal settings such as when filling out paperwork or applying for a job. In these situations, it is important to use the correct age as it can affect things like eligibility or benefits. For example, in South Korea, all citizens must complete their mandatory military service before they turn 30 years old (Korean age).
The Korean age system can also be useful in everyday life as it can help people know when they are supposed to do certain things. For instance, in Korea, children start school when they are six years old (Korean age) and students must take college entrance exams when they are 18 years old (Korean age).