Three ways to count age in Korea
- International age (man nai): you are 0 at birth and add a year on each birthday. Since June 2023, ages in Korean laws, contracts and official documents use international age unless a law says otherwise.
- Year age (yeon nai): the current year minus your birth year. Some laws, such as youth protection and military service rules, use it.
- Traditional Korean age (se-neun nai): you are 1 at birth and add a year every New Year's Day.
If you were born on February 29, your birthday is treated as March 1 in non-leap years.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Which age is used for buying alcohol or tobacco?
The Youth Protection Act uses year age. You can usually buy them from January 1 of the year you turn 19 in year age.
Q. Which age do people use in conversation?
International age is now standard in official use, but some people still mention traditional Korean age in everyday conversation.
Q. Can I change the reference date?
Yes. Enter any date, such as an exam or contract date, to see your age on that day.