Korean age calculator
Korea counted age three different ways, and the law changed in June 2023. Put your birthday in and see all three — and which one someone means when they ask.
What changed in 2023
Until June 2023 a Korean could honestly give three different answers to how old they were. The law now fixes the international count as the default for anything official, but the other two have not vanished — year age still decides school years and the legal drinking age, and the traditional count is still what a grandmother will use.
Why the old count exists at all
In the traditional system you are one year old the day you are born, and everyone gains a year together on New Year’s Day rather than on their birthday. A baby born on 31 December turns two the next morning. That is not a joke, and it is why the law was changed.
The question itself is on the how old are you page, with the polite and the respectful forms. Asking is normal in Korea — the grammar depends on the answer.