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m•PDI MARUHOMES & LIFE IN KOREA

PDI MARU · 25 September 2026 · 4 min read

Reading won amounts: a small cash-and-change practice sheet

Read full Korean won amounts and practise two change calculations. Keep currency labels clear and separate practice examples from real shop prices.

Original text-only arithmetic cards: KRW 6,500 purchase, 10,000 minus 6,500, and KRW 3,500 change. This is a practice example, not banknote artwork.
Original PDI MARU checklist · View full-size diagram

Read the whole amount

The currency used in Korea is the won, written here as KRW or ₩. KTO lists four banknote denominations: 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 50,000 won. On this worksheet, commas separate groups of thousands: KRW 6,500 means six thousand five hundred won, not six and a half won.

Practise before paying

For an invented purchase of KRW 6,500 paid with KRW 10,000, subtract 6,500 from 10,000: the change is KRW 3,500. For an invented purchase of KRW 12,000 paid with KRW 50,000, the change is KRW 38,000. These are arithmetic exercises, not prices offered by a shop or an exchange service.

Keep currencies in separate columns

Write KRW next to the original amount on a personal budget note. If you add a home-currency estimate, use another column and record the exchange rate and date you used. Do not add amounts in different currencies as though they were the same unit. This worksheet supplies no exchange rate, forecast or recommendation of a conversion service.

Check the total and the payment method

Read the total shown before handing over cash. Check the amount you hand over, then count the change against the receipt. Ask about accepted payment methods before buying; KTO recommends checking availability rather than assuming every shop accepts cards. Keep receipts privately and do not post card details in a public question.

Try it yourself

Practice only: if the total is KRW 8,700 and you hand over KRW 10,000, what change should you receive? Work it out before opening the answer below.

Show the practice answer

KRW 10,000 − KRW 8,700 = KRW 1,300 change.

Two worked examples

Practice totalCash handed overChange
KRW 6,500KRW 10,000KRW 3,500
KRW 12,000KRW 50,000KRW 38,000

All purchase amounts are invented exercises. Confirm the actual price and payment method with the merchant.

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