Born in 1940: Korean age in 2026

Someone born in 1940 is 86 in international age after their birthday in 2026 and 85 before it. In the old Korean counting age they would be 87, and their year age is 86. Korean law has long counted age in full years, and amendments effective June 28, 2023 made international age the explicit default in civil and administrative matters, so 86 (or 85 before the birthday) is the age that counts on paper. 1940 was the Year of the Dragon (용띠) — though a birthday before Seollal (February 8, 1940) is sometimes counted as the Rabbit, the sign of 1939.

Three ways to count the age of someone born in 1940

Method	How it is counted	Age in 2026
International age (만 나이, man-nai)	0 at birth, +1 on each birthday. The explicit legal default since the June 28, 2023 amendments.	85 before birthday, 86 after
Year age (연 나이, yeon-nai)	2026 − 1940. Same for everyone born in 1940, birthday ignored.	86
Old Korean age (세는 나이, se-neun nai)	2026 − 1940 + 1. 1 at birth, +1 every January 1.	87

Counting from November 12, 2026: a person born in 1940 whose birthday falls between January 1 and November 12 has already turned 86 this year, and one born later in the year is still 85. When fans online say "Korean age", they usually mean the old counting age (87 here), which runs one or two years ahead of international age. For an exact answer on a specific date, enter the full birth date in the international age calculator.

Age of someone born in 1940, 2026–2030

Year	International age before birthday	International age after birthday	Year age	Old Korean age
2026	85	86	86	87
2027	86	87	87	88
2028	87	88	88	89
2029	88	89	89	90
2030	89	90	90	91

The old Korean age and year age go up together on January 1, while international age goes up on the birthday itself. That is why, between New Year and the birthday, the old Korean age is two years ahead of international age (87 vs 85 in 2026), and only one year ahead after the birthday.

Korean zodiac for 1940: Dragon

In the 60-year sexagenary cycle, 1940 is the Gyeongjin year (경진년), the year of the Metal Dragon. Koreans call the animal sign 띠 (tti), so a person born in 1940 is "용띠". The date on which the animal changes is not set by law; it is usually taken to be Seollal (설날), the lunar new year, while saju fortune-telling uses Ipchun (입춘) around February 4.

Seollal in 1940 fell on February 8 (may differ by one day because of the standard time used then). If you were born between January 1 and the day before that, you are sometimes counted as the Year of the Rabbit (1939) instead. The same animal returns every 12 years, so people born in 1928 and 1952 share the Dragon sign. The next Year of the Dragon is 2036.

Milestones in Korea for people born in 1940

These years add the age set by Korean law to 1940. Early or delayed school entry, repeating a year or personal circumstances can change the real year, and where a system did not exist yet, the note says so.

Milestone	Year	As of 2026	Note
Elementary school entry	1947	Passed	The school-year start month and entry rules were different then, so the actual entry year may differ.
Year age 19: may buy alcohol and tobacco	1959	Passed	Under the current Youth Protection Act (청소년 보호법) rule, a person is a minor while "current year − birth year" is under 19, so everyone born in 1940 reaches this on January 1 regardless of birthday. This uses today's rule; the rule in 1959 may have been different.
Military service examination (men)	1959	Passed	Then called the conscription examination; the age rule at that time may have differed.
National Pension old-age pension starts (age 60)	2000	Passed	The starting age depends on birth year (60 to 65). At least 10 years of contributions are required.

How Korean law counts age, and which rules still use year age, is explained on the Korean age by birth year page.

Frequently asked questions

How old is someone born in 1940 in Korean age?

In 2026, the old Korean counting age (세는 나이) of someone born in 1940 is 87. Their international age, the explicit legal default in Korea since the June 28, 2023 amendments, is 85 before their birthday and 86 after it, and their year age is 86.

What is the Korean zodiac animal for 1940?

1940 is the Year of the Dragon (용띠), the Gyeongjin year (경진년) in the sexagenary cycle. Seollal in 1940 was on February 8, so if you were born before that date you are sometimes counted as the Rabbit instead.

Is Korean age still used in Korea?

Not officially. Korean law has long counted age in full years, and amendments effective June 28, 2023 made international age the explicit default in civil and administrative matters unless a law says otherwise. Some laws still use year age (current year − birth year), such as the Youth Protection Act for alcohol and tobacco and the Military Service Act, and the old counting age survives only in casual conversation.

When can someone born in 1940 buy alcohol in Korea?

Under the current Youth Protection Act rule, a person is a minor while "current year − birth year" is under 19. Someone born in 1940 has a year age of 86 in 2026, so this rule no longer applies to them.

All birth years · Born in 1941 →

Sources

This is a reference summary; official guidance from the relevant institution takes precedence. The lunar new year dates come from Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute data; dates before 1962 may differ by one day because of the standard-time difference at the time.