📖 Korean Counters: How to Count Like a Native!

Mastering Counters for Fluent Korean Counting

안녕하세요! (Annyeonghaseyo!) 👋 If you’re learning Korean, you might have noticed that counting things isn’t as simple as in English. Instead of just saying “two books,” you need to use a counter—a special word that categorizes objects, people, or animals when counting them.

By the end of this post, you’ll learn:

• The basic structure of Korean counting

• Common counters for different categories

• The difference between Native Korean and Sino-Korean numbers

• Why using counters is important

• Exceptions and special cases

Let’s get started! 🚀

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📌 How Korean Counting Works

In English, we simply say "two books" or "three apples," but in Korean, numbers alone are not enough. You must add a counter, which is a word that classifies the type of object being counted. The structure looks like this:

Noun + Native Korean Number + Counter

🚫 두 책 (incorrect ❌) ✅ 책 두 권 (correct ✅)

Each category of objects has its own specific counter, so it’s important to memorize them to sound natural when speaking Korean.

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🔢 Must-Know Korean Counters

Here are some of the most commonly used counters:

• Books 📚 – 권 (gwon) → 책 두 권 (Two books)

• People 👩‍👦 – 명 (myeong) / 분 (bun, polite) → 사람 두 명 (Two people)

• Animals 🐶 – 마리 (mari) → 개 두 마리 (Two dogs)

• Objects / Items 🎁 – 개 (gae) → 사과 두 개 (Two apples)

• Bottles 🍼 – 병 (byeong) → 물 두 병 (Two bottles)

• Cups ☕ – 잔 (jan) → 커피 두 잔 (Two cups of coffee)

• Vehicles & Machines 🚗 – 대 (dae) → 차 두 대 (Two cars)

• Papers & Tickets 📝 – 장 (jang) → 종이 두 장 (Two sheets of paper)

• Clothing 👕 – 벌 (beol) → 옷 두 벌 (Two pieces of clothing)

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🔄 Native Korean vs. Sino-Korean Numbers

Korean has two number systems: Native Korean and Sino-Korean. Most counters use Native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋, etc.), but some exceptions use Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼, etc.).

💡 When to use Sino-Korean Numbers:

• Counting years (e.g., 2024년 – 이천이십사 년)

• Counting months (e.g., 3 months – 삼 개월)

• Counting floors (e.g., 5th floor – 오 층)

• Counting money (₩10,000 – 만 원)

• Counting minutes (e.g., 30 minutes – 삼십 분)

For general counting of objects, Native Korean numbers are used. But once you reach numbers above 99, you switch to Sino-Korean numbers for most counters!

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🧐 Why Are Counters Important?

Using the correct counter makes your speech sound fluent and natural. If you don’t use counters correctly, your sentence may sound awkward or even be misunderstood. For example:

• "사과 두 개 주세요." (Please give me two apples.) ✅

• "사과 둘 주세요." (Incorrect! ❌ It sounds unnatural.)

Since different objects have different counters, learning them helps you avoid confusion and communicate more effectively with native speakers.

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⚠️ Exceptions & Special Cases

Some counters have unique characteristics:

1️⃣ The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 20 change when used before counters:

• 하나 → 한

• 둘 → 두

• 셋 → 세

• 넷 → 네

• 스물 → 스무

Example:

• 한 명 (One person) ✅

• 두 마리 (Two animals) ✅

• 세 병 (Three bottles) ✅

2️⃣ Polite Forms:

• When counting people, 명 (myeong) is casual, but 분 (bun) is a respectful form.

• Example: 선생님 두 분 (Two teachers, polite) ✅

3️⃣ Time and Age:

• For age, 살 (sal) is used in daily speech, but 세 (se) is used in formal settings.

• Example: "스물두 살이에요." (I am 22 years old.) ✅

• Example: "이십이 세입니다." (I am 22 years old, formal.) ✅

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📝 Quick Practice!

Try answering these in the comments:

1. How do you say "two bottles of water" in Korean?

2. What’s the counter for books?

3. How do you count people politely?

4. What counter would you use for a bus?

Drop your answers below! 👇😊

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🎯 What’s Next?

Now that you know how to count properly in Korean, keep practicing with real-life examples! 🎉

💬 Was this helpful? Let me know in the comments! 📩 Subscribe for more Korean learning tips—more useful phrases and flashcards coming soon! 🚀