Counters

TL;DR

Korean uses special counter words after numbers to count different types of objects 🔢

Each counter is matched to specific categories (people, animals, bottles, sheets, etc.) and you can't mix them up 🎯

The counter comes right after the number, and some numbers change their form when used with counters 🔄

What are counters? 🤔

In English, we just say "three dogs" or "five pencils" 🐕✏️

But in Korean, you need a special counter word between the number and the thing you're counting! Think of it like saying "three pieces of paper" or "two cups of coffee" ☕

The basic pattern is:

Number + Counter (+ Noun)

Common Counters 📝

Here are the most essential counters you'll use all the time! 💪

개 = general objects, things 📦

→ 사과 세 개 (three apples)

→ 의자 두 개 (two chairs)

명 / 분 = people 👥

명 is casual, 분 is polite/formal

→ 학생 다섯 명 (five students)

→ 선생님 두 분 (two teachers - polite!)

마리 = animals 🐰

→ 고양이 한 마리 (one cat)

→ 강아지 네 마리 (four puppies)

병 = bottles 🍾

→ 물 한 병 (one bottle of water)

→ 맥주 두 병 (two bottles of beer)

잔 = cups, glasses 🥤

→ 커피 세 잔 (three cups of coffee)

→ 주스 한 잔 (one glass of juice)

장 = flat, thin things (paper, tickets, photos) 🎫

→ 사진 다섯 장 (five photos)

→ 종이 한 장 (one sheet of paper)

권 = books, volumes 📚

→ 책 두 권 (two books)

→ 소설 한 권 (one novel)

대 = machines, vehicles, electronics 🚗

→ 자동차 세 대 (three cars)

→ 컴퓨터 한 대 (one computer)

그루 = trees 🌲

→ 나무 한 그루 (one tree)

→ 소나무 두 그루 (two pine trees)

자루 = long objects (pens, chopsticks) 🖊️

→ 연필 세 자루 (three pencils)

→ 젓가락 한 자루 (one pair of chopsticks)

켤레 = pairs (shoes, socks, gloves) 👟

→ 신발 두 켤레 (two pairs of shoes)

→ 양말 네 켤레 (four pairs of socks)

Number Changes! ⚠️

This is super important! ✨

When using Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼, 사...) with certain counters, some numbers change form! 🎭

일 (1) often becomes just the counter by itself

→ 한 명 NOT ~~일 명~~

이 (2) stays the same 👍

삼 (3) stays the same 👍

사 (4) stays the same 👍

육 (6) → 유 before certain counters

→ 유월 (June, not 육월)

십 (10) → 시 before certain counters

→ 시월 (October, not 십월)

Native vs Sino-Korean Numbers 🔢

Most counters use Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼...) 📊

But some counters use Native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋...) 🇰🇷

The counters 명, 분, 마리, 개, 병, 잔, 장, 대, 그루, 자루, 켤레 can use both systems! 🎉

With native numbers, the number changes slightly:

하나 → 한

둘 → 두

셋 → 세

넷 → 네

스물 → 스무

→ 사과 한 개 (one apple - native)

→ 사과 일 개 (one apple - Sino-Korean)

→ 학생 네 명 (four students - native)

→ 학생 사 명 (four students - Sino-Korean)

Both are correct! Native sounds more natural for small numbers (1-20ish) 💯

The noun is optional! 🎈

You don't always need to say the noun if it's obvious from context! 🌟

A: 사과 몇 개 샀어요? (How many apples did you buy?) 🍎

B: 세 개요! (Three! - no need to say 사과 again)

When in doubt... 🤷

Use 개 for general objects! It's the most versatile counter and works for tons of things 🌈

→ 이거 두 개 주세요 (Please give me two of these)

Exceptions 🚨

개 doesn't work for:

People (use 명/분, never ~~사람 한 개~~) 🙅

Animals (use 마리, never ~~강아지 한 개~~) 🐕

Age uses a special counter:

Use 살 for age, not counters like 개 or 명 🎂

→ 저는 스물다섯 살이에요 (I'm 25 years old)

Months have special pronunciation changes:

6월 = 유월 (not 육월) 📅

10월 = 시월 (not 십월) 🍂

You've got this! 💪✨ Practice makes perfect, and soon using counters will feel totally natural! 화이팅! 🎊

Try the following exercise.

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate counter. 🔢

사과 세 ___

Answer

개

맥주 두 ___

Answer

병

종이 다섯 ___

Answer

장

나무 네 ___

Answer

그루

연필 일곱 ___

Answer

자루

학생 열 ___

Answer

명

선생님 세 ___

Answer

분

신발 두 ___

Answer

켤레

물 한 ___

Answer

병

친구 여섯 ___

Answer

명

Vocabulary

사과 - apple

맥주 - beer

종이 - paper

나무 - tree

연필 - pencil

학생 - student

선생님 - teacher

신발 - shoes

물 - water

친구 - friend

Common mistakes

🚫 Using 개 for people instead of 명/분

🚫 Forgetting that shoes come in pairs, so use 켤레 not 개

🚫 Using 개 for flat/thin objects instead of 장

🚫 Using the wrong counter for liquids in bottles (병)