1 · Numbers, counters and time
Counters: 개, 명, 마리 and the rest
classifiers after a number
Korean rarely puts a number straight before a noun: it counts with a counter word, and the counter decides which set of numbers to use.
English says "three books"; Korean says "book, three, volumes": 책 세 권. The noun comes first, then the number, then a counter that says what kind of thing is being counted. The noun can carry its particle: 책을 세 권 샀어요, "I bought three books". The order number – counter – 의 – noun (세 권의 책) also exists, but it belongs to writing and song titles; in speech, noun first.
The everyday counters all take native numbers: 개 for things in general, 명 for people, 분 for people you are being polite about, 마리 for animals, 권 for books, 잔 for cups and glasses, 병 for bottles, 장 for flat things such as paper, tickets and photos, 대 for machines and vehicles, 살 for years of age and 번 for times.
Another group takes Sino-Korean numbers: 원 (won), 분 (minutes), 층 (floors), 년, 월 and 일for dates인분(portions)도(degrees)쪽(pages) Two counters belong to both groups and change meaning with the set: 세 번is three times삼 번is number three; 세 분is three people삼 분is three minutes
To ask how many, put 몇 before the counter: 몇 개, 몇 명, 몇 살. When you do not know the right counter for an object, 개 is the safe fallback — but never for people or animals. English speakers most often leave the counter out altogether, or put the number in front of the noun as in English.
The form
| things | 사과 세 개 |
| people (plain, polite) | 학생 두 명, 손님 두 분 |
| animals | 고양이 한 마리 |
| books, cups, bottles | 책 네 권, 커피 한 잔, 물 두 병 |
| flat things, machines | 표 두 장, 차 한 대 |
| how many? | 몇 개, 몇 명, 몇 살 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
The order is noun, number, counter.
공책 세 권 샀어요.I bought three notebooks.
Most counters take native numbers.
주차장에 차가 다섯 대 있어요.There are five cars in the car park.
Counters for money, minutes, floors and dates take Sino-Korean numbers.
회의는 삼십 분 후에 시작해요.The meeting starts in thirty minutes.
번 counts times with native numbers and names a number with Sino-Korean ones.
그 노래를 세 번 들었어요.I listened to that song three times.
몇 before a counter asks how many.
가족이 몇 명이에요?How many people are there in your family?
A closer look
When the counter is optional
For many objects there is a special counter that careful speakers use — 자루 for pens, 켤레 for pairs of shoes, 송이 for flowers — but in everyday speech 개 covers most of them, and nobody will misunderstand 연필 두 개. People and animals are different: 개 cannot stand in for 명, 분 or 마리.
With people, 사람 itself can act as a counter: 세 사람 means the same as 세 명. And with small numbers the counter can be dropped altogether, the full number simply following the noun: 사과 하나, 친구 둘. What is not possible is the English pattern of a number straight before a noun.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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you count other people and want to be polite
use 분 instead of 명. A restaurant asks 몇 분이세요?, and you answer about your own group with 명.
몇 분이세요? — 세 명이요.How many of you are there? — Three.
분 is the respectful counter for people. It is used for others, never for yourself or your own party, just as a polite word is never used about oneself.
How to spot it
- 개
- 명
- 분
- 마리
- 권
- 잔
- 병
- 장
- 대
- 살
- 번
- 몇
Example sentences
사과 세 개하고 배 두 개 주세요.Three apples and two pears, please.
손님이 네 분 오셨어요.Four guests have arrived.
우리 집에는 강아지가 한 마리 있어요.We have a dog.
편의점에서 물 두 병을 샀어요.I bought two bottles of water at the convenience store.
영화표 두 장 주세요.Two cinema tickets, please.
몇 살이에요?How old are you?
8 more example sentences
도서관에서 책을 다섯 권 빌렸어요.I borrowed five books from the library.
주스 한 병하고 물 두 병 주세요.One bottle of juice and two bottles of water, please.
사진을 열 장 찍었어요.I took ten photos.
우리 회사에는 직원이 서른 명 있어요.Our company has thirty employees.
우리 사무실은 이 건물 오 층에 있어요.Our office is on the fifth floor of this building.
불고기 이 인분 주세요.Two portions of bulgogi, please.
저는 일 년에 두 번 고향에 가요.I go back to my home town twice a year.
집에 컴퓨터가 두 대 있어요.There are two computers at home.
Worth knowing (1)
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Times or number: 번
With native numbers 번 counts how often something happens; with Sino-Korean numbers it names a number in a series, such as a bus route, a question in a test or a waiting ticket.
삼 번 버스를 세 번 탔어요.I took the number 3 bus three times.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The English order, number before noun, does not work: a number cannot stand directly before most nouns. The noun comes first, then the number and the counter — 책을 세 권 or 책 세 권을, both correct.
Noun, number, counter: chaek se gwon — book, three, volumes.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.