Counters

❃ Counters

어른 두 명, 아이 한 명입니다. [ Eoreun du myeong, ai han myeongimnida. ]: Two adults, one child.
커피 세 잔 주세요. [ Keopi se jan juseyo. ]: Three cups of coffee, please.
맥주 두 병 주세요. [ Maekju du byeong juseyo. ]: Two bottles of beer, please.
삼겹살 이 인분 주세요. [ Samgyeopsal i inbun juseyo. ]: Two portions of pork belly, please.
밥 한 공기 추가해 주세요. [ Bap han gonggi chugahae juseyo. ]: One more bowl of rice, please.
책 네 권을 샀어요. [ Chaek ne gwoneul sasseoyo. ]: I bought four books.
티켓 두 장 주세요. [ Tiket du jang juseyo. ]: Two tickets, please.
이거 한 개 주세요. [ Igeo han gae juseyo. ]: Please give me one of this.
고양이 세 마리를 키워요. [ Goyangi se marireul kiwoyo. ]: I raise three cats.
차 한 대가 지나갔어요. [ Cha han daega jinagasseoyo. ]: One car passed by.
옷 두 벌을 샀어요. [ Ot du beoreul sasseoyo. ]: I bought two pieces of clothing.
신발 한 켤레 부탁해요. [ Sinbal han gyeolle butakhaeyo. ]: One pair of shoes, please.
종이 다섯 장만 빌려주세요. [ Jongi daseot jangman billyeojuseyo. ]: Please lend me five sheets of paper.
두 시간 동안 기다렸어요. [ Du sigan dongan gidaryeosseoyo. ]: I waited for two hours.
세 달 후에 한국에 가요. [ Se dal hue hanguge gayo. ]: I'm going to Korea in three months.
다섯 번 가 봤어요. [ Daseot beon ga bwasseoyo. ]: I have been there five times.
물 한 모금만 마실게요. [ Mul han mogeumman masilgeyo. ]: I'll just take one sip of water.
꽃 한 송이 샀어요. [ Kkot han songi sasseoyo. ]: I bought one flower.
케이크 한 조각 주세요. [ Keikeu han jogak juseyo. ]: One piece of cake, please.
사과 몇 개 드릴까요? [ Sagwa myeot gae deurilkkayo? ]: How many apples should I give you?

Cultural notes

Closely tied to the complex dual number system in Korea is the concept of "counters" or classifiers. In English, we might say "a cup of coffee" or "a piece of paper," but we also simply say "three cats" or "two tickets." In the Korean language, you cannot attach a number directly to a noun; you must always use a specific counting word depending on the shape, nature, or type of the object. This system pairs strictly with Native Korean numbers (Hana, Dul, Set). For example, to order three cups of coffee, you cannot just say "Coffee Three"; you must say "Coffee Se (Three) Jan (Cups)". If you want to talk about people, you use the counter 명 (Myeong); for animals, it is 마리 (Mari); for books, 권 (Gwon); for vehicles or machines, 대 (Dae); and for flat objects like tickets or sheets of paper, 장 (Jang). If you completely forget the specific counter for an object during a conversation, do not panic! The ultimate survival word is 개 (Gae), the general counter for almost any physical item. For example, "Give me one of this" translates to 이거 한 개 주세요 (Igeo han gae juseyo). While it may seem daunting at first, using the correct counter—like ordering meat at a Korean BBQ by the portion (인분 - Inbun) or beer by the bottle (병 - Byeong)—is the ultimate secret to making your Korean sound incredibly natural and fluent when interacting with locals in shops and restaurants.

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