A comprehensive reference of the most common Korean counters organized by category. Use this as a quick lookup guide for choosing the right counter.
Essential Counters (Must Know)
개 (gae) - General items
Number system: Native Korean Use for: General inanimate objects, default counter
Examples:
- 사과 세 개 (three apples)
- 가방 두 개 (two bags)
- 의자 한 개 (one chair)
명 (myeong) / 분 (bun) - People
Number system: Native Korean Use for:
- 명: neutral/casual people counting
- 분: honorific/respectful people counting
Examples:
- 학생 다섯 명 (five students)
- 선생님 세 분 (three teachers - honorific)
마리 (mari) - Animals
Number system: Native Korean Use for: All animals regardless of size
Examples:
- 강아지 한 마리 (one dog)
- 새 세 마리 (three birds)
- 코끼리 한 마리 (one elephant)
Food & Drink Counters
잔 (jan) - Cups/glasses
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Beverages in cups or glasses
Examples:
- 커피 한 잔 (one cup of coffee)
- 물 두 잔 (two glasses of water)
- 맥주 세 잔 (three glasses of beer)
병 (byeong) - Bottles
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Bottled beverages
Examples:
- 물 한 병 (one bottle of water)
- 소주 두 병 (two bottles of soju)
- 맥주 세 병 (three bottles of beer)
개 (gae) - Food pieces
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Individual food items
Examples:
- 빵 두 개 (two pieces of bread)
- 사과 세 개 (three apples)
- 계란 다섯 개 (five eggs)
그릇 (geureut) - Bowls
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Bowls of food
Examples:
- 밥 한 그릇 (one bowl of rice)
- 라면 두 그릇 (two bowls of ramen)
접시 (jeopsi) - Plates
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Plates of food
Examples:
- 과일 한 접시 (one plate of fruit)
- 김치 두 접시 (two plates of kimchi)
조각 (jogak) - Slices/pieces
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Cut pieces, slices
Examples:
- 케이크 한 조각 (one slice of cake)
- 피자 두 조각 (two slices of pizza)
Objects & Items
권 (gwon) - Books
Number system: Native Korean or Sino-Korean Use for: Bound volumes, books, magazines
Examples:
- 책 한 권 (one book)
- 잡지 두 권 (two magazines)
- 만화책 세 권 (three comic books)
장 (jang) - Flat objects
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Paper, photos, tickets, cards
Examples:
- 종이 한 장 (one sheet of paper)
- 사진 두 장 (two photos)
- 표 세 장 (three tickets)
대 (dae) - Machines/vehicles
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Cars, computers, machines
Examples:
- 차 한 대 (one car)
- 컴퓨터 두 대 (two computers)
- 자전거 세 대 (three bicycles)
벌 (beol) - Clothing sets
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Sets of clothes
Examples:
- 옷 한 벌 (one set of clothes)
- 양복 두 벌 (two suits)
켤레 (kyeolle) - Pairs (footwear)
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Shoes, socks (pairs)
Examples:
- 신발 한 켤레 (one pair of shoes)
- 양말 두 켤레 (two pairs of socks)
송이 (songi) - Flowers
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Individual flowers (with stems)
Examples:
- 장미 한 송이 (one rose)
- 꽃 세 송이 (three flowers)
Buildings & Structures
채 (chae) - Buildings
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Houses, buildings
Examples:
- 집 한 채 (one house)
- 건물 두 채 (two buildings)
층 (cheung) - Floors
Number system: Sino-Korean Use for: Building floors
Examples:
- 3층 (3rd floor - sam-cheung)
- 10층 (10th floor - sip-cheung)
칸 (kan) - Rooms/sections
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Rooms, compartments
Examples:
- 방 두 칸 (two rooms)
- 칸막이 세 칸 (three partitions)
Time & Frequency
번 (beon) - Times/occasions
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Number of times, frequency
Examples:
- 한 번 (once)
- 두 번 (twice)
- 세 번 (three times)
시 (si) - Hours (clock time)
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Hours when telling time
Examples:
- 한 시 (1 o'clock)
- 두 시 (2 o'clock)
- 세 시 (3 o'clock)
분 (bun) - Minutes
Number system: Sino-Korean Use for: Minutes in time
Examples:
- 10분 (10 minutes - sip-bun)
- 30분 (30 minutes - sam-sip-bun)
초 (cho) - Seconds
Number system: Sino-Korean Use for: Seconds in time
Examples:
- 30초 (30 seconds)
- 45초 (45 seconds)
시간 (sigan) - Hours (duration)
Number system: Native Korean or Sino-Korean Use for: Duration of hours
Examples:
- 두 시간 (two hours)
- 세 시간 (three hours)
주 (ju) - Weeks
Number system: Native Korean or Sino-Korean Use for: Number of weeks
Examples:
- 한 주 / 일 주 (one week)
- 두 주 / 이 주 (two weeks)
달 (dal) / 개월 (gaewol) - Months
Number system:
- 달: Native Korean
- 개월: Sino-Korean
Use for: Duration of months
Examples:
- 한 달 (one month)
- 삼 개월 (three months)
년 (nyeon) - Years
Number system: Sino-Korean Use for: Years (calendar or duration)
Examples:
- 2024년 (year 2024)
- 삼 년 (three years)
살 (sal) - Age
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Age in years
Examples:
- 스무 살 (20 years old)
- 서른 살 (30 years old)
Miscellaneous
개 (gae) - Questions/problems
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Questions, problems, items in tests
Examples:
- 문제 세 개 (three problems)
- 질문 두 개 (two questions)
가지 (gaji) - Kinds/types
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Varieties, types
Examples:
- 세 가지 (three kinds)
- 여러 가지 (various kinds)
줄 (jul) - Lines/rows
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Lines of text, queues
Examples:
- 한 줄 (one line)
- 두 줄 (two lines)
통 (tong) - Letters/mail
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Letters, pieces of mail
Examples:
- 편지 한 통 (one letter)
- 이메일 두 통 (two emails)
곡 (gok) - Songs
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Musical pieces, songs
Examples:
- 노래 한 곡 (one song)
- 음악 세 곡 (three songs)
편 (pyeon) - Movies/episodes
Number system: Native Korean Use for: Movies, TV episodes
Examples:
- 영화 한 편 (one movie)
- 드라마 두 편 (two drama episodes)
Quick Reference by Category
People & Animals
- 명/분 (people)
- 마리 (animals)
Food & Drink
- 개 (pieces)
- 잔 (cups)
- 병 (bottles)
- 그릇 (bowls)
- 접시 (plates)
- 조각 (slices)
Objects
- 개 (general)
- 권 (books)
- 장 (flat items)
- 대 (machines)
- 벌 (clothing sets)
- 켤레 (pairs)
Buildings
- 채 (buildings)
- 층 (floors)
- 칸 (rooms)
Time
- 번 (times)
- 시 (hours - clock)
- 분 (minutes)
- 초 (seconds)
- 시간 (hours - duration)
- 주 (weeks)
- 달/개월 (months)
- 년 (years)
- 살 (age)
Decision Tree
Start here when choosing a counter:
- Is it a person? → 명/분
- Is it an animal? → 마리
- Is it a drink? → 잔 (cup) or 병 (bottle)
- Is it flat and thin? → 장
- Is it a book? → 권
- Is it a machine/vehicle? → 대
- Is it time-related? → 번/시/분/초/시간/살
- When in doubt for objects? → 개
Key Takeaways
- ✅ Most common: 개, 명, 마리, 잔, 병, 권, 장
- ✅ Learn categories: Group counters by what they count
- ✅ Native vs. Sino: Most use Native Korean numbers
- ✅ Context matters: Same item may use different counters (beer: 잔 vs 병)
- ✅ 개 is safe: When unsure about objects, 개 often works
- ✅ Practice daily: Use counters in real situations to memorize
This list covers the most essential Korean counters. While there are many more specialized counters, mastering these will handle the vast majority of counting situations you'll encounter in daily Korean conversation!