권 (gwon) is the counter for bound volumes - books, magazines, journals, and any published material that's bound together. It's one of the few counters that accepts both Native Korean and Sino-Korean numbers.
What 권 Counts
Bound Volumes
All types of books:
- 책 (books)
- 소설 (novels)
- 교과서 (textbooks)
- 사전 (dictionaries)
Magazines and periodicals:
- 잡지 (magazines)
- 신문 (newspapers - sometimes)
- 만화책 (comic books/manga)
Professional materials:
- 논문 (academic papers)
- 보고서 (reports - if bound)
- 카탈로그 (catalogs)
Key characteristic: Must be bound together as a volume
Number Systems
Accepts BOTH Number Systems
Unique feature: 권 is special - you can use either:
- Native Korean: 한 권, 두 권, 세 권...
- Sino-Korean: 일 권, 이 권, 삼 권...
Native Korean (More Common)
Standard usage:
- 하나 → 한 권 (one book)
- 둘 → 두 권 (two books)
- 셋 → 세 권 (three books)
- 넷 → 네 권 (four books)
- 다섯 권 (five books)
Full list 1-10:
- 한 권, 두 권, 세 권, 네 권, 다섯 권
- 여섯 권, 일곱 권, 여덟 권, 아홉 권, 열 권
Sino-Korean (Also Acceptable)
Alternative usage:
- 일 권, 이 권, 삼 권, 사 권, 오 권
- 육 권, 칠 권, 팔 권, 구 권, 십 권
More formal or in series:
- 제1권, 제2권, 제3권 (Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3)
Common Usage
Books
General books:
- 책 한 권 (one book)
- 소설 두 권 (two novels)
- 교과서 세 권 (three textbooks)
- 사전 한 권 (one dictionary)
At bookstore:
- 이 책 한 권 주세요 (Please give me one of these books)
- 책 몇 권 샀어요? (How many books did you buy?)
Magazines and Comics
Periodicals:
- 잡지 한 권 (one magazine)
- 만화책 두 권 (two comic books)
- 월간지 세 권 (three monthly magazines)
Buying comics:
- 만화책 다섯 권 샀어요 (I bought five comic books)
Library Context
Borrowing/returning:
- 책 세 권 빌렸어요 (I borrowed three books)
- 두 권 반납했어요 (I returned two books)
- 몇 권 빌릴 수 있어요? (How many books can I borrow?)
Series and Volumes
Book series:
- 제1권 (Volume 1 - using Sino-Korean)
- 전 5권 (All 5 volumes)
- 3권까지 읽었어요 (I've read up to Volume 3)
Sentence Patterns
Possession/Existence
Having books:
- 책이 열 권 있어요 (I have ten books)
- 사전이 두 권 있어요 (I have two dictionaries)
- 잡지가 몇 권 있어요? (How many magazines are there?)
Reading
Books read:
- 이번 달에 책 다섯 권 읽었어요 (I read five books this month)
- 소설 세 권 읽고 있어요 (I'm reading three novels)
- 몇 권 읽었어요? (How many books did you read?)
Buying/Shopping
Purchasing books:
- 책 두 권 샀어요 (I bought two books)
- 한 권만 살게요 (I'll buy just one)
- 세 권 사면 할인돼요 (There's a discount if you buy three)
Questions
How many books?:
- 책이 몇 권 있어요? (How many books are there?)
- 몇 권 필요해요? (How many books do you need?)
- 몇 권 읽었어요? (How many books did you read?)
Special Usage: Series
Volume Numbers
Using Sino-Korean for volumes:
- 제1권 (Volume 1 - je-il-gwon)
- 제2권 (Volume 2 - je-i-gwon)
- 제3권 (Volume 3 - je-sam-gwon)
In series:
- 해리 포터 시리즈 전 7권 (Harry Potter series, all 7 volumes)
- 1권부터 5권까지 (From Volume 1 to Volume 5)
Complete Sets
전 (jeon) = complete/all:
- 전 10권 (all 10 volumes)
- 전권 (complete set of volumes)
Common Collocations
Quantity Expressions
With 권:
- 한두 권 (one or two books)
- 서너 권 (three or four books)
- 여러 권 (several books)
- 몇 권 안 돼요 (Not many books / Just a few)
Specific Contexts
At library:
- 한 번에 다섯 권까지 (Up to five books at a time)
- 두 권 더 빌릴 수 있어요 (You can borrow two more books)
Gift giving:
- 책 한 권 선물할게요 (I'll gift you one book)
- 두 권 받았어요 (I received two books)
With Other Grammar
-씩 (Each)
Distribution:
- 한 권씩 나눠 드려요 (I'll distribute one book each)
- 두 권씩 가져가세요 (Take two books each)
-밖에 없다 (Only)
Limitation:
- 한 권밖에 없어요 (There's only one book)
- 두 권밖에 안 읽었어요 (I only read two books)
-도 (Also/Even)
Emphasis:
- 한 권도 안 읽었어요 (Didn't read even one book)
- 열 권도 있어요 (There are even ten books)
-쯤 (About)
Approximation:
- 열 권쯤 있어요 (There are about ten books)
- 스무 권쯤 샀어요 (I bought around twenty books)
Example Dialogues
Dialogue 1: At Bookstore
A: 이 책 재미있어요?
(Is this book interesting?)
B: 네, 정말 재미있어요. 저는 벌써 두 권 샀어요.
(Yes, it's really interesting. I already bought two books.)
A: 시리즈가 몇 권이에요?
(How many volumes is the series?)
B: 전 다섯 권이에요.
(It's five volumes in total.)
Dialogue 2: At Library
A: 책 몇 권 빌릴 수 있어요?
(How many books can I borrow?)
B: 한 번에 세 권까지 빌릴 수 있어요.
(You can borrow up to three books at a time.)
A: 그럼 이 책 세 권 빌릴게요.
(Then I'll borrow these three books.)
Dialogue 3: About Reading
A: 이번 달에 책 몇 권 읽었어요?
(How many books did you read this month?)
B: 다섯 권 읽었어요.
(I read five books.)
A: 많이 읽으셨네요!
(You read a lot!)
B: 목표가 한 달에 열 권이에요.
(My goal is ten books a month.)
Dialogue 4: Gift
A: 생일 선물로 뭐 받고 싶어요?
(What do you want for your birthday?)
B: 책 한 권 받고 싶어요.
(I want to receive a book.)
A: 어떤 책이요?
(Which book?)
B: 이 소설 시리즈 두 권이요.
(These two volumes of this novel series.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 책 한 개
Using 개 for books
✅ Correct: 책 한 권
Use 권 for books
❌ Incorrect: 하나 권
Not modifying number (when using native)
✅ Correct: 한 권
하나 → 한 before counter
❌ Incorrect: 책 권 (no number)
Missing number
✅ Correct: 책 한 권 or 책 일 권
Need number with counter
Quick Reference
Numbers with 권 (1-10)
| Number | Native Korean | Sino-Korean |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 한 권 | 일 권 |
| 2 | 두 권 | 이 권 |
| 3 | 세 권 | 삼 권 |
| 4 | 네 권 | 사 권 |
| 5 | 다섯 권 | 오 권 |
| 10 | 열 권 | 십 권 |
| 20 | 스무 권 | 이십 권 |
Key Takeaways
- ✅ For bound volumes: Books, magazines, journals
- ✅ Two number systems: Can use Native Korean OR Sino-Korean
- ✅ Native more common: For casual counting
- ✅ Sino for series: Volume 1, 2, 3 (제1권, 제2권...)
- ✅ Numbers modify: 하나→한, 둘→두 (Native Korean)
- ✅ Very useful: Essential for talking about books and reading
권 is the essential counter for books and bound materials. Its flexibility in accepting both number systems makes it unique among Korean counters. Master 권 to naturally discuss books, reading, and libraries in Korean!