잔/병 - Drinks counter

Korean uses different counters for drinks depending on the container: 잔 (jan) for cups and glasses, and 병 (byeong) for bottles.

Two Drink Counters

잔 (jan) - Cups/Glasses

For beverages served in cups or glasses:

• Coffee, tea, juice
• Water in a glass
• Beer in a glass/mug
• Any drink served by the cup

Container-based: Focus is on the cup/glass itself

병 (byeong) - Bottles

For beverages in bottles:

• Bottled water
• Bottled beer
• Soju bottles
• Wine bottles
• Any bottled beverage

Container-based: Focus is on the bottle

Number System

Both Use Native Korean Numbers

Numbers modify before 잔/병:

• 하나 → 한 잔/병 (one cup/bottle)
• 둘 → 두 잔/병 (two cups/bottles)
• 셋 → 세 잔/병 (three cups/bottles)
• 넷 → 네 잔/병 (four cups/bottles)
• 다섯 잔/병 (five cups/bottles)

Full list 1-10:

• 한 잔/병, 두 잔/병, 세 잔/병, 네 잔/병, 다섯 잔/병
• 여섯 잔/병, 일곱 잔/병, 여덟 잔/병, 아홉 잔/병, 열 잔/병

Using 잔 (Cups/Glasses)

Common Beverages

Hot drinks:

• 커피 한 잔 (one cup of coffee)
• 차 두 잔 (two cups of tea)
• 핫초코 한 잔 (one cup of hot chocolate)

Cold drinks:

• 물 한 잔 (one glass of water)
• 주스 두 잔 (two glasses of juice)
• 우유 한 잔 (one glass of milk)
• 콜라 세 잔 (three glasses of cola)

Alcohol (in glasses):

• 맥주 한 잔 (one glass of beer)
• 와인 두 잔 (two glasses of wine)
• 소주 한 잔 (one glass of soju)

At Cafe/Restaurant

Ordering:

• 커피 두 잔 주세요 (Please give me two cups of coffee)
• 물 한 잔만 주세요 (Just one glass of water, please)
• 주스 세 잔 주문할게요 (I'll order three glasses of juice)

Daily Consumption

How much you drink:

• 하루에 커피 세 잔 마셔요 (I drink three cups of coffee a day)
• 물 여덟 잔 마셔야 해요 (You should drink eight glasses of water)
• 차 한 잔 할까요? (Shall we have a cup of tea?)

Using 병 (Bottles)

Bottled Beverages

Water:

• 물 한 병 (one bottle of water)
• 생수 두 병 (two bottles of mineral water)

Soft drinks:

• 콜라 한 병 (one bottle of cola)
• 사이다 두 병 (two bottles of cider/sprite)
• 주스 세 병 (three bottles of juice)

Alcohol:

• 맥주 한 병 (one bottle of beer)
• 소주 두 병 (two bottles of soju)
• 와인 한 병 (one bottle of wine)
• 막걸리 세 병 (three bottles of makgeolli)

Shopping

Buying bottles:

• 물 다섯 병 사고 싶어요 (I want to buy five bottles of water)
• 맥주 열 병 샀어요 (I bought ten bottles of beer)
• 소주 세 병 주세요 (Please give me three bottles of soju)

Consumption

How many bottles:

• 맥주 두 병 마셨어요 (I drank two bottles of beer)
• 물 한 병 다 마셨어요 (I finished one bottle of water)
• 소주 몇 병 마셨어요? (How many bottles of soju did you drink?)

Same Drink, Different Containers

Beer Example

In a glass (잔):

• 맥주 한 잔 주세요 (One glass of beer, please)
• Draft beer, served in a glass

In a bottle (병):

• 맥주 한 병 주세요 (One bottle of beer, please)
• Bottled beer

Water Example

In a glass (잔):

• 물 한 잔 마셨어요 (I drank one glass of water)
• From a glass or cup

In a bottle (병):

• 물 한 병 샀어요 (I bought one bottle of water)
• Bottled water from store

Context Matters

The container determines the counter:

• Same beverage, different counter based on how it's served
• 잔 = focus on drinking from cup/glass
• 병 = focus on the bottle itself

Common Expressions

With 잔 (Cups)

Offering drinks:

• 커피 한 잔 할래요? (Want to have a cup of coffee?)
• 차 한 잔 드세요 (Have a cup of tea)
• 물 한 잔 드릴까요? (Shall I give you a glass of water?)

Daily intake:

• 물 여덟 잔 (eight glasses of water)
• 커피 두 잔만 (only two cups of coffee)
• 차 세 잔 마셨어요 (I drank three cups of tea)

With 병 (Bottles)

Drinking together:

• 소주 한 병 할까요? (Shall we have a bottle of soju?)
• 맥주 두 병 시킬까요? (Shall we order two bottles of beer?)

Shopping/storage:

• 물 스무 병 샀어요 (I bought 20 bottles of water)
• 맥주 몇 병 있어요? (How many bottles of beer are there?)

Sentence Patterns

Existence

With 잔:

• 테이블에 커피 두 잔 있어요 (There are two cups of coffee on the table)
• 주스 세 잔 남았어요 (Three glasses of juice remain)

With 병:

• 냉장고에 맥주 다섯 병 있어요 (There are five bottles of beer in the fridge)
• 물 한 병만 남았어요 (Only one bottle of water remains)

Questions

몇 잔/병?:

• 커피 몇 잔 마셨어요? (How many cups of coffee did you drink?)
• 맥주 몇 병 샀어요? (How many bottles of beer did you buy?)
• 물 몇 잔 마셔요? (How many glasses of water do you drink?)

Ordering

At cafe/restaurant:

• 커피 두 잔이요 (Two cups of coffee, please)
• 맥주 세 병 주세요 (Three bottles of beer, please)
• 물 한 잔만 더 주세요 (Just one more glass of water, please)

With Other Grammar

-씩 (Each)

Distribution:

• 한 잔씩 마셔요 (Drink one cup each)
• 한 병씩 가져가세요 (Take one bottle each)

-밖에 없다 (Only)

Limitation:

• 한 잔밖에 안 마셨어요 (I only drank one cup)
• 두 병밖에 없어요 (There are only two bottles)

-도 (Also/Even)

Emphasis:

• 한 잔도 안 마셨어요 (Didn't drink even one cup)
• 열 병도 마셨어요 (Drank even ten bottles)

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: At Cafe

A: 뭐 드시겠어요?
(What would you like?)

B: 커피 두 잔 주세요.
(Two cups of coffee, please.)

A: 아메리카노요?
(Americano?)

B: 네, 아메리카노 두 잔이요.
(Yes, two americanos.)

Dialogue 2: After Exercise

A: 물 한 잔 마실래요?
(Do you want to drink a glass of water?)

B: 네, 주세요. 정말 목말라요.
(Yes, please. I'm really thirsty.)

A: 여기 있어요.
(Here you go.)

Dialogue 3: Shopping

A: 물 몇 병 살까요?
(How many bottles of water shall we buy?)

B: 열 병 정도 사요.
(Let's buy about ten bottles.)

A: 맥주도 살까요?
(Shall we buy beer too?)

B: 네, 맥주 다섯 병만 사요.
(Yes, let's buy just five bottles of beer.)

Dialogue 4: At Bar

A: 소주 한 병 할까요?
(Shall we have a bottle of soju?)

B: 좋아요. 맥주도 두 병 시켜요.
(Sounds good. Let's order two bottles of beer too.)

A: 네, 그럼 소주 한 병하고 맥주 두 병 주세요.
(Okay, then one bottle of soju and two bottles of beer, please.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 커피 한 개

Using 개 for drinks

✅ Correct: 커피 한 잔

Use 잔 for drinks in cups

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❌ Incorrect: 물 한 잔 (when buying bottled water)

Wrong counter for bottle

✅ Correct: 물 한 병

Use 병 for bottled water

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❌ Incorrect: 하나 잔

Not modifying number

✅ Correct: 한 잔

하나 → 한 before counter

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❌ Incorrect: 맥주 잔 (no number)

Missing number

✅ Correct: 맥주 한 잔 or 맥주 한 병

Need number with counter

Quick Reference

Numbers with 잔/병 (1-10)

Number	잔 (cups)	병 (bottles)
1	한 잔	한 병
2	두 잔	두 병
3	세 잔	세 병
4	네 잔	네 병
5	다섯 잔	다섯 병
10	열 잔	열 병

Summary Table

Beverage	In Cup/Glass	In Bottle
Water	물 한 잔	물 한 병
Coffee	커피 한 잔	-
Beer	맥주 한 잔	맥주 한 병
Soju	소주 한 잔	소주 한 병
Wine	와인 한 잔	와인 한 병
Juice	주스 한 잔	주스 한 병

Key Takeaways

• ✅ Two counters: 잔 (cups/glasses) and 병 (bottles)
• ✅ Container-based: Counter depends on how drink is served
• ✅ Native numbers: Both use native Korean numbers
• ✅ Numbers modify: 하나→한, 둘→두, 셋→세, 넷→네
• ✅ Same drink, different counter: Beer can be 한 잔 or 한 병
• ✅ Very common: Essential for ordering and daily conversation

Understanding 잔 vs. 병 is essential for ordering drinks and talking about beverages in Korean. The container determines which counter to use - glasses and cups use 잔, while bottles use 병. Master both to order drinks naturally in any situation!