명/분 - People counter | Korean Grammar Documentation

Korean has two counters for people: 명 (myeong) for neutral/polite contexts and 분 (bun) for honorific/respectful contexts. Never use 개 for people!

Two Counters for People

명 (myeong) - Neutral/Polite

Standard counter for people:

Friends, peers, younger people
General counting
Neutral contexts
Most common in daily use

Examples:

학생 세 명 (three students)
친구 두 명 (two friends)
사람 다섯 명 (five people)

분 (bun) - Honorific/Respectful

Respectful counter for people:

Elders, superiors, customers
Teachers, parents, grandparents
Formal/business contexts
Shows respect

Examples:

선생님 세 분 (three teachers)
할머니 두 분 (two grandmothers)
손님 네 분 (four customers/guests)

Number System

Uses Native Korean Numbers

Numbers modify before 명/분:

하나 → 한 명/분 (one person)
둘 → 두 명/분 (two people)
셋 → 세 명/분 (three people)
넷 → 네 명/분 (four people)
다섯 명/분 (five people)

Full list 1-10:

한 명/분, 두 명/분, 세 명/분, 네 명/분, 다섯 명/분
여섯 명/분, 일곱 명/분, 여덟 명/분, 아홉 명/분, 열 명/분

When to Use 명

Peers and Younger

Friends and equals:

친구 두 명 (two friends)
동료 세 명 (three colleagues - same level)
학생 다섯 명 (five students)

General Counting

Neutral contexts:

사람 열 명 (ten people)
아이 네 명 (four children)
남자 세 명 (three men)
여자 두 명 (two women)

Groups You Belong To

Including yourself:

우리 다섯 명 (five of us)
가족 네 명 (four family members - casual context)

When to Use 분

Elders and Superiors

Older people:

할아버지 두 분 (two grandfathers)
어른 세 분 (three adults - respectful)
부모님 두 분 (two parents - my parents)

Note: When talking about your own parents/grandparents, use 분

Teachers and Professionals

Respected positions:

선생님 네 분 (four teachers)
의사 선생님 두 분 (two doctors)
교수님 세 분 (three professors)

Customers and Guests

Service contexts:

손님 다섯 분 (five customers/guests)
고객 세 분 (three clients)

Note: Always use 분 for customers in business

Anyone You Should Respect

Formal situations:

사장님 한 분 (one CEO)
회장님 한 분 (one chairman)

Common Situations

At Restaurant

With 명 (casual):

몇 명이세요? (How many people?)
네 명이에요 (Four people)

With 분 (polite to customers):

몇 분이세요? (How many people? - polite)
네 분이세요? (Is it four people? - polite)

Making Reservations

Asking:

몇 명 예약하시겠어요? (How many people to reserve?)
다섯 명 예약하고 싶어요 (I'd like to reserve for five people)

School/Work

Students/colleagues (명):

학생이 스무 명 있어요 (There are 20 students)
직원이 열 명이에요 (There are 10 employees)

Teachers/bosses (분):

선생님이 세 분 계세요 (There are three teachers - honorific)

Sentence Patterns

Existence

명/분 + 있다/계시다:

친구가 두 명 있어요 (I have two friends / Two friends are here)
선생님이 세 분 계세요 (There are three teachers - honorific)

Questions

몇 명/분?:

몇 명이에요? (How many people?)
몇 분이세요? (How many people? - polite)
친구가 몇 명 있어요? (How many friends do you have?)

Coming/Going

With movement verbs:

친구 다섯 명이 왔어요 (Five friends came)
손님 세 분이 오셨어요 (Three customers came - honorific)

Mixed Usage

When Group Has Mixed Status

Use honorific 분 for the group:

부모님과 저, 세 분이에요 (My parents and I, three people - using 분 out of respect)

Or specify separately:

어른 두 분, 아이 한 명 (Two adults, one child)

Family Context

Casual family talk - 명:

우리 가족은 네 명이에요 (Our family is four people)

Respectful family talk - 분:

부모님 두 분 계세요 (My parents are here - two people)

Common Collocations

Quantity Expressions

With 명/분:

한두 명 (one or two people)
서너 명 (three or four people)
여러 명 (several people)
많은 사람들 (many people - not usually with counter)
몇 명 안 돼요 (Not many people / Just a few)

Specific Numbers

Common groupings:

두 명이서 (the two of us)
세 명이서 (the three of us)
혼자 (alone - not with counter)
둘이서 (the two of us - casual, without counter)

With Other Grammar

-씩 (Each)

Distribution:

한 명씩 (one person each)
두 명씩 (two people each)
세 명씩 나눠요 (Divide into groups of three)

-밖에 없다 (Only)

Limitation:

두 명밖에 없어요 (There are only two people)
한 명밖에 안 왔어요 (Only one person came)

-도 (Also/Even)

Emphasis:

한 명도 없어요 (There isn't even one person)
열 명도 왔어요 (Even ten people came)

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Restaurant Reservation

A: 예약하려고 하는데요, 몇 분이세요?
(I'd like to make a reservation, how many people?)

B: 네 명이요.
(Four people.)

A: 네 분, 7시에 예약해 드릴게요.
(Four people, I'll reserve for 7 o'clock.)

Dialogue 2: Party Planning

A: 파티에 몇 명 올 거예요?
(How many people will come to the party?)

B: 친구 열 명 정도 올 것 같아요.
(About ten friends will probably come.)

A: 선생님도 오세요?
(Is the teacher coming too?)

B: 네, 선생님 한 분 오세요.
(Yes, one teacher is coming.)

Dialogue 3: Family

A: 가족이 몇 명이에요?
(How many people are in your family?)

B: 네 명이에요. 부모님 두 분하고 동생이 한 명 있어요.
(Four people. My two parents and one younger sibling.)

Dialogue 4: Meeting

A: 회의에 몇 명 참석해요?
(How many people are attending the meeting?)

B: 직원 다섯 명하고 사장님 한 분이에요.
(Five employees and one CEO.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 사람 세 개

Using 개 for people

✅ Correct: 사람 세 명

Must use 명 for people

❌ Incorrect: 할머니 두 명

Not showing respect to grandmother

✅ Correct: 할머니 두 분

Use 분 for elders

❌ Incorrect: 하나 명

Not modifying number

✅ Correct: 한 명

하나 → 한 before counter

❌ Incorrect: 선생님 세 명

Not enough respect for teacher

✅ Correct: 선생님 세 분

Use 분 for teachers

Quick Decision Guide

Use 명 For:

✅ Friends and peers ✅ Children ✅ Younger people ✅ General/neutral counting ✅ Yourself and peer groups

Use 분 For:

✅ Elders (grandparents, elderly) ✅ Parents (when showing respect) ✅ Teachers and professors ✅ Bosses and superiors ✅ Customers and clients ✅ Anyone deserving respect

Quick Reference Table

Number	명 (neutral)	분 (honorific)
1	한 명	한 분
2	두 명	두 분
3	세 명	세 분
4	네 명	네 분
5	다섯 명	다섯 분
10	열 명	열 분
20	스무 명	스무 분

Key Takeaways

✅ Two counters: 명 (neutral) and 분 (honorific)
✅ Never use 개: For people, always use 명 or 분
✅ Native numbers: Both use native Korean numbers
✅ 분 shows respect: Use for elders, teachers, customers
✅ 명 is default: Use for peers, general counting
✅ When in doubt: 분 is safer to show respect

Understanding when to use 명 vs. 분 is essential for polite Korean. Using 분 appropriately shows cultural awareness and respect, while 명 is your everyday counter for people in neutral contexts. Master both to count people correctly in any social situation!