Native Korean number & Basic counter | Korean Langauge for Beginners

 

 

The native Korean numbers are used in the following situations:

1. to count real tangible things such as potatoes, cars, cups of coffee, books, fish and people.
2. to express someone's age with the counter 살. (Sino-Korean is also possible here with the counter 세)
3. to say the hour (o'clock)
4. to count hours, months (also possible in Sino-Korean) and sometimes years (although the Sino-Korean system is more commonly used)

 

 

Counters that comes after the native Korean numbers

Unit being counted	Counter	Example
objects	개	사과 한 개 one apple
cups	잔	커피 두 잔 two cups of coffee
something thin	장	종이 세장 three sheets of paper
book	권	책 네 권 four books
boxes; cases	상자	사과 다섯 상자 five boxes of apples
bags	봉지	과자 한 봉지 one bag of snack food
bottles	병	맥주 두 병 two bottles of beer
vehicles; appliances; machines	대	자동차 세 대 three cars 냉장고 네 대 four refrigerators 기계 세 대 three machines
buildings	채	집 한 채 one house
animals	마리	고양이 한 마리 one cat 생선 한 마리 one fish
people	사람, 명, 분(honorific)	고객 한 사람 one customer 일본 사람 한 명 one Japanese person 선생님 한 분 one teacher
years of age	살	스무 살 twenty years old
times	번	두 번 two times; twice
kinds	가지	세 가지 three kinds

 

Korean Native number sheet.pdf

0.62MB

 

List of Korean counters | 한국어의 세는 말 목록

참고 Jaehoon Yeon and Lucien Brown(2011), Korean: A comprehensive Grammar, 86-88.