A1
Counters
How Korean counters work, the common ones worth learning first, and the word order that puts the count after the noun.
Korean counts with a counter word between the number and the thing, as English does in two sheets of paper — except that Korean does it for everything.
사람 두 명.
Saram du myeong.
Two people.
맥주 세 병 주세요.
Maekju se byeong juseyo.
Three bottles of beer, please.
The ones worth learning first
| 개 | things, the general one |
| 명 / 분 | people (분 is honorific) |
| 마리 | animals |
| 권 | books |
| 장 | flat things |
| 병 | bottles |
| 잔 | cups, glasses |
| 살 | years of age |
| 시 / 시간 | o’clock / hours |
개 is the safety net when the right counter escapes you, in the way 〜つ is in Japanese. It sounds slightly childish with people, where 명 is expected.
The noun comes first
The usual order is noun, then number, then counter — the opposite of English.
세 병 맥주 주세요.
맥주 세 병 주세요.
The natural order names the thing first and counts it after. 세 병의 맥주 is grammatical but reads like a label rather than an order.
Native or Sino-Korean
Most counters take native numbers — 개, 명, 마리, 권, 살. A few take Sino-Korean: 분 (minutes), 원 (won), 층 (floors), 번 (numbered items). See the two systems.
스무 살이에요.
Seumu sarieyo.
I’m twenty.
스물 becomes 스무 before a counter, alongside 한, 두, 세, 네.