| Korean grammar |
|---|
The Korean language uses special measure or counting words for specific objects and events.[1] These suffixes are called subullyusa (수분류사; 數分類詞) in Korean. They are similar to the ones employed in the Chinese and the Japanese languages.
In English it is "two sheets of paper", not "two papers". Analogously, in Korean jang (장/張) is used to count sheets or anything that is a paper-like material, for example "ten bus tickets" is beoseu pyo yeol jang (버스 표 열 장 / 버스 票 열 張), literally, "bus ticket ten 'sheets'". In fact, the meanings of counter words are frequently extended in metaphorical or other image-based ways. For instance, in addition to counting simply sheets of paper, jang in Korean can be used to refer to any number of thin, paper-like objects. Leaves (namunnip 나뭇잎) are counted using this count word. In this way, a particular count word may be used generally in a very open-ended manner and up to the construal or creativity of the speaker.
There are two systems of numerals in Korean: native Korean and Sino-Korean. Native Korean numerals are used with most counter words, and usually count the number of an object, while Sino-Korean numerals are generally used for indicating a specific object in series, such as a specific lesson in a book, as well as monetary units and scientific measurements. Sometimes both types of numerals may be used, usually native Korean numerals indicating a quantity and Sino-Korean numerals indicating an ordinal. For example, yeol gwa (열 과 / 열 課) would mean 'ten lessons' while sip gwa (십과/十課) would mean 'lesson ten.' There are exceptions, such as native Korean numbers being used with 시, meaning "hour of the day". Additionally some counters (mostly those associated with traditional units) modify the pronunciation and spelling of the numerals that precede it, most notably 6월 is 유월 and 10월 is 시월.
Some count words take native Korean numerals:
| Hangul | Hanja | RR | MR | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 가구 | 家口 | gagu | kaku | families (ie. 10 households live on this cul-de-sac) |
| 개 | 個 | gae | kae | 'things' in general, often used as a coverall when the specific count word is unknown (for example, by children) |
| 개국 | 個國 | gaeguk | kaeguk | countries |
| 개소 | 個所 | gaeso | kaeso | places |
| 건 | 件 | geon | kŏn | cases, matters, documents |
| 고랑 | gorang | korang | ridges/furrows made for planting crops | |
| 과 | 課 | gwa | kwa | lessons (if paired with Sino-Korean numeral, lesson number) |
| 구 | 具 | gu | ku | corpses |
| 군데 | gunde | kunde | places | |
| 권 | 卷 | gwon | kwŏn | books |
| 그루 | geuru | kŭru | trees, shrubs | |
| 다발 | dabal | tabal | bunches of flowers or plants | |
| 단 | dan | tan | bunches of Welsh onions, green onions, newspaper columns | |
| 대 | 臺 | dae | tae | vehicles (cars, airplanes, etc.) and machinery (incl. computers) |
| 동 | 棟 | dong | tong | buildings |
| 마리 | mari | mari | animals | |
| 매 | 枚 | mae | mae | sheets of paper, photos, stamps, etc. |
| 명 | 名 | myeong | myŏng | people (informal) |
| 모금 | mogeum | mogŭm | mouthfuls (of liquid or gas) | |
| 문 | 門 | mun | mun | cannons, big guns |
| 바퀴 | bakri | pak'wi | times circling around an area | |
| 발 | 發 | bal | pal | bullets, shells, arrows, etc. |
| 발짝 | baljjak | paljjak | steps | |
| 방 | 放 | bang | pang | shots fired from a gun or cannon; number of times explosives are set; jabs; photos shot; farts |
| 배 | 杯 | bae | pae | glass of (usually alcoholic) beverages |
| 배 | 拜 | bae | pae | bowing |
| 번 | 番 | beon | pŏn | times a task is done |
| 벌 | beol | pŏl | items of clothing | |
| 부 | 部 | bu | pu | copies of printed material |
| 분 | bun | pun | people (honorific) | |
| 뼘 | ppyeom | ppyŏm | hand spans | |
| 살 | sal | sal | years old (generally avoided when using honorifics) | |
| 송이 | song-i | songi | picked flowers, bunches of fruit (grapes, bananas, etc.) | |
| 수 | 手 | su | su | turns taken in Janggi or Go |
| 수 | 首 | su | su | poems, songs; also animals |
| 술 | sul | sul | spoonfuls of food | |
| 시 | 時 | si | si | hour (of the day) |
| 시간 | 時間 | sigan | sigan | hours (in length) |
| 알 | al | al | small, round objects (especially fruits) or grains | |
| 옴큼 | omkeum | omk'ŭm | handfuls | |
| 자루 | jaru | charu | things with long handles (writing instruments, shovels, swords, and rifles), and by extension, knives and pistols | |
| 장 | 張 | jang | chang | thin, flat objects (such as sheets of paper, glass, steel) |
| 정 | 錠 | jeong | chŏng | tablets of medicine |
| 점 | jeom | chŏm | artworks, very small amounts, pieces of sliced or ripped-off flesh, drops of rain, stones in the game of Go on the board or captured from the opponent, or wisps of clouds or wind | |
| 제 | 劑 | je | che | dosage of traditional medicine |
| 줄 | jul | chul | lines or things aligned in a row (kimbap, desks, chairs, etc.) | |
| 쪽 | jjok | jjok | pieces | |
| 채 | chae | ch'ae | houses (also buildings, large objects, furniture, blankets) | |
| 척 | 隻 | cheok | ch'ŏk | boats and ships |
| 첩 | 貼 | cheop | ch'ŏp | packs of Korean herbal medicine |
| 탕 | 趟 | tang | t'ang | number of times doing something, especially number of trips made |
| 톨 | tol | t'ol | grains | |
| 통 | 通 | tong | t'ong | letters, telegrams, telephone calls, e-mails, documents |
| 통 | tong | t'ong | watermelons | |
| 판 | pan | p'an | number of games won or lost | |
| 편 | 篇 | pyeon | p'yŏn | books, literary works, movies, plays, etc. |
| 포기 | pogi | p'ogi | Chinese cabbages | |
| 푼 | pun | p'un | pennies | |
| 필 | 匹 | pil | p'il | uncut fabric, horses |
| 필지 | 筆地 | pilji | p'ilji | fields, housing sites, etc. |
| 해 | hae | hae | earth's revolutions around the sun |
Some count words take Sino-Korean numerals:
| Hangul | Hanja | RR | MR | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 개년 | 個年 | gaenyeon | kaenyŏn | years |
| 개월 | 個月 | gaewol | kaewŏl | months |
| 과 | 課 | gwa | kwa | lesson number (native Korean for number of lessons) |
| 교 | 校 | gyo | kyo | number of times a draft has been proofread |
| 교시 | 校時 | gyosi | kyosi | class number, class period number |
| 년 | 年 | nyeon | nyŏn | year (for dates; 2014년, 1998년) |
| 무 | 無 | mu | mu | ties (in a game) |
| 범 | 犯 | beom | pŏm | penalties for a major crime |
| 분 | 分 | bun | pun | minute (of an hour) |
| 불 | 弗 | bul | pul | dollar |
| 석 | 席 | seok | sŏk | seats |
| 선 | 選 | seon | sŏn | number of times elected to office; which term in a sequence a person has been in office |
| 승 | 勝 | seung | sŭng | victories (in sports) |
| 실 | 室 | sil | sil | rooms |
| 원 | 圓 | won | wŏn | won |
| 월 | 月 | wol | wŏl | month (for dates; 일월: January, 이월: February, ...; note that 6월 is written/pronounced 유월 and 10월 is likewise 시월) |
| 위 | 位 | wi | wi | of rank or order (e.g. 1위 = first rank or order) |
| 일 | 日 | il | il | day (for dates) |
| 점 | 點 | jeom | chŏm | grade (100점) |
| 조 | 條 | jo | cho | article or clause |
| 주기 | 周忌 | jugi | chugi | years since a person's death (used on that death's anniversary) |
| 주일 | 週日 | ju-il | chuil | weeks |
| 집 | 輯 | jip | chip | publication number (e.g. Opus number, album, magazine issue) |
| 초 | 秒 | cho | ch'o | second (of a minute) |
| 촉 | 燭 | chok | ch'ok | candela |
| 촌 | 寸 | chon | ch'on | degree of kinship; also a short unit of measurement, comparable to an inch |
| 탄 | 彈 | tan | t'an | number of a work in a series |
| 호 | 戶 | ho | ho | houses |
| 회 | 回 | hoe | hoe | number of times |
Some nouns can also function as counter words:
| Hangul | Hanja | RR | MR | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 곡 | 曲 | gok | kok | songs |
| 그릇 | geureut | kŭrŭt | bowls | |
| 병 | 甁 | byeong | pyŏng | bottles |
| 마디 | madi | madi | phrases, joints, musical measures, words | |
| 사람 | saram | saram | people (informal) | |
| 상자 | 箱子 | sangja | sangja | boxes |
| 잔 | 盞 | jan | chan | cups and glasses |
| 층 | 層 | cheung | ch'ŭng | floors (of a building), layers |
| 통 | 桶 | tong | t'ong | containers, buckets |
Some words are used for counting in multiples:
| Hangul | Hanja | RR | MR | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 급 | 級 | geup | kŭp | 20 fish |
| 다스 | daseu | tasŭ | dozen (abbreviated from English) | |
| 보루 | boru | poru | bundle of 10 packs of cigarettes[notes 1] | |
| 바리 | bari | pari | 2,000 fish | |
| 손 | son | son | handfuls of fish (2 large, 4-5 small), typically mackerels or yellow croakers | |
| 우리 | uri | uri | 2,000 tiles | |
| 접 | jeop | chŏp | 100 fruits (for example, dried persimmons), radishes, cabbages, or bulbs of garlic | |
| 족 | 足 | jok | chok | pairs (for items likes socks, shoes, gloves, etc.) |
| 축 | chuk | ch'uk | 20 cuttlefish | |
| 켤레 | kyeolle | k'yŏlle | pairs of socks, shoes, gloves | |
| 코 | ko | k'o | twenty dried pollock | |
| 타 | 打 | ta | t'a | dozen |
| 톳 | tot | t'ot | one hundred sheets of laver | |
| 판 | 板 | pan | p'an | thirty eggs |
