Korean Count Word - Examples

Examples

A few counter words:

• beol (벌) -- items of clothing
• bun (분) -- people (polite)
• cheok (척) -- boats and ships
• chae (채) -- houses
• dae (대) -- vehicles (cars, airplanes) and machinery (incl. computers)
• dan (단) -- bunches of Welsh onions, green onions; a column (in a newspaper)
• dong (동) -- buildings
• gae (개) -- 'things' in general, can be used if you're not sure which specific counting word to use.
• geuru (그루) -- trees
• gwa (과) -- lessons
• gwon (권) -- books
• jang (장) -- paper
• jaru (자루) -- things with long handles (writing instruments, shovels, swords, and rifles), and by extension, knives and pistols
• jul (줄) -- literal meaning: line. things aligned in a row (gimbap, desks, chairs)
• kyeolle (켤레) -- gloves and socks
• mari (마리) -- animals
• myeong (명) -- people (informal)
• pil (필) -- uncut fabric
• pogi (포기) -- Chinese cabbages
• pun (푼) -- pennies
• sal (살) -- years (with Native Korean cardinals)
• se (세) -- years (with Sino-Korean cardinals)
• song-i (송이) -- picked flowers, bunches of grapes, bunches of bananas
• tol (톨) -- grains of rice (not cooked), stones
• tong (통) -- letters, telegrams, telephone calls, and e-mail
• tong (통) -- watermelons

Some nouns can also function as counter words:

• byeong (병) -- bottles
• cheung (층) -- floors (of a building), layers
• geureut (그릇) -- bowls
• gok (곡) -- songs
• jan (잔) -- cups and glasses
• madi (마디) -- phrases, joints, and musical measures
• saram (사람) -- people (informal)
• tong (통) -- containers, buckets

Some words are used for counting in multiples:

• jeop (접) -- one hundred dried persimmons/garlic
• ko (코) -- twenty dried pollacks
• pan (판) -- thirty eggs
• son (손) -- two fish (typically mackerels or yellow croakers)
• daseu/taseu (다스/타스) -- dozen
• tot (톳) -- one hundred sheets of lavers