Korean uses special counter words when counting objects. Learn the 20 most common classifiers with the rules, examples, and practice you need.
In Korean, you cannot just say three apples. You need a counter word after the number: noun + number + counter, as in 사과 세 개 (three apples).
Quick answer: Korean counters are unit words placed after a number: noun + number + counter, as in 사과 세 개 (three apples). The key ones are 개 (things), 명 (people), 마리 (animals), 잔 (cups), 병 (bottles), 권 (books), 장 (flat objects) and 대 (machines and vehicles). These take Native Korean numbers, which shorten before a counter: 한, 두, 세, 네.
The most common counter.
The counters above use Native Korean numbers (한, 두, 세, 네, 다섯...). Some other counters, such as 원 (won), 분 (minutes), 층 (floors) and 년 (years), use Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼, 사...).
Before a counter, 하나 becomes 한, 둘 becomes 두, 셋 becomes 세, 넷 becomes 네 and 스물 becomes 스무. From 다섯 upward the number stays the same.
| Counter | Used for | Example | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 개 | things | 사과 세 개 | sagwa se gae | three apples |
| 명 | people | 학생 두 명 | haksaeng du myeong | two students |
| 분 | people (polite) | 손님 네 분 | sonnim ne bun | four guests |
| 마리 | animals | 고양이 한 마리 | goyangi han mari | one cat |
| 잔 | cups, glasses | 커피 두 잔 | keopi du jan | two cups of coffee |
| 병 | bottles | 물 한 병 | mul han byeong | one bottle of water |
| 권 | books | 책 다섯 권 | chaek daseot gwon | five books |
| 장 | flat things | 종이 열 장 | jongi yeol jang | ten sheets of paper |
| 대 | machines, vehicles | 자동차 두 대 | jadongcha du dae | two cars |
| 벌 | clothes | 옷 세 벌 | ot se beol | three outfits |
| 켤레 | pairs of shoes or socks | 신발 한 켤레 | sinbal han kyeolle | one pair of shoes |
Ordering in a shop: 커피 두 잔 주세요 (keopi du jan juseyo) — Two coffees, please. 김밥 한 줄하고 물 한 병 주세요 (gimbap han julhago mul han byeong juseyo) — One roll of gimbap and one bottle of water, please.
Keep this mini-cheatsheet for korean counters. Practice the key phrases aloud for five minutes every morning, and re-read this guide once a week. Consistency beats intensity — short daily reps build lasting fluency faster than weekend marathons.
Progress depends on how often you practise. If you review a little every day and meet the same words again in real Korean, you will recognise and use them much sooner than with occasional long study sessions.
Combine this article with a live class, a short daily writing habit, and one K-drama scene a day. Together they cover speaking, writing and listening.
Grammar gives you the scaffolding, but speaking forces the brain to retrieve language under pressure. Beginners should do both — 30 minutes of grammar, 15 minutes of shadowing speech — every single day.
Arabic speakers already have useful habits for tackling korean counters: you are used to learning a new script, and Arabic also attaches small grammatical pieces to words, much as Korean attaches particles such as 은/는 and 이/가. Korean sounds and word order are still very different, so learn each item with its Hangul spelling and an example sentence. Our courses are available in Arabic, so explanations and comparisons come in your own language.
If this guide helped, take two minutes right now. First, bookmark this page so you can revisit it. Second, try our free placement test to see exactly where you stand. Third, join our community of Arabic-speaking Korean learners — studying alone works, but studying with accountability works faster. Every fluent Korean speaker started where you are right now.