Free guide · 12 minute read
Korean counters: 개, 명, 마리, and how to count anything
Updated 2026-08-09
Korean does not count things the way English does. Instead of “three apples” it says “apples, three units”: 사과 세 개. Between the noun and the number sits a counter, and which counter you use depends on what you are counting. English does a little of this in phrases like “two sheets of paper” or “a head of cattle”. Korean uses a counter for almost everything.
This builds on the native Korean numbers, so if 하나, 둘, 셋 are not solid yet, the Korean numbers guide covers them first. This page walks through the pattern itself, the small number change it triggers, the counters genuinely worth knowing, and how to give your age.
What are Korean counters?
A Korean counter is a word that sits between a number and the thing being counted, the way English says “two slices of bread”. Korean uses one for almost every noun: 개 for objects, 명 for people, 마리 for animals. The number comes in its native form and usually contracts.
The number changes shape
One rule will save you a lot of mistakes. When a native number sits in front of a counter, the first four numbers contract, and so does twenty:
- 하나 → 한, 둘 → 두, 셋 → 세, 넷 → 네
- 스물 → 스무
So it is 사과 한 개, never 사과 하나 개. Learners trip over this more than any other part of the counter system. Get it into your ear early and everything that follows is easier.
Noun, number, counter
The order is always the same: the thing, then the number, then the counter. Three counters will cover most of what a beginner needs to say:
사과 두 개
two apples (개 counts things)
친구 세 명
three friends (명 counts people)
고양이 네 마리
four cats (마리 counts animals)
A fourth, 권, counts books (책 두 권, two books). Pick a thing and a number below and watch the phrase assemble, with the number contracting as it should.
Thing
How many
사과 세 개
세 = 3 (counter form) · 개 counts things
The next handful of counters
These come up constantly once you start ordering food, shopping, or talking about your day. Each takes native numbers with the same contraction rule.
| Counter | Counts | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 잔 | cups and glasses | 커피 두 잔two coffees |
| 병 | bottles | 물 한 병one bottle of water |
| 장 | flat things (paper, tickets) | 표 두 장two tickets |
| 대 | machines and vehicles | 차 한 대one car |
| 벌 | sets of clothes | 옷 세 벌three outfits |
| 그릇 | bowls of food | 밥 두 그릇two bowls of rice |
| 권 | books and notebooks | 책 세 권three books |
| 번 | times, occurrences | 두 번twice |
Telling your age
Age uses native numbers with the counter 살, and the same contraction applies:
스무 살
20 years old
스물세 살
23 years old
You will also see the Sino-Korean 세 for age in formal writing and on the news, but everyday conversation uses native numbers with 살. Toggle the “Age” option in the tool above to hear a few.
The counters that take Sino numbers
Nearly all counters use native numbers, but a few common ones take Sino-Korean instead. Know the main ones so they do not trip you up:
오 분
5 minutes (분 for minutes takes Sino numbers)
삼천 원
3,000 won (money is Sino)
이 층
the 2nd floor (floors are Sino)
The rule of thumb: physical things you can point at take native numbers, while measured counters like money, minutes and floors take Sino. For an everyday object, native is the safe guess.
Common mistakes
- Not contracting the number. 사과 하나 개 should be 사과 한 개. The first four numbers shorten before a counter.
- Using 개 for people. 개 is for objects. People take 명 (친구 두 명), and using 개 for a person sounds wrong.
- Using Sino numbers to count things. 사 개 should be 네 개. Counting objects takes native numbers, not the Sino 사.
Quick practice
Type each answer with the built-in keyboard. The counter questions are multiple choice.
Quick check
1 / 7
Type "two apples" (apple = 사과)
noun + contracted number + counter, with spaces.
Counters stick when you count real things, often
HanGeul teaches over 5,000 Korean words, counters and everyday nouns included, the way this quiz works: you type the Korean, and when you miss, it points out what went wrong, then brings the word back on a schedule. The first three levels are free.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you always need a counter in Korean?
- For counting a specific number of things, yes: Korean says "apples, two units" (사과 두 개) rather than "two apples." You can skip the counter when you attach no number, and casual speech drops it here and there, though the counter remains the habit that never sounds wrong.
- What if I don't know the right counter?
- For objects, 개 is a safe fallback that Koreans will understand. It sounds wrong for people and animals, though, so it's worth locking in 명 for people and 마리 for animals early. Everything else you can approximate with 개 while you learn the specific ones.
- How many Korean counters are there?
- Hundreds exist, but a handful cover most daily situations. Start with 개 (things), 명 (people), 마리 (animals), and 권 (books), then add 잔, 병, 장, and 대 as you meet them. You do not need to memorize a long list up front.
- Which numbers do Korean counters use?
- Native Korean numbers carry most counters: 하나, 둘, 셋, and so on, which contract before a counter (한, 두, 세). A few counters take Sino-Korean numbers instead, among them 분 for minutes, 원 for money, 층 for floors, and 년 for years. When in doubt, count physical things with native numbers.
- How do Koreans say their age?
- With native numbers plus the counter 살: 스무 살 (20), 스물세 살 (23). The same contraction rule applies, so it's 한 살, 두 살, and 스무 살. You'll also see the Sino-based 세 in formal writing and on the news, but 살 with native numbers is what you'll say in conversation.