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 just "two apples." You can skip the counter when you're not attaching a number, and in very casual speech people sometimes drop it, but learning the counter is the reliable, always-correct habit.

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?

Almost always native Korean numbers: 하나, 둘, 셋, and so on, which contract before a counter (한, 두, 세). A few counters, like 분 for minutes, 원 for money, 층 for floors, and 년 for years, take Sino-Korean numbers instead. When in doubt, counting physical things uses 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.

Free guide · 12 minute read

Korean counters: 개, 명, 마리, and how to count anything

By Daniel · Updated 2026-07-24

Korean doesn't 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 small word called a counter, and which counter you use depends on what you are counting. English does a little of this too, in phrases like “two sheets of paper” or “a head of cattle,” but Korean uses a counter for almost everything.

This builds on the native Korean numbers, so if 하나, 둘, 셋 aren't solid yet, the Korean numbers guide covers them first. Here we'll get the pattern, the small number change it triggers, the counters you actually need, and how to give your age.

The number changes shape

Before you meet the counters, one rule saves 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. This is the single most common counter mistake, and getting it into your ear early makes everything after it easier.

Noun, number, counter

The order is always the same: the thing, then the number, then the counter. Three counters 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

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 may also see the Sino-Korean 세 for age in formal writing and on the news, but in everyday conversation it is 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 break the pattern and take Sino-Korean numbers instead. It is worth knowing the main ones so they don't 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 reliable rule of thumb: counting physical things you can point at uses native numbers, while the more “measured” counters like money, minutes, and floors use Sino. When in doubt 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 always 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)

consonants · left hand vowels · right hand

noun + contracted number + counter, with spaces.

Counters stick when you count real things, often

HanGeul teaches 2,000 Korean words, counters and everyday nouns included, the way this quiz works: you type the Korean, and when you miss, it shows you exactly what went wrong, then brings the word back on a schedule. The first three levels are free.

Start learning free →Back to: Korean numbers

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 just "two apples." You can skip the counter when you're not attaching a number, and in very casual speech people sometimes drop it, but learning the counter is the reliable, always-correct habit.
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?: Almost always native Korean numbers: 하나, 둘, 셋, and so on, which contract before a counter (한, 두, 세). A few counters, like 분 for minutes, 원 for money, 층 for floors, and 년 for years, take Sino-Korean numbers instead. When in doubt, counting physical things uses 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.