Korean count word
The Korean language uses special measure or counting words for specific objects and events. These suffixes are called 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 is used to count sheets or anything that is a paper-like material, for example "ten bus tickets" is beoseu pyo yeol jang, 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 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 would mean 'ten lessons' while sip gwa would mean 'lesson ten.' There are exceptions, such as native Korean numbers being used with 시, meaning "hour of the day". Additionally some counters modify the pronunciation and spelling of the numerals that precede it, most notably 6월 is 유 월 and 10월 is 시 월.
List of count words
Some count words take Native Korean numerals:| Hangul | Hanja | RR | MR | Usage |
| gae | kae | 'things' in general, often used as a coverall when the specific count word is unknown | ||
| gaeguk | kaeguk | countries | ||
| gaeso | kaeso | places | ||
| geon | kŏn | cases, matters, documents | ||
| gorang | korang | ridges/furrows made for planting crops | ||
| gwa | kwa | lessons | ||
| gu | ku | corpses | ||
| gunde | kunde | places | ||
| gwon | kwŏn | books | ||
| geuru | kŭru | trees, shrubs | ||
| dabal | tabal | bunches of flowers or plants | ||
| dan | tan | bunches of Welsh onions, green onions, newspaper columns | ||
| dae | tae | vehicles and machinery | ||
| dong | tong | buildings | ||
| mari | mari | animals | ||
| mae | mae | sheets of paper, photos, stamps, etc. | ||
| myeong | myŏng | people | ||
| mogeum | mogŭm | mouthfuls | ||
| mun | mun | cannons, big guns | ||
| bakwi | pak'wi | times circling around an area | ||
| bal | pal | bullets, shells, arrows, etc. | ||
| baljjak | paljjak | steps | ||
| bang | pang | shots fired from a gun or cannon; number of times explosives are set; jabs; photos shot; farts | ||
| bae | pae | glass of beverages | ||
| beon | pŏn | times a task is done | ||
| beol | pŏl | items of clothing | ||
| bun | pun | people | ||
| ppyeom | ppyŏm | hand spans | ||
| sal | sal | years old | ||
| song-i | songi | picked flowers, bunches of fruit | ||
| su | su | turns taken in Janggi or Go | ||
| su | su | poems, songs; also animals | ||
| sul | sul | spoonfuls of food | ||
| si | si | hour | ||
| sigan | sigan | hours | ||
| al | al | small, round objects or grains | ||
| omkeum | omk'ŭm | handfuls | ||
| jaru | charu | things with long handles, and by extension, knives and pistols | ||
| jang | chang | thin, flat objects | ||
| jeong | chŏng | tablets of medicine | ||
| 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 | ||
| je | che | dosage of traditional medicine | ||
| jul | chul | lines or things aligned in a row | ||
| jjok | jjok | pieces | ||
| chae | ch'ae | houses | ||
| cheok | ch'ŏk | boats and ships | ||
| cheop | ch'ŏp | packs of Korean herbal medicine | ||
| tang | t'ang | number of times doing something, especially number of trips made | ||
| tol | t'ol | grains | ||
| tong | t'ong | letters, telegrams, telephone calls, e-mails, documents | ||
| tong | t'ong | watermelons | ||
| pan | p'an | number of games won or lost | ||
| pyeon | p'yŏn | books, literary works, movies, plays, etc. | ||
| pogi | p'ogi | Chinese cabbages | ||
| pun | p'un | pennies | ||
| pil | p'il | uncut fabric, horses | ||
| pilji | p'ilji | fields, housing sites, etc. | ||
| hae | hae | earth's revolutions around the sun |
Some count words take Sino-Korean numerals:
| Hangul | Hanja | RR | MR | Usage |
| gaenyeon | kaenyŏn | years | ||
| gaewol | kaewŏl | months | ||
| gwa | kwa | lesson number | ||
| gyo | kyo | number of times a draft has been proofread | ||
| gyosi | kyosi | class number, class period number | ||
| nyeon | nyŏn | year | ||
| mu | mu | ties | ||
| beom | pŏm | penalties for a major crime | ||
| bun | pun | minute | ||
| bul | pul | dollar | ||
| seok | sŏk | seats | ||
| seon | sŏn | number of times elected to office; which term in a sequence a person has been in office | ||
| seung | sŭng | victories | ||
| sil | sil | rooms | ||
| won | wŏn | won | ||
| wol | wŏl | month | ||
| wi | wi | of rank or order | ||
| il | il | day | ||
| jeom | chŏm | grade | ||
| jo | cho | article or clause | ||
| jugi | chugi | years since a person's death | ||
| ju-il | chuil | weeks | ||
| jip | chip | publication number | ||
| cho | ch'o | second | ||
| chok | ch'ok | candela | ||
| chon | ch'on | degree of kinship; also a short unit of measurement, comparable to an inch | ||
| tan | t'an | number of a work in a series | ||
| hangnyeon | hangnyŏn | school year, grade level | ||
| ho | ho | houses | ||
| hoe | hoe | number of times |
Some nouns can also function as counter words:
| Hangul | Hanja | RR | MR | Usage |
| gok | kok | songs | ||
| geureut | kŭrŭt | bowls | ||
| byeong | pyŏng | bottles | ||
| madi | madi | phrases, joints, musical measures, words | ||
| saram | saram | people | ||
| sangja | sangja | boxes | ||
| jan | chan | cups and glasses | ||
| cheung | ch'ŭng | floors, layers | ||
| tong | t'ong | containers, buckets |
Some words are used for counting in multiples:
| Hangul | Hanja | RR | MR | Usage |
| geup | kŭp | 20 fish | ||
| daseu | tasŭ | dozen | ||
| boru | poru | bundle of 10 cigarettes | ||
| bari | pari | 2,000 fish | ||
| son | son | handfuls of fish, typically mackerels or yellow croakers | ||
| uri | uri | 2,000 tiles | ||
| jeop | chŏp | 100 fruits, radishes, cabbages, or bulbs of garlic | ||
| jok | chok | pairs | ||
| chuk | ch'uk | 20 cuttlefish | ||
| kyeolle | k'yŏlle | pairs of socks, shoes, gloves | ||
| ko | k'o | twenty dried pollock | ||
| ta | t'a | dozen | ||
| tot | t'ot | one hundred sheets of laver | ||
| pan | p'an | thirty eggs |