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Korean count word

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Korean words for counting things
Korean grammar

The Korean language uses special measure or counting words for specific objects and events. These suffixes are called subullyusa (수분류사; 數分類詞) 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 (장/張) is used to count sheets or anything that is a paper-like material, for example:

버스

버스

beoseu

bus

표

票

pyo

ticket

열

열

yeol

ten

장

張

jang

'sheets'

버스 표 열 장

버스 票 열 張

beoseu pyo yeol jang

bus ticket ten 'sheets'

"ten bus tickets"

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 (namunnip 나뭇잎) 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:

열

열

yeol

과

課

gwa

열 과

열 課

yeol gwa

'ten lessons'

십

十

sip

과

課

gwa

십 과

十 課

sip gwa

'lesson ten'

There are exceptions, such as native Korean numbers being used with 시, meaning "hour of the day". Additionally some counters (mostly those associated with traditional units) modify the pronunciation and spelling of the numerals that precede it, most notably 6월 is 유월 and 10월 is 시월.

List of count words

Some count words take native Korean numerals:

Hangul Hanja RR MR Usage
가구 家口 gagu kaku families (ie. 10 households live on this cul-de-sac)
개 個 gae kae 'things' in general, often used as a coverall when the specific count word is unknown (for example, by children)
개국 個國 gaeguk kaeguk countries
개소 個所 gaeso kaeso places
건 件 geon kŏn cases, matters, documents
고랑 gorang korang ridges/furrows made for planting crops
과 課 gwa kwa lessons (if paired with Sino-Korean numeral, lesson number)
구 具 gu ku corpses
군데 gunde kunde places
권 卷 gwon kwŏn books
그루 geuru kŭru trees, shrubs
다발 dabal tabal bunches of flowers or plants
단 dan tan bunches of Welsh onions, green onions, newspaper columns
대 臺 dae tae vehicles (cars, airplanes, etc.) and machinery (incl. computers)
동 棟 dong tong buildings
마리 mari mari animals
매 枚 mae mae sheets of paper, photos, stamps, etc.
명 名 myeong myŏng people (informal)
모금 mogeum mogŭm mouthfuls (of liquid or gas)
문 門 mun mun cannons, big guns
바퀴 bakwi pak'wi times circling around an area
발 發 bal pal bullets, shells, arrows, etc.
발짝 baljjak paljjak steps
방 放 bang pang shots fired from a gun or cannon; number of times explosives are set; jabs; photos shot; farts
배 杯 bae pae glass of (usually alcoholic) beverages
배 拜 bae pae bowing
번 番 beon pŏn times a task is done
벌 beol pŏl items of clothing
부 部 bu pu copies of printed material
분 bun pun people (honorific)
뼘 ppyeom ppyŏm hand spans
살 sal sal years old (generally avoided when using honorifics)
송이 song-i songi picked flowers, bunches of fruit (grapes, bananas, etc.)
수 手 su su turns taken in Janggi or Go
수 首 su su poems, songs; also animals
술 sul sul spoonfuls of food
시 時 si si hour (of the day)
시간 時間 sigan sigan hours (in length)
알 al al small, round objects (especially fruits) or grains
옴큼 omkeum omk'ŭm handfuls
자루 jaru charu things with long handles (writing instruments, shovels, swords, and rifles), and by extension, knives and pistols
장 張 jang chang thin, flat objects (such as sheets of paper, glass, steel)
정 錠 jeong chŏng tablets of medicine
점 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
제 劑 je che dosage of traditional medicine
줄 jul chul lines or things aligned in a row (kimbap, desks, chairs, etc.)
쪽 jjok jjok pieces
채 chae ch'ae houses (also buildings, large objects, furniture, blankets)
척 隻 cheok ch'ŏk boats and ships
첩 貼 cheop ch'ŏp packs of Korean herbal medicine
탕 趟 tang t'ang number of times doing something, especially number of trips made
톨 tol t'ol grains
통 通 tong t'ong letters, telegrams, telephone calls, e-mails, documents
통 tong t'ong watermelons
판 pan p'an number of games won or lost
편 篇 pyeon p'yŏn books, literary works, movies, plays, etc.
포기 pogi p'ogi Chinese cabbages
푼 pun p'un pennies
필 匹 pil p'il uncut fabric, horses
필지 筆地 pilji p'ilji fields, housing sites, etc.
해 hae hae earth's revolutions around the sun

Some count words take Sino-Korean numerals:

Hangul Hanja RR MR Usage
개년 個年 gaenyeon kaenyŏn years
개월 個月 gaewol kaewŏl months
과 課 gwa kwa lesson number (native Korean for number of lessons)
교 校 gyo kyo number of times a draft has been proofread
교시 校時 gyosi kyosi class number, class period number
년 年 nyeon nyŏn year (for dates; 2014년, 1998년)
무 無 mu mu ties (in a game)
범 犯 beom pŏm penalties for a major crime
분 分 bun pun minute (of an hour)
불 弗 bul pul dollar
석 席 seok sŏk seats
선 選 seon sŏn number of times elected to office; which term in a sequence a person has been in office
승 勝 seung sŭng victories (in sports)
실 室 sil sil rooms
원 圓 won wŏn won
월 月 wol wŏl month (for dates; 일월: January, 이월: February, ...; note that 6월 is written and pronounced 유월 and 10월 is likewise 시월)
위 位 wi wi of rank or order (e.g. 1위 = first rank or order)
일 日 il il day (for dates)
점 點 jeom chŏm grade (100점)
조 條 jo cho article or clause
주기 周忌 jugi chugi years since a person's death (used on that death's anniversary)
주일 週日 ju-il chuil weeks
집 輯 jip chip publication number (e.g. Opus number, album, magazine issue)
초 秒 cho ch'o second (of a minute)
촉 燭 chok ch'ok candela
촌 寸 chon ch'on degree of kinship; also a short unit of measurement, comparable to an inch
탄 彈 tan t'an number of a work in a series
호 戶 ho ho houses
회 回 hoe hoe number of times

Some nouns can also function as counter words:

Hangul Hanja RR MR Usage
곡 曲 gok kok songs
그릇 geureut kŭrŭt bowls
병 甁 byeong pyŏng bottles
마디 madi madi phrases, joints, musical measures, words
사람 saram saram people (informal)
상자 箱子 sangja sangja boxes
잔 盞 jan chan cups and glasses
층 層 cheung ch'ŭng floors (of a building), layers
통 桶 tong t'ong containers, buckets

Some words are used for counting in multiples:

Hangul Hanja RR MR Usage
급 級 geup kŭp 20 fish
다스 daseu tasŭ dozen (abbreviated from English)
보루 boru poru bundle of 10 packs of cigarettes
바리 bari pari 2,000 fish
손 son son handfuls of fish (2 large, 4-5 small), typically mackerels or yellow croakers
우리 uri uri 2,000 tiles
접 jeop chŏp 100 fruits (for example, dried persimmons), radishes, cabbages, or bulbs of garlic
족 足 jok chok pairs (for items likes socks, shoes, gloves, etc.)
축 chuk ch'uk 20 cuttlefish
켤레 kyeolle k'yŏlle pairs of socks, shoes, gloves
코 ko k'o twenty dried pollock
타 打 ta t'a dozen
톳 tot t'ot one hundred sheets of laver
판 板 pan p'an thirty eggs

See also

Notes

  1. Typically, there are 20 cigarettes in a pack, and 10 packs in a bundle. 담배 스무 개비 = 담배 한 갑(匣), 담배 열 갑 = 담배 한 보루

References

  1. Martin, Samuel Elmo (2006). A reference grammar of Korean = Hanguo yu wen fa zong jian = Hanʼgugŏ munpŏp chʻongnam : a complete guide to the grammar and history of the Korean language. Clarendon, Vt.: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-3771-6. OCLC 496704267.


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