Examples
A few counter words:
- beol (벌) -- items of clothing
- bun (분) -- people (polite)
- cheok (척) -- boats and ships
- chae (채) -- houses
- dae (대) -- vehicles (cars, airplanes) and machinery (incl. computers)
- dan (단) -- bunches of Welsh onions, green onions; a column (in a newspaper)
- dong (동) -- buildings
- gae (개) -- 'things' in general, can be used if you're not sure which specific counting word to use.
- geuru (그루) -- trees
- gwa (과) -- lessons
- gwon (권) -- books
- jang (장) -- paper
- jaru (자루) -- things with long handles (writing instruments, shovels, swords, and rifles), and by extension, knives and pistols
- jul (줄) -- literal meaning: line. things aligned in a row (gimbap, desks, chairs)
- kyeolle (켤레) -- gloves and socks
- mari (마리) -- animals
- myeong (명) -- people (informal)
- pil (필) -- uncut fabric
- pogi (포기) -- Chinese cabbages
- pun (푼) -- pennies
- sal (살) -- years (with Native Korean cardinals)
- se (세) -- years (with Sino-Korean cardinals)
- song-i (송이) -- picked flowers, bunches of grapes, bunches of bananas
- tol (톨) -- grains of rice (not cooked), stones
- tong (통) -- letters, telegrams, telephone calls, and e-mail
- tong (통) -- watermelons
Some nouns can also function as counter words:
- byeong (병) -- bottles
- cheung (층) -- floors (of a building), layers
- geureut (그릇) -- bowls
- gok (곡) -- songs
- jan (잔) -- cups and glasses
- madi (마디) -- phrases, joints, and musical measures
- saram (사람) -- people (informal)
- tong (통) -- containers, buckets
Some words are used for counting in multiples:
- jeop (접) -- one hundred dried persimmons/garlic
- ko (코) -- twenty dried pollacks
- pan (판) -- thirty eggs
- son (손) -- two fish (typically mackerels or yellow croakers)
- daseu/taseu (다스/타스) -- dozen
- tot (톳) -- one hundred sheets of lavers
Read more about this topic: Korean Count Word
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