Korean Counter Finder
You cannot say "three apples" in Korean without a counter word in the middle. Type the thing you are counting and get the whole phrase, with the number in the right shape.
Korean will not let you count things directly
English puts the number straight onto the noun: three apples, two books. Korean cannot. It needs a counter word in between, matched to the kind of thing being counted, and the phrase is built noun first: 사과 세 개, literally "apple three units".
English has this too, in a smaller way — two slices of bread, three sheets of paper, a head of cattle. The difference is that in Korean it is not optional and not limited to a handful of nouns. Everything countable takes one.
개 will get you through most conversations
There are well over a hundred counters, and learners often try to memorise them as a list. That is the wrong first move. 개 is the general counter for objects, and using it where a more specific one exists sounds slightly plain but is always understood.
What you cannot do is use 개 for people or animals. 사람 세 개 is not slightly off — it is wrong in a way that lands badly, because 개 is for things. People take 명, or 분 when you are being respectful. Animals take 마리. Those three, plus 개, cover the great majority of what a beginner needs.
The number changes shape in front of a counter
This is the part the word lists usually leave out. Native Korean numbers do not keep their form when a counter follows:
| Number | On its own | Before a counter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 하나 | 한 개 |
| 2 | 둘 | 두 개 |
| 3 | 셋 | 세 개 |
| 4 | 넷 | 네 개 |
| 20 | 스물 | 스무 개 |
Everything else keeps its shape: 다섯 개, 열 개, 스물다섯 개. And only a bare twenty shortens — twenty-one is 스물한 개, not 스무한 개. Getting 하나 개 out of a learner is the fastest way to spot someone who learned numbers and counters separately.
A few counters take Sino-Korean numbers instead
Counters almost always take native numbers, which is why the shape change above matters so much. The exceptions are counters that are themselves borrowed from Chinese: 층 for floors, 인분 for portions of food, 페이지 for pages. Those take 일, 이, 삼 — so it is 오 층 for the fifth floor and 이 인분 for two portions, never 다섯 층.
Ordering food is where this bites first. Two portions of pork belly is 삼겹살 이 인분, and a table will understand 둘 in a pinch, but the menu and the staff will use the Sino form.
The full list of common counters
Grouped by what each one counts, with the example nouns this tool recognises.
Related tools
See both number systems side by side with the Korean numbers converter, attach the right particle with the Korean particle picker, and read prices with Korean won in words.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Korean counter word?
A word that has to sit between the number and the thing being counted. Korean says 사과 세 개, apple three units, rather than putting the number directly on the noun. The counter is chosen to match the kind of thing.
Which counter should I use if I do not know the right one?
개, the general counter for objects. It sounds plain where a specific counter exists but is always understood. The exception is people and animals, which take 명 and 마리 — never 개.
Why does 셋 become 세 before a counter?
Native Korean numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 20 shorten in front of a counter: 하나 becomes 한, 둘 becomes 두, 셋 becomes 세, 넷 becomes 네, 스물 becomes 스무. All other numbers keep their shape.
How do I count people in Korean?
명 for people generally, 분 when you want to be respectful — a customer, an elder, a teacher. 사람 세 명 for three people, or 세 분 when politeness matters. Never 개.
Do counters use native or Sino-Korean numbers?
Almost all take native numbers: 한 개, 두 마리, 세 권. A few borrowed counters take Sino-Korean instead, including 층 for floors, 인분 for food portions and 페이지 for pages.
How do I order two portions of food?
삼겹살 이 인분 for two portions of pork belly. 인분 takes Sino-Korean numbers, so it is 이 인분 rather than 두 인분.
Do I need to memorise every counter?
No. 개, 명, 마리 and a handful of everyday ones such as 권 for books, 잔 for drinks and 장 for flat things will carry ordinary conversation. The rest are picked up as you meet them.