Ever ordered coffee in Korea and heard “두 잔 주세요” instead of just “두”? Those little words like 잔, 명, 개 are counters (classifiers). They show what you’re counting—people, cups, books, animals, and more. In this A2-friendly guide, you’ll learn the most common counters, how to pair them with Korean numbers, and how to sound natural in everyday situations.

What are counters?

In Korean, you don’t usually say “two people” or “three cups” without a classifier. You say “사람 두 명” (two people) and “커피 두 잔” (two cups of coffee). The pattern is usually:

• Noun + Number + Counter

Examples:

• 사과 두 개 있어요. (I have two apples.)
• 학생 세 명 왔어요. (Three students came.)
• 책 네 권 샀어요. (I bought four books.)

Quick practice: choose the right counter

Pick the counter that matches the noun. Remember: use native numbers for these.

Word order and natural phrasing

The most natural order is: Noun + Number + Counter.

• 학생 두 명 있어요. (There are two students.)
• 커피 한 잔 주세요. (One coffee, please.)

You can also put the counter phrase before the noun in some contexts (especially in lists), but for everyday speech, stick with the noun-first pattern.

학생이 명 있어요.

Culture note: why so many counters?

Korean (like Japanese and Chinese) uses counters to classify what’s being counted. English often just says “two cats,” but Korean “고양이 두 마리” tells you the kind of thing (animal) and the number. It’s not optional—using the right counter sounds natural and polite.

Politeness tip:

• For people, use ‘분’ when speaking politely about guests or elders: 손님 두 분 오셨어요. (Two guests came.)
• Otherwise, ‘명’ is fine: 친구 두 명 왔어요. (Two friends came.)

More practice with everyday counters

Let’s try mixing numbers and counters with common nouns.

책을 권 샀어요.

고양이가 마리 있어요.

두 개 사람 있어요. → 사람 두 명 있어요. Use the correct counter for people (명), and place noun + number + counter.

Mini drill: mix and match

Try making your own sentences:

• 사과 + 두 + 개 → 사과 두 개 있어요.
• 손님 + 한 + 분 → 손님 한 분 오셨어요.
• 자동차 + 세 + 대 → 자동차 세 대 있어요.
• 영화표 + 네 + 장 → 영화표 네 장 샀어요.

Say them out loud! Notice the shortened forms: 한, 두, 세, 네, 스무.

Summary

• Use counters to show what you’re counting: 개 (things), 명/분 (people), 권 (books), 잔 (cups), 병 (bottles), 마리 (animals), 대 (vehicles), 장 (flat items), 살 (age).
• The natural order is noun + number + counter: 사과 두 개.
• Use native numbers with most counters; use native with 시 and 살, but sino with 분.
• Remember the shortened forms: 한, 두, 세, 네, 스무.

Keep practicing with real-life phrases like “아메리카노 두 잔 주세요,” and you’ll sound more confident every day. 화이팅!