Korean count word
Encyclopedia
Like Chinese
and Japanese
, Korean
uses special measure
or counting words to count objects and events, in Korean: 수분류사 (數分類詞).
In English, one must say, "two sheets of paper" rather than "two papers". In Korean, the term jang (장) is used to count sheets, or paper-like material in general. So "ten bus tickets" would be beoseu pyo yeol jang (버스 표 열 장), literally, "bus ticket ten 'sheets'". In fact, the meanings of counter words are frequently extended in metaphorical or other image-based ways (Lakoff, 1987). For instance, in addition to counting simply sheets of paper, jang (장) in Korean can used to refer to any number of thin, paper-like objects. Leaves (namunnip 나뭇잎) are counted using this count word. In this way, the ways in which a particular count word can be used is generally very open-ended 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. yeol gwa (열 과) would mean 'ten lessons' while sip gwa (십 과) would mean 'lesson ten.' Sino-Korean numerals are used with many time counters.
Some nouns can also function as counter words:
Some words are used for counting in multiples:
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
uses special measure
Measure word
In linguistics, measure words are words that are used in combination with a numeral to indicate an amount of some noun. They denote a unit or measurement and are used with nouns that are not countable. For instance, in English, is a mass noun and thus one cannot say *"three muds", but one can say...
or counting words to count objects and events, in Korean: 수분류사 (數分類詞).
In English, one must say, "two sheets of paper" rather than "two papers". In Korean, the term jang (장) is used to count sheets, or paper-like material in general. So "ten bus tickets" would be beoseu pyo yeol jang (버스 표 열 장), literally, "bus ticket ten 'sheets'". In fact, the meanings of counter words are frequently extended in metaphorical or other image-based ways (Lakoff, 1987). For instance, in addition to counting simply sheets of paper, jang (장) in Korean can used to refer to any number of thin, paper-like objects. Leaves (namunnip 나뭇잎) are counted using this count word. In this way, the ways in which a particular count word can be used is generally very open-ended and up to the construal or creativity of the speaker.
There are two systems of numerals in Korean
Korean numerals
The Korean language has two regularly used sets of numerals, a native Korean system and Sino-Korean system.-Construction:For both native and Sino- Korean numerals, the teens are represented by a combination of tens and the ones places...
: native Korean and Sino-Korean. Native Korean numerals are used with most counter words. yeol gwa (열 과) would mean 'ten lessons' while sip gwa (십 과) would mean 'lesson ten.' Sino-Korean numerals are used with many time counters.
Examples
A few counter words:- beol (벌) -- items of clothingClothingClothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
- bun (분) -- peoplePeoplePeople is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:* as the plural of person or a group of people People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:*...
(polite) - cheok (척) -- boats and shipsBoatA boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
- chae (채) -- houseHouseA house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
s - dae (대) -- vehicleVehicleA vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
s (cars, airplanes) and machinery (incl. computers) - dan (단) -- bunches of Welsh onionWelsh onionAllium fistulosum L. is a perennial onion. Other names that may be applied to this plant include green onion, spring onion, escallion, and salad onion...
s, green onionsScallionScallions , are the edible plants of various Allium species, all of which are "onion-like", having hollow green leaves and lacking a fully developed root bulb.-Etymology:The words... - dong (동) -- buildingBuildingIn architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
s - gae (개) -- 'thingsObject (philosophy)An object in philosophy is a technical term often used in contrast to the term subject. Consciousness is a state of cognition that includes the subject, which can never be doubted as only it can be the one who doubts, and some object or objects that may or may not have real existence without...
' in general, can be used if you're not sure which specific counting word to use. - geuru (그루) -- treeTreeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s - gwa (과) -- lessonLessonA lesson is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students being taught by a teacher or instructor...
s - gwon (권) -- bookBookA book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s - jang (장) -- paperPaperPaper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
- jaru (자루) -- things with long handleHandle (grip)A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that can be moved or used by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt with intuitively or by following tradition...
s (writing instruments, shovels, swords, and rifles), and by extension, knives and pistols - kyeolle (켤레) -- gloveGloveA glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each...
s and sockSockA sock is an item of clothing worn on the feet. The foot is among the heaviest producers of sweat in the body, as it is able to produce over of perspiration per day. Socks help to absorb this sweat and draw it to areas where air can evaporate the perspiration. In cold environments, socks decrease...
s - mari (마리) -- animalAnimalAnimals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s - myeong (명) -- people (informal)
- pil (필) -- uncut fabricFabricA fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...
- pogi (포기) -- Chinese cabbageChinese cabbageChinese cabbage can refer to two distinct varieties of Chinese leaf vegetables used often in Chinese cuisine. These vegetables are both related to the Western cabbage, and are of the same species as the common turnip...
s - pun (푼) -- penniesPennyA penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
- sal (살) -- years (with Native KoreanKorean languageKorean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
cardinals) - se (세) -- years (with Sino-KoreanSino-KoreanSino-Korean or Hanja-eo refers to the set of words in the Korean language vocabulary that originated from or were influenced by hanja. The Sino-Korean lexicon consists of both words loaned from Chinese and words coined in the Korean language using hanja.Sino-Korean words are one of the three main...
cardinals) - song-i (송이) -- picked flowers, bunchBunchBunch may refer to:* BUNCH, competitors in computer manufacturing* Bunch, Oklahoma, a village in the state of Oklahoma in the United States of America* Bunch grass, any grass of the Poaceae family* The Bunch, a 1972 folk rock group...
es of grapes, bunches of bananas - tol (톨) -- grains of rice (not cooked), stoneSTONeis a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Sin-Ichi Hiromoto. Kodansha released the two bound volumes of the manga on April 23, 2002 and August 23, 2002, respectively.The manga is licensed for an English-languague released in North America be Tokyopop...
s - tong (통) -- letterLetter (alphabet)A letter is a grapheme in an alphabetic system of writing, such as the Greek alphabet and its descendants. Letters compose phonemes and each phoneme represents a phone in the spoken form of the language....
s, telegrams, telephone callTelephone callA telephone call is a connection over a telephone network between the calling party and the called party.-Information transmission:A telephone call may carry ordinary voice transmission using a telephone, data transmission when the calling party and called party are using modems, or facsimile...
s, and e-mailE-mailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the... - tong (통) -- watermelonWatermelonWatermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
s
Some nouns can also function as counter words:
- byeong (병) -- bottleBottleA bottle is a rigid container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth". By contrast, a jar has a relatively large mouth or opening. Bottles are often made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum or other impervious materials, and typically used to store liquids such as water, milk, soft...
s - cheung (층) -- floors (of a building)StoreyA storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
, layerLayerLayer may refer to:* A layer of archaeological deposits in an excavation* A layer hen, a hen raised to produce eggs* Stratum, a layer of rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics...
s - geureut (그릇) -- bowlsBowl (vessel)A bowl is a common open-top container used in many cultures to serve food, and is also used for drinking and storing other items. They are typically small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.Bowls have existed for...
- gok (곡) -- songSongIn music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s - jan (잔) -- cups and glasses
- madi (마디) -- phrases, joints, and musical measuresBar (music)In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
- saram (사람) -- people (informal)
- tong (통) -- containers, buckets
Some words are used for counting in multiples:
- jeop (접) -- one hundred dried persimmonPersimmonA persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...
s - jul (줄) -- ten eggs
- ko (코) -- twenty dried pollackPollackPollack is a surname, and may refer to:* Alan W. Pollack, musicologist* Andrea Pollack , swimmer* Ben Pollack , drummer and bandleader* Brittany Pollack, New York City Ballet dancer* David M. Pollack, , American football linebacker...
s - pan (판) -- thirty eggs
- son (손) -- two fish (typically mackerelMackerelMackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
s or yellow croakers) - taseu (다스) -- dozens of pencilPencilA pencil is a writing implement or art medium usually constructed of a narrow, solid pigment core inside a protective casing. The case prevents the core from breaking, and also from marking the user’s hand during use....
s - tot (톳) -- one hundred sheets of lavers